Too Cold To/For Fish?

[steveo27]

Im sure many of you guys are getting restless since spring is almost here. I had a camping trip planned for this past weekend but the weather had other ideas. We salvaged the weekend by doing an easy day outing yesterday.

It was COLD yesterday. Cloudy and air temps in the mid 20s most of the day, it was low teens/single digit temps Saturday night. The water temp when I took it in the morning was 34 degrees. there was ice on the rocks and along most of the edge of the stream.

We still caught a handful of wild browns which surprised me. They werent interested in anything but wooly buggers. The few fish we did catch were surprisingly aggressive with their takes.

Ive never fished air/water temps this cold before. Ive been out a handful of times in the winter on sunny days where its around freezing and the water temps are in the upper 30s and have caught gemmies. Ive noticed once the water temps dip below 37ish degrees the gemmies turn off.

This doesnt seem to be the case with wild browns after yesterdays trip.

What temperature seems to be the general cut off point for wild browns or did we get lucky yesterday? Or was it more of a they were willing to feed because there was big food in front of them kinda deal?

 

[NewSal]

I don't have a ton of experience, but I do know I fished pretty regularly this winter, as long as it wasn't below 20 I usually would go fishing, and although it wasn't spring-fall type fishing I did catch fish, so I'm not really sure if there is a cut-off point as far as fish catching - after all, the fish have to eat to survive regardless of temperature, granted they wont move as far for food and wont feed as much, they still have to eat, and my assumption is that they will eat if you put a meal right smack in there faces. So I guess the cut off point as far as low temperatures go is just however cold you can physically handle would be my take on the topic

 

[streamerguy]

I think the rate at which the temp changes, and how drastic of a change it is affects things more. Generally big cold snaps, snow melt, etc. will shut things down from my experience.

With that said this past weekend was pretty good for as cold as it got. And one of my best winter brookie outings happened this year during a good snow runoff, so they surprise ya sometimes.

 

[Dave_W]

steveo27 wrote:
What temperature seems to be the general cut off point for wild browns or did we get lucky yesterday? Or was it more of a they were willing to feed because there was big food in front of them kinda deal?

In my experience, small stream wild brookies are significantly more active in very cold water, say in the mid 30s, than brown trout. I'm pretty confident that if I can present a fly in water clear of ice, I can catch brookies. For streams with mainly BTs, I'd likely wait till the temps got up a few degrees and the ice cleared out.

Nevertheless, as your experience suggests...yuh never know for sure. Things aren't always perfectly predictable.

 

[ryansheehan]

As long as the river flows the trout feed. They will move less and less the colder it gets but they will eat. I fish tailwaters all through the winter and look to find the warmest water. When it's really cold get close to the outflow, if it's warm move down river, every degree helps. If I'm not catching fish, drift slower and deeper. Good strike detection is an absolute must, takes are subtle most of the time when temperatures drop below 38 in my experience.

 

[jacob]

Great advice from ryan ^ that is spot on in my experience.

I've been fishing through winter all my life- my cutoff has always been if the water itself was frozen and unfishable, or if I was frozen and not able to fish haha

 

[Mwheaps32]

I caught a few wild browns on Saturday with a black bugger. The stream was iced up in a few areas. As long as it's not iced over if you put a decent meal opportunity in front on them they'll eat it. I'll jig the bugger in tight spots in soft water. Fishing can be difficult on bright sunny winter days with your shadow as your biggest enemy.

 

[724flyfishing]

We were out two weekends ago on that Sunday when it was single digits. The three of us all hooked up on wild brown trout and only one gemmie. They were definitely more active of the two that day. I think holding patterns are different between the two and may make strike detection and presentation easier for a brown trout holding in slack water vs a brook trout holding in fast pocket water. Could be completely wrong there, but that was our experience that day, which was the coldest I ever fly fished and would never do again lol.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

To add to what ryan said, a dry dropper is a great way to get them when it is cold. The takes are nearly undetectable even with a palsa pinch on sometimes, but the fish will open their mouths and take if you get it in the lane. Be prepared to catch every fallfish, chub and trout that takes the dropper... I fish two midges below a wulff or adams and catch them as long as the stream is flowing. Use a hi-vis gnat, and you may even get a couple on top.

 

[Acristickid]

You could fish in Erie in 5 degrees and still catch a fish if you were so inclined.

There are different degrees (hah) of cold weather fishing to me- if it is below 38 or a little warmer with wind I wont go. Conversely the air temp might be 38 but if there are blue bird skies and no wind I might.

By and large I will try to convince people into not going during the winter.

Same with a normal winter and olives- peoples cabin fever often has people chasing them too soon.

 

[jifigz]

I've caught wild browns, musky, walleyes, brookies, rainbows, bluegills, and nearly every other fish I've ever fished for in water that is about as cold as water can get. Let's remember that water has a high significant heat index which means it heats up and cools down slowly. Also, I think it has more to do with the temperatures for the fisherman more so than the fish. Nearly any fish will bite in the coldest of water as long as an offering is properly presented. While out on a jet boat fishing for some winter time smallies I've seen these guys just tearing catfish out of the river.

The only times it is top cold to fish is when your line freezes in your guides like immediately. If you can stand the weather then fish will be available for you to tempt.

 

[pete41]

ice in the guides--too cold for me but not them.

 

[ryansheehan]

pete41 wrote:
ice in the guides--too cold for me but not them.

That's why they invented chapstick

 

[jifigz]

ryansheehan wrote:

pete41 wrote:
ice in the guides--too cold for me but not them.

That's why they invented chapstick

Chapstick, PAM, and Loon Outdoors Ice off or whtever it's called all slow the process down but I've never found a miracle to keep ice from jamming up my guides.

 

[Tups]

Saturday late afternoon 330 to 5pm. Air temp 29. Windchill 17 overcast. Large stream mifflin co. Water very clear and moderate flows. Didn't get a water temp. Wasn't fishing just spotting. A couple dozen wild Browns 8 to 14 inches rising in the tail of a deep pool. Taking something tiny that I couldn't see with binocs. Breaking the surface in regular rhythm like an evening in May

 

[fritz]

I tried the chapstick trick when fishing for steelhead a few years ago. Found it easier to clear the ice out of the guides every 20 minutes or so.

Been seeing fishing rising as Tups described most all winter.

 

[ryansheehan]

fritz wrote:
I tried the chapstick trick when fishing for steelhead a few years ago. Found it easier to clear the ice out of the guides every 20 minutes or so.

Been seeing fishing rising as Tups described most all winter.

If I had to clean out the rod ice every twenty minutes I wouldn't use chapstick either.

 

[jifigz]

The worst is when it is seriously every 3 or 4 casts and your line will barely shoot through your guides. At that point the frustration usually trumps my enjoyment and that is extremely rare when it comes to fishing.

 

[krayfish2]

To cold to fish? Yes....since October 15

 

[Nymph-wristed]

jifigz wrote:
The worst is when it is seriously every 3 or 4 casts and your line will barely shoot through your guides. At that point the frustration usually trumps my enjoyment and that is extremely rare when it comes to fishing.

At that point, I fish icey guide enforced tenkara style...