After a ten minute ride in on Big Bend Road I turned the truck off and Alan and I jumped out of the truck. The 24 degree air hit our faces first and our lungs just a second after. Alan fixed me with a good natured glare and said, ” Now whose bright idea was this?” . I just laughed, because it was mine and mine alone. See, I love fishing in the winter time, its a taste I developed years ago on the Davidson when you could fish the hatchery section and never see anyone all day long. Those winter days on the Davidson also taught me other valuable lessons that if you could change your tactics and your gear you could catch many fish while most were sitting at home dreaming about fishing! Let me share with you what I have learned about Winter fishing and how you can apply it to our Chattooga river fishery.
First, for any fishing trip to be enjoyable one must be comfortable. Advancements in breathable waders and base layers have made huge steps in the comfort department. In truly cold water such as what we fished in yesterday, neoprene waders are still a viable option for some of our cold natured anglers.(My wife Kellie loves my old neoprenes!) A typical set up for me goes like this, one thin pair of moisture wicking socks over which I put a heavy pair of wool socks. Thin Polypropylene base layer for everything else south of the belly button and then a pair of fleece jogging pants over top of that. It is important to build some air space between your skin and the side of the cold waders. Up top is multi-layered affair basically like the bottom, something to wick away moisture, some fleeces,and a vest or possibly a wading jacket to cut wind. A huge amount of heat is lost through the top of your head, so sometimes I wear a toboggan (beanie for you youngsters) and possibly a hat underneath. If you can find a warm hat that covers ears and provides a bill to shield your eyes you are in good shape. Arguments could be made though that the most important piece of fishing attire would be a good glove. I myself prefer wool gloves with the fingers cut out so that I can still tie knots, change flies, and unhook fish comfortably. Try to be vigilant about sweating, if you feel like you are going to, remove some layers. The key is to stay dry. If you have a long hike into the section you are going to fish, put your gear into a pack and just walk in to the river in your underlayers and finish dressing at the side of the river.
Gear wise you have everything you need all ready. Have a good tippet and sinker selection at the ready and you will be fine. The only other preparations you could make to your gear would be line and guide treatments to keep it from icing. I don’t mind a little icing, it gives me opportunity to step out for a moment and warm my feet while i break the ice out. If you do no treatments one way to limit icing is to make short line drifts that you can control without having to strip back in. That has been a real key to success for me over time.
Fly selections can be extremely varied and it can range greatly just from section to section on a river. Just like any other season, Winter has its own set of bugs and having some general information about them is key. Here on the Chattooga blue winged olives, small black stoneflies and midges provide the bulk of our insect activity. At the same time, this is the spawning season, so a selection of eggs never hurts to have in the box. Rubber legs undulating in the current make many common patterns irresistible so look for that on your nymphs. Warm days we will see some emergences of BWO’s and tiny black stoneflies, so have a couple of adult imitations(i.e. dry flies) for that occurence as well. Soft Hackle Hares ears and Pheasant tails are a must for your box as well.
To be truly successful in the winter time, their are a few things you have to understand. Trout are lethargic in cold weather, so early in the morning when the water is super cold, they are less likely to eat a fly. You want to concentrate your best efforts during the warmest part of the day for optimal success. Now that is not to say that you can’t catch them early in the morning, you can, it just won’t be as productive as the warm period. Accurate drifts putting the fly right on the fishes nose makes it easy for them to eat your fly. You must be bumping the bottom and sometimes that takes longer leaders and multiple pieces of lead to get the fly in the fishes mouth. Make careful approaches to get close to fish so you don’t have to make long casts and then fish to them slowly and take your time working the water slowly. The fish are slow so you must be as well, not to mention careful wading keeps you dry which is imperative. Patience is still the defining mark of a good angler!
Lastly, you should always have some snacks and water with you. A little fire in the furnace keeps you warm so to speak, and keeps you from making bad decisions. During winter fishing, it is always better to err on the side of caution. Well this comprises the bulk of my winter fishing knowledge. We are lucky here on the Chattooga because we are so far south, in the winter we do not get as cold as some of the higher elevation rivers in North Carolina, Tennesee and Virginia. That alone gives us a much better winter fishery than most.
If you are wondering how mine and Alan’s day turned out in Big Bend, it went very well. The water temp was 34 degrees and when the sun finally hit the main hole we were fishing we caught nearly 40 apiece. No huge fish, but they didn’t need to be. To me a little physical discomfort has always equated with a more epic fishing trip! Now the hike out of there was another story……
Leave a comment