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Winter Fly Fishing


Duncan7709

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I have never fly fished for trout in the winter and I am wondering what type of flies to use? What about line and reel care? What type of gloves do you wear or do you not wear gloves? Thanks

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Winter trout fishing is mostly fishing nymphs slow and deep. Orange scuds are probably the most popular choice of fly, but Pheasant Tails, Hare Ears, and various midge larva also work. Lots of folks use a scud trailed by a small PT or midge larva. In any case, use plenty of weight and get your fly down in deep runs.

I don't do anything special for line or reel care. However, I don't fish when it's much below 30 degrees.

I use simple fingerless, fleece gloves. If you need more than that, it's too cold to fish.

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Pink Squirel. As for keeping warm, the water isn't too bad (spring creeks aren't that much colder in the winter than the spring/fall). I just wear a pair of breathable waders, a midweight long john and the cabela's fleece wader liners. Up top I wear a midweight long john, fleece shirt, thin cabela's down jacket (no shell, Simms makes something similar), and then a Gortex wading jacket. For gloves I wear the Simms fold-over mitts with some chemical handwarmers and bring a pair of down mitts incase my hands get real cold. I like to wear a balacliva under my hat if it gets too cold. Just make sure you wear boots with a tread, felt is an adventure in the snow. I'll go out if it's 10F or warmer as long as the wind isn't blowing. I like to use a 3wt or 4wt with a nymph taper fly line.

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All good advice here...

Don't forget your sunglasses and sunscreen...especially since all of SE MN is snow-covered. cool.gif If you go without shades, you're pretty much hosed from the start.

Scud and a zebra midge or 18-20 nymph fished with weight should do the trick no matter where you're fishing, unless fish are rising to midges, then a Griffith's Gnat is just what the doctor ordered. By March (even February if it's warm enough), baetis (blue-winged olives) will begin to appear, and that can make for tremendous dry fly fishing as well.

Bottom line, as with fishing any time of the year, don't try to put too much science into it. Go out and have a good time, figure out what works, and don't beat yourself up if you get a skunk.

In the winter, I stick with the same set-up I fish with during the regular season except I use a floating polyleader. With the floating polyleader I put on about 4ft of 6x tippet, tie on the first fly, tie about 12" of 5x to that fly's hook bend, and tie on the second fly. Stick weight about 6" above the first fly, and stick a floating indicator to the knot where the polyleader and tippet are loop-knotted together. That's just about all I fish in the winter, and that works for me.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
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    • LakeofthewoodsMN
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    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
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