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St. Vrain Angler Presents Helpful Fishing Tips Fishing tip for February, 2002 During winter fishing months, it is best to dress and prepare for the conditions you will be facing for that day on the stream. It will probably be stream fishing, as that is what will be open. Plan on fishing primarily on Tail Water streams where the water continues flowing, rather than icing up. There are areas on local Freestone streams that also will open during February, so some time exploring to find these spots is in order. Check your map for lower elevations in the Foothills where warmer days may result in open water. When you determine your destination, be sure you have the right gear to go, including:
When you arrive at the fishing spot, take plenty of time to dress properly. Be particularly careful when putting on socks, wader and shoes so there aren't many creases inside boots that will cut off circulation. Remember to rig your reel with leader and tippet before you arrive, and to set up rod/reel after you've dressed! Broken rods are never fun. Head to the water to see if there are any rising fish. If you find snouts on the surface, tie on a small parachute Adams with a midge pupa dropper; put the dry fly powder on the Adams so it floats and you can see it, and make short accurate casts that land the flies slightly above the rising fish. And fish to one fish; often, midging fish will feed in pods and the tendency may be to just make a cast into them. Take some time to observe what is going on and find one persistent feeder to cast to. If that fish continues to feed, continue casting. If it rejects your fly and continues feeding, try changing to a stuck-in-the shuck midge emerger of some sort. If fish are not rising, try rigging up with a bead head of choice and a midge larva or pupa pattern. Experiment with weight; remember, the difference between a good nymph angler and a poor one is one more piece of lead. Getting the fly on the bottom is important. Fish in seams and don't be afraid of adjusting the amount of lead if you go from deeper to shallower water, or visa versa. Use a strike detector if you like. Knowing where your fly is while nymph fishing is pretty important. During winter months, the water is usually very clear and pretty shallow. Get on the side of the river where you can best see into the water - in other words, away from the most glare. Try rigging your nymph outfit like this: to the end of your leader, attach a one-foot section of 6X tippet; at the knot that attaches the tippet to the leader, place a small piece of lead. To the 6X tippet, attach a bead head prince nymph, then tie another short section of 6X to the bend of the hook. To that piece of tippet attach a midge larva pattern. About one foot above the lead, stick a very small amount of Bio-Strike material in orange or chartreuse; do the same another foot or so above that. In deeper water, make a very short cast - there should be perhaps 3-8 feet of fly line out of the tip of the rod. Watch the Bio-Strike as it sinks with the flies and lead and then try to find the prince nymph wings in the water. They are white, and often pretty visible, if you follow the leader to the bottom. Observe where the fly is in relationship to the Bio and the fly line as it enters the water. Interesting, huh? Sneak up on spots - wade upstream - that look like they'll hold fish. Make your casts and continue to watch the lowest thing in the water that you can see - the fly, the first chunk of Bio or the second. Try to train your eyes to look through the Bio towards where the fly is and watch for fish to take the fly. You'll be surprised when you start to see the fish gently drift out of a hiding spot and ever-so-slightly turn as they eat the fly. The strike detection material probably won't even move. As soon as you see the fish turn, gently lift the rod. When fishing during winter months, try to avoid long fights with trout. Get them in quickly and release them without handling. If you want to take a picture, do so while they are in the water. Use a Ketchum Release tool or a small pair of hemo's to remove the hook. Be sure all the barbs are removed from the hooks. Small hooks do more damage to fish than larger hooks when anglers squeeze the fish to get their hands on the small flies to remove them. Avoid the squeeze and release program as much as possible and be sure the fish are properly revived when they are released. They'll let you know by quickly swimming back to the chilly depths. Not to be preachy, buy please consider trying another technique if you have figured out the one you are using. In other words, limit the number of fish you catch to a few; go ahead and let them be so they'll be healthy for the rest of the season, too. One of the pleasures of winter fishing is that the days are short, the amount of time spent fishing is usually short due to conditions and hot soup always tastes better after a day on the stream. The memories that winter fishing build are fine. If you have any questions about the above information, please give us a call at one of the shops: we'd love to help you! Thanks for reading!
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or call 303-651-6061 © St. Vrain Angler Stores, Inc. We wish you good fishing, fly tying and great fun throughout the year! |
