What to use?

[scs]

So what does everyone use this time of year?? As long as the temps don't drop too much I'm still in the fishing mood.

Steve

 

[ryansheehan]

Midges and san juans.

 

[redietz]

ryansheehan wrote:
Midges and san juans.

Not bad advice. I did well this week with small soft hackles.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Good advice above. I go small, like like 20 zebra midges or brassies, Or I go large meals, like slowly worked buggers in olive and white. or a long SJ worm. Midges hatch all winter, and small BWO's in 18 to 20, and even though the fish may be less active, they will move a bit for a sure fire, big, high protein meal. I caught plenty of winter fish on Rapalas when I fished for the First Order (they kicked me out when they heard I was pinching the barbs and removing a set of treble hooks, so I am with the Resistance now).

 

[David]

Stonefly nymphs are still active in the winter.

 

[sarce]

Agree with stoneflies and midges, my #1 winter fly is probably the classic woolly bugger. Just fish it slowww.

 

[Bruno]

Sucker Spawn - BWO the pic was taking during a BWO hatch in a snow storm. It was crazy

 

[NewSal]

Bruno wrote:
Sucker Spawn

+1

 

[sandfly]

In spring creeks with a regulated water temp, you will find hatching flies along with nymphs being more active than a freestone. In freestones 99% of insects will borrow done in the substrate and winter over leaving the minnows as the main food source for trout all winter.

 

[rrt]

Heavily weighted Hare's Ear nymphs, size 12, work best for me. I've been lazy though and have fished only once since deer season and have played basketball (age 60 and over) instead.

Take the water temp. I usually can catch a few trout down to 35 degrees, which seems to be the shut-off temp for me.

Maybe I'll get motivated to go out over the weekend. My legs are rubbery from this morning's basketball, and I'm going to lie by the woodburner and read this afternoon -- and maybe tie a few flies.

Good luck.

 

[jacob]

As previously suggested, midges, sucker spawn, eggs, san Juans, and BWO will work all winter.

I'm surprised nobody said anything about SCUDS or sowbugs!!! Don't forget about them!

Also buggers were mentioned but try some bigger streamers in white. I've done well working bigger streamers (3+ inches) in bright white during winter.

 

[tomgamber]

All good suggestions... I still do well with various sizes and colors of buggers. Mostly because I can use one fly and its a matter of figuring out which presentation will work as opposed to which fly. When its really cold I don't like tying on lots of flies.

However, one of my favorite and most productive winter patterns is a Peeking Caddis.

There are lots of more updated versions of this tie but this is the standard version I like to use.

 

[nomad_archer]

Midges and buggers worked for me today. I fish generic nymphs year round with pretty good success. I find that in the winter I need to try a little harder to get into fish on freestone streams.

 

[afishinado]

Since the OP is listed as being from Carlisle, scuds and cress bugs are a great suggestion. But so are eggs flies, sucker spawn, hares ears. stoneflies, pheasant tails and certainly zebra midges as well as a lot of other flies

I usually start with fishing small patterns in winter, but agree sometimes a bugger or even a stonefly will sometimes work best.

Given the variety of flies everyone is successful with, one can say with confidence that fishing one particular pattern is not the most important thing for catching winter trout.

In fact it is not likely at all to have the fish locked into a certain insect since there are no real hatches happening. You may see a midge hatch in winter, and later on in the coming months maybe some winter stones and possibly BWOs.

Most times in winter, the fish hang in slower/deeper water so fishing slow and deep in slower and deeper water is usually best.

Fish during the warmest part of the day. The exception is when there is snow and ice in or along the streams and a warmup actually causes a meltdown, which will actually make the warm temp drop.

Fish where the fish are....sounds stupid, but I know guys that fish stocked freestone streams in winter that haven't been stocked since April....not usually a high percentage bet. A better bet would be special reg fall stocked streams, or wild trout streams, especially spring creeks and tailwaters.

Good luck.

 

[scs]

Thanks for all the options. I'll give some of them a whirl!
Steve

 

[jifigz]

Zebra Midge, brassie, Al's Rat, any other generic nymph has worked well for me, but mainly the WOOLLY BUGGER.

 

[JimKennedy]

All great answers. I would amplify two points:

1--sucker spawn. Really any egg patterns as trout key in on eggs this time of year the way they key in on beetles and hoppers in the summertime. They're genetically programmed to eat each others eggs during each others spawning seasons, which run from late October into March for various kinds of trout and salmon.

2--fish where fish are. In addition to the advice on limestone creeks and tail waters, remember where trout are this time of year, regardless of the stream: on the bottom. Sure, you can find a trout rising just about any day of the year, regardless of weather, in the still water of the Allenberry dam, but most trout, and all trout that are wild born or truly feral will be on the bottom. Weighted flies, wrap around lead and, dare I say, Euro-nymphing will get you to where the trout are.

 

[JackM]

For what it is worth: trout in winter often lay still on sunny days in shallow water to absorb the heat from the rocks and gravel under their bellies.

 

[jacob]

Tom - I really like that peeking caddis. Gonna tie some up!

 

[skybay]

Steve , it is a huge problem.
But is you loose yourself a bit, some problems and arrangement may come in time and sequence.
Happy Christmas.