Winter Fishing-Cold Feet & Hands Solutions?

Don't make the mistake of thinking a stack of pancakes or waffles will give you energy to burn.
Protein better
Steak and eggs.
It will keep you warmer longer as its a slower energy burn.
 
I wear insulated boot foot waders (1 size larger then normal) and that probably made the biggest difference in staying warm for me. For my feet I wear a pair of thin liner socks and then Smart Wool socks on top of them. For pants I wear Under Armour bottoms and then fleece pants over that. I have a pair of gloves which they call Glomitts, they are a fingerless glove and then they have a mitten top which you can fold over when you are not fishing. I usually keep hand warmer pouches in my pockets and then put them into the gloves when I take a break to warm up my fingers. Last December I was fishing in NY and the temp was -7 when we started fishing and this gear kept me surprisingly warm. Good luck.
 
I think it depends on how cold it is. I fished the Salmon Riv in Feb and that is COLD!. Our guide suggested wearing a snowmobile suit and buying breathable waders a size or 2 bigger to go over them. I'm not spending the $ for that b/c I don't get up there that often.
 
My comment above about the food you eat may sound off target but it came from someone that spent 30 yrs. figuring out how to stay warm fishing Montana waters in the winter.
The fishing was great number and sizewise but on those big open rivers where the wind always blows you had to make a science out of staying warm-lol
The diet has a huge effect.
 
pete - suprised you did'nt mention wintering in Florida.
 
I wore a long sleeve fishing shirt the other day-tough down here.
 
pete41 wrote:
I wore a long sleeve fishing shirt the other day-tough down here.
Click to expand...
I actually took a jacket along on the last trip.lolShorts and rain pants till it warmed up.Never wore the jacket allday.Looks like rain for you Pa. boys and some here in the Sunshine State.Still T shirt and shorts weather.Lovin it. :lol: :cool:
 
Make sure you do not cram layers upon layers of socks to try to stay warm and give yourself some extra room in the boots. When boots and socks are too tight, it restricts circulation.

Found this out during hunting season last year, too many sock layers, and boots laced too tight had my toes about fell off from the cold. As soon as I loosend the laces and removed a layer of socks it helped pump warm new blood into those digits. Stayed warm the rest of the day!
 
I recommend a Salve of some sort for the exposed skin. It will create a barrier and keep you from getting wind burn.
 
Echoing what others have said, don't layer socks so much that you cut off circulation-I learned this the hard way in Pulaski a few January's ago! My doctor called it frost nip-while he was laughing at me for staying in the water long after my feet had numbed. I literally did not get full feeling back in my feet for nearly 3 months. But dang those steelies were nonstop that day!
 
I can not find the link, but there is a company that makes heated inserts for ski boots. I know a guy in Colorado that swears by them. The draw back is they cost about 200 bucks.

Always carry extra clothes, especially fishing gloves. I have a pair of regular, fleece gloves and carry a pair of the type with the mitten that flips down. As others have said: Layer down for the walk in or out, then layer up before you start to fish.

I read a story several years ago about a guy who fell in during a winter fishing trip. He had a mile hike to his car, then could not find his keys! He damn near froze to death over a lost set of keys. It is a very good idea to have a set of keys for everyone in your group just in case someone takes a swim and is away from the guy with the only keys. My budies and I always stick an extra set of keys on the rig that everyone knows about in case of an emergency.

There is nothing like a hot thermos of soup and coffee on a cold day.
 
hrmmm the last time i winter fished was at clearshade creek ffo it was january there was plenty of snow too i had on a hooded sweat shirt a light fleece jacket fleece pants long johns and 2 pr socks a nd was quite comfy
 
I fish at least once a week through the winter. Commonly fish in 20 -somthing weather...coldest day i fished was 8 degrees (which went fine till i accidently dunked and froze up my reel!)

Easy to stay warm...until you have to get your hands wet. Then it gets "interesting". That's the toughest thing (handling fish, tying knots, etc).

Just be careful about your hands getting wet. People have different strategies - wool gloves, neoprene gloves, fingers, no fingers, towel to wipe dry, and hand warming pockets. Experiment and see what works for you and your own need for warmth/dexterity.
 
Get some chemical handwarmers to stick in your pockets...
 
Please don't take this as a "plug" but Squaretail gave me a pair of "Guide Series" beathable waders and a pair of "Guide Series" Flannel lined jeans, and I swear, Last March in 10 degree weather at Steelhead Alley, I was so comfortable! The combination was GREAT! I also wore a "Columbia" wool jacket that took care of the top end.
 
flybop wrote:
I can not find the link, but there is a company that makes heated inserts for ski boots. I know a guy in Colorado that swears by them. The draw back is they cost about 200 bucks.
Click to expand...

This guy would be Swizz (Chris Evenstad), no? He's on the Flyfisherman magazine forum, among others, but you can contact him here.

Here's a link to those heated footbeds.....
 
Gulf n Pete...............NO FAIR , rubbin it in like that , that stuff about the diet is right on the money though , little experiment i did last deer season , One morning had corn flakes (big bowl) a banana , toast with real butter , coffee , and a small glass of oj , i stayed reasonably warm that day with the highs in the upper 20's , Next day we had sausage , 3 patties (local made bulk sausage is awesome , Yoders) 3 scrambled eggs , toast w/butter , coffee , oj , by 11:eek:oam i had my one peice camo opened at the neck and was much warmer than the previuos day with the ambient temp again in the high 20's. With all things being pretty much the same the meal was the only variable and it made a BIG difference.
 
For the body you layer up, light gloves on the hands, and the old cold weather gear from the military if you did time there. for me the colder the better. Cold keeps people off the water and lets you enjoy mother nature without the hassle of people wanting your sopt. The only issue is using the right treatment to keep the eyelets from freezing up. But then even if that happens who cares, clean them out and remember, time in the stream is soooooooooooooo relazing.
 
Ive caught enough trout this year Im not going to get froze in the winter caught my biggest trout of the year last week so Im done for the year end on a good note.
 
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