OK, it’s a mostly sunny Summit County day, almost no wind, snow capped peaks and best of all, you are standing on the banks of the Blue River watching fish move around in the frigid water feeding.  The only real issue going on is whether to gear up and get wet or not.  Oh, I forgot to say that it is probably 20 degrees air temperature and 35-degree water.  (Only thing that would be tougher would be if you were in the shadows of a canyon wall or very tall trees, with a 15 mph wind… brrrrrrrrr.)  

You know the fish are feeding because of the occasional ring on the smooth run or you see the fish are moving around grasping at unseen tiny bugs but you just cannot tell which type of bug is moving or the size of mysis shrimp that is so prevalent in our local tail water fishery below Dillon Reservoir. 

 

I hope that you brought your piece of screen so you can capture a few of the tasty morsels that the fish find worthy of consumption.  Try not to get your hands wet right off the bat as it makes it difficult to tie on the small flies.  Moreover, they will probably sting for a bit due to the cold until you see that first fish give your fly an up-close look or even a subtle take that gets your heart going. (Keep and eye out for frostbite on the finger tips, this can really hurt.)

 

 Staying warm is a key ingredient to having a more successful day.  If you are warm you will be more likely to present you fly much more naturally.  It is tough to focus and hang in there for that one good cast when you are shivering. I make sure that the booties on my wader’s are pressed against the heater for the drive to my spot. This helps to keep my feet toasty from the very start of my trek through snow and very cold water…It can give you an extra hour in and out of the water if not more.

 

 One of my winter rules is, be sure to go to the bathroom before you pull up your waders and get your feet wet. ( It can be quite difficult to get your gear clear in time  with all of your layers and cold hands in the way)  

 

 If you are going to go after the fish with dry flies, tie on something small and go smaller until you start hooking up.(this is a general rule I use but it doesn’t always work). Sub-surface I would recommend that you start with a streamer and work it with a variety of retrieves through a hole before moving. (Two different streamers in tandem can be very productive) 

 Move very slowly so you do not spook any fish. (When the water is this cold, spooking a fish might not make them swim off; they sometimes hug the bottom and give you the false impression that they did not see you.  You then cast to that fish for the next 30 minutes with no success; I have even bounced flies off their nose with not even a twitch.)

 

Generally this time of season the conditions are harsh but you might get lucky and see some tiny midges / gnats start to move around about mid to late day, so be sure to stock up on the small stuff, 18-22 nymphs, 20-24 emergers, and 22-26 dries.  Remember that small flies require some very fine leaders and tippet, 6x – 7x  Stop in or give us a call and we will be more than happy to assist you in your fly selection for, what we hope will be a more successful time on the water.

 

One thing to keep in mind when you make the decision to gear up and go get a hook wet is, that with the cold comes some added challenges starting with tying your knots with gloves on your hands to landing a fish with frozen line guides, brittle tippet and a fly line that has very little stretch. Be gentle and patient when you have a fish on unless you are OK with long distance releases. (I recommend packing hand warmers in your coat pockets for some much-needed warmth)(Toe warmers are good in your booties also) 

 

Now you are wet, you have moved into a good casting lane and are now seeing the fish occasionally rise and move around you.  But alas, the fish will not take what you are offering. First thing I do is to check that my leader is not too long but a fast taper to some very fine tippet (6x-7x) and that your line guides on the rod are free of ice, this is a critical part to a successful drift. (Gentle mends are a must!)  I like to drift a dry and emerger in tandem. Keep them close in size because if there is a big difference in size, the drift of each is so different that you will not be able to present your flies appropriately.  The dry should be only big enough for you to be able to see its drift. A good thing is that a cold fish is not going to move around too much but if you spook it, you can say bye-bye to that fish for quite some time.

 

Last but not least; be sure to take plenty of photos to prove that you are a complete nut to go fishing when the water, at 35 degrees, is 15-20 degrees warmer than the air. Then send your pictures to us and we will add them to the “winter fishing” photo gallery.