Winter Fishing Advice

Fly fishing in winter is what separates the casual fly dunker from the stalwarts, the fair-weather fisherman from the hard-core trout bum. And yes, it often distinguishes the crazy from the sane. Let's face it, it takes a certain amount of mental instability to crack through ice, wade into 40-degree water and break ice out of your guides all day long. But there are distinct advantages to such craziness.

For one, you can fish in virtual solitude, even on notoriously crowded rivers like the Davidson. I fished the 'D' three times in the past two weeks without seeing another soul, much less another angler. My secret? I avoided the hatchery stretch. About 95% of the Davidson is abandoned during the winter and the fishing can be great. I caught several fish over 17" above Looking Glass last week, all on midge pupa and tiny Baetis nymphs. Never saw another angler. Most of my fish were in slow-moving pools or the outside seams of languid runs. Some ate BWO dries on top (a #20 Lawson's Thorax Baetis worked great), but most ate a #22 Cardinal Midge or a #24 Gnatty Bumpo on the bottom. Use enough shot that you're ticking occasionally and set on any little thing that looks odd. The takes in such cold water are very, very subtle. Another tip - there are a bunch of spring holes on the Davidson, where the incoming water is significantly warmer than the prevailing current. Where you find springs, you'll generally find willing takers even on bitterly cold days. How do you find these spring holes? Wet wade the river in the summer and you'll find spots that are distinctly cooler than surrounding areas. Such areas are treasure troves in the winter.

We've been hearing a lot about Delayed Harvest streams like the East Fork and Little River being "poached out" lately. This happens every winter, it seems. People go over there, use the same flies and techniques that worked for them last spring or fall, catch little to nothing and then chock it up to poaching. There's no doubt that poaching (and mishandling by law-abiding anglers) have thinned out the populations some, but our guides haven't had any trouble putting rank amateurs onto fish on the E. Fork, Little River or the Tuck this winter. We haven't fished the N. Mills, but get away from the campground and I'll bet there are fish to be had. The key is changing from a "freshly stocked" mindset to a "holdover" mindset. Forget woolly buggers and other streamers stripped upstream. That will produce the odd suicidal brook trout, but most DH fish have become too educated for such shenanigans. Likewise, leave the #12 Princes and #14 Red Fox Squirrels at home and tie up some #18 A.P. Nymphs and #20 TB black or green Copper Johns. Not only are these more likely to be taken by holdovers jaded by the old standbys, they more accurately represent the size, color and silhouette of naturals found this time of year, which are primarily small and dark. Check out our winter hatch chart for more insight. If you're still not hooking up, try trading out that giant red Thingamabobber or yellow yarn pom-pom for a small white football indicator. DH fish can and will become indicator-shy. With the water so clear, 6X tippet helps, too, though 5X usually is fine if you're getting good drifts.

We still have two spots open for our British Columbia destination trip, scheduled for Aug. 15-22. With our partners at Home Waters Guide Service in Fernie, Headwaters Outfitters is offering a special package rate: 6 nights of lodging in a luxury condo, with private baths and river views, and 5 days of guided fishing for cutties, rainbows and bulltrout, plus three squares a day and transportation from the airport in Kalispell, MT -- all for $1,800 per person (based on double occupancy, excluding taxes, tips and licenses.) If you've ever wanted to catch 30+ cutthroats in a day on dry flies, or tossing hoppers to 20-inch rainbows on a private ranch in Alberta sounds like fun, you need to get in on this trip. We have a great group of anglers signed up, so the company should be as fine as the fishing. Call Than for details at (828) 877-3106.

We have a bunch of special events coming up, most of which are totally free! On Feb. 12, we're sponsoring a special showing of "Red Gold," a documentary film by Felt Soul Media that follows Alaskan fishermen as they fight an open-pit copper and gold mine proposed for the headwaters of two Bristol Bay trout and salmon rivers. It starts at 7 p.m. and the film (in Surround Sound!), popcorn and candy are all free. Great footage of grizzlies, salmon runs and big rainbows being caught on the fly. Our free fly casting clinics are totally full now, even though we just added 12 more spots/2 more dates last week. But we still have room in our free "Guide Flies" fly tying classes. On Feb. 13, smallmouth guide Michael Sprouse will demonstrate how to tie his own "Mike's Hellgrammite," as well as the trusty Clouser minnow. All the materials necessary to tie the flies will be available for sale in handy pre-proportioned packets, but you don't have to tie along with Mike - just come and watch. There's still room in Mac's muskie fly class on March 113, too. You need a rotary vise for that one. Call to reserve a spot either day - (828) 877-3106.

Tight lines,
Than