While we are sitting at home dreaming of the new season, Blaine Haskell is out fishing the South Platte in Colorado with tiny dry flies.
Some of the best fly fishing for trout is experienced in the winter here in Colorado and for that matter many of our western states. Yes, the cold temperatures that approach -35F at times will lock up small streams with bank to bank ice several feet thick for months and for that matter do a good number on some of the larger rivers that are not controlled by dams. Thankfully the harsh weather conditions are not constant as we have several days and even week long streaks where the temperatures warm to the 30s to 40s during the day in our Rocky Mountains. That’s +30F which gives us a good opportunity to get out for a day of fly fishing.
While great fly fishing can be expected I must fore-warn you that having a single strike can be considered a good day. Landing a fish is a successful day. Multiple hits and landings, well that is just too good to not talk about and so I will. Be careful who you tell about your winter fishing adventures. They may care for your well-being enough to have you committed for mental health concerns. Let’s see; standing in icy water up to your knees, putting your hands in from time to time to release a fish (hopefully), getting struck in the leg with ice flow, noticing that your buddy’s moustache is just one big ice cube, not to mention his eyebrows, ice building up in the fly rod guides, and the worst is when your fly line freezes in a perfect sheath of ice so that it looks like a stick of uncooked spaghetti and you can’t cast.
After enduring these conditions your most frustrating moment will come some sunny afternoon when the clouds move in quickly and temperatures drop to an unbearable level just ten minutes after you notice a line of 16 inch rainbow trout that have started sipping tiny Blue Wing Olives off the surface along the far bank. In those ten minutes you have quickly changed from a nymph rig to a tiny dry fly with an even smaller emerger dropper. Soon your face turns to ice, your arms refuse to cast, your feet refuse to move, and you realize you are about to become a pillar of ice. Since the trout still rise you stay on for one last try, then another. Then it happens, a distinct swirl appears near the last known area where your fly was. Remember you can’t see these tiny flies at this distance. You muster the strength and coordination to raise the rod tip and feel the set. The big Rainbow shudders just below the surface then turns away and after a couple seconds the line goes slack, the 7X tippet could not hold. A big smile comes to your face and you decide to call it a day. You head for a burger and a chance to warm up at the local hamburger joint.
As winter approaches
You have got to be kidding. I had just spent at least 15 minutes rigging my fly fishing leader with two nymphs, a sinker, and a strike indicator and now I may have to change to a dry fly rig. This is quite unexpected, at least at 10:00 in the morning. After all it is late November and the ice and snow along the river give strong indications that winter fishing conditions are upon us
Why do I have to make the change? Well that’s easy. I started my day by rigging up two nymphs, a sinker and a strike indicator. The #16 Bead Head Pheasant Tail led the #18 Red Copper John by 14 inches and had spent about 10 minutes dredging one of my favorite runs on the South Platte River near Denver with no hits and no hint of a hit, even from a good looking rock. I had just directed my attention to a deeper and much slower section of the run when a rainbow trout rose to a fly on the surface about 20 feet across the fast current from me.
To be honest I was not expecting rising fish until mid afternoon. Perhaps the midges or baetis would start to hatch after a period of warming from the sun. That was my hope of course, but this was way too early in the day. So the debate started raging within me. One premise expressed loudly was to keep fishing with the nymph. After all it would take time to change my rig and all the time spent rigging up earlier would be going to waste. The second premise expressed was that here is a rising fish that will very likely take one of the tiny, read that #22-26, Blue Winged Olives or Adult Midge dry flies that I always have handy. Do you want to catch a fish or not was the lingering question? Whether vocal or silent I am not sure. Hum.
At first I ignored the internal debate and stubbornly tossed the nymphs to a region just upstream from the rising fish hoping that it would also be feeding under the surface. After 5 casts with no luck I eventually sided with the idea to switch to a dry fly. I’m pretty sure this argument was vocal now that I think about it. Since I was alone at the time I have no witnesses.
I found a nice grassy spot on the bank where I could sit down to make the change while my feet warmed up a bit. I selected a #22 Midge Adult in a light grey color as my single fly. Using a single fly was a bit of a compromise in that if I had to switch back to a nymph rig quickly I would not have wasted the extra time rigging up a two fly rig. The Midge Adult pattern was chosen based on the fact that a several tiny midges were present in the air above the river. Here I made a mental note to self: Self, be sure to check the conditions on the river such as a hatch in progress and rising fish before rigging up. I preach this all the time, yet I did not follow my own rules. Noted! Had I been more observant when I arrived I would likely have noticed the presence of the flying midges and would not have wasted precious fishing time rigging up incorrectly. Oh well.
Having made a mental note of the fish’s location before I retired to the bank, I now maneuvered to a spot directly downstream from where the fish rose. I made my best cast to the spot having completed a couple of false casts out over the fast water to not scare the fish in the slow water in order to get the direction and distance just right. No strike. What? Then 6 more casts and still no strike. I was just about to be discouraged and bring up an old argument with myself when I saw another fish rise. This one was near the far bank in another bubble line. So I judged the casting distance and direction again and put the fly about 2 feet above the rise ring left by the second fish. Immediately there was a swirl. I tightened the line quickly in a soft strike and the fight was on. After dashing all around the run eventually a nice 11 inch rainbow trout came to hand.
It turns out I kept the #22 Adult Midge on all day with it taking several more trout including a very nice Brown at 17 inches. All fish took the #22 Adult Midge off the surface fished as a dry fly with a very subtle rise motion that a Porpoise would make. The fish took the fly with conviction in that I never saw a refusal where they changed their mind at the last split-second. Even the misses were just that, a good roll through the fly, but no hookup.
Fisherman's reaction to these roll hits does not need to be lightning fast, like some summer strikes require. You can’t wait all day either. With the cold water chilling them down the fish will be moving a lot slower than normal. I like to let the fish have enough time to take the fly, close its mouth and start to dive. A nice quick lift of the rod to take up the slack line (keep slack line to a minimum through take-up or mending techniques) will easily send a sharp #22 hook home. Get the fish on the reel to let a good drag system handle the tension protection task required to keep 6X or even 7X Fluorocarbon tippets from breaking. Do not trust palming the reel or pinching the line with fingers with this task. Use of a good net will help keep the hands a lot warmer and allow a very easy release operation. Nets also help prevent break-offs while trying to release the fish. Several benefits come from this: 1) the fish does not have to suffer the embarrassment when it returns back to its friends sporting a new fly in its mouth, 2) your secret fly is not revealed to the rest of the fish in the area and 3) you don’t lose your favorite fly, one that is actually working. Warm socks are also a must. Even with them I frequently lost contact with my feet and had to take a long hike just to get some feeling back.
Fish were rising at times closer than my rod tip. Others were 60 feet away and since they could not be approached any closer due to water depth and tree branches I had to rely on my 9 foot 5wt fast action fly rod to deliver the dry fly with precision and delicacy.
A few patterns that you will need to carry and use include: Crystal Midge Emerger in Red, Black, White, and Olive. The WD-40, Blue Man Midge, Pure Midge, RS-2, Copper Head and Flashback Midge are also essential.
Winter: Brrr, it’s really cold out there
Minus 20 was emblazoned on the temperature display of the truck thermometer. The truck door cracked as the frozen seals separated and then the door swung open. A blast of the super cold air hit me in the face as I swung my legs out and then my shoes crunched the icy snow.
Thought I would paint a realistic picture of how the weather affects winter fly fishing here in Colorado. Yes, it can be really cold. This day is an example of one of the toughest, but thankfully the high elevation, ~9300 feet and no clouds, allows the sun’s rays to warm poor fishermen’s bodies. Sometimes it is wise to get back in the truck for a hot beverage while you wait for some warming rays. Be sure to have proper gear to keep you warm and keep your fingers and ears protected.
I don’t recommend starting out learning to fly fish during the winter; it just won’t be that much fun. For those of you who are ready and interested it can be a lot of fun although there are several deterrents to even trying to fly fish in the winter. Some reasons may include: your lack of knowledge of areas to fish that are not choked with ice, you have had trouble in the past with catching fish in the winter, you don’t like freezing in the cold, or you like to ski instead.
Why would you choose to fish in these or even somewhat better conditions? Well here is the newsflash; winter fishing provides access to some of the largest trout in the State. Rainbow and Brown trout can generally be located in their feeding lies in the lowest water flow conditions of the year. Once spotted they become the target of your complete attention to get the drift right, the size of bug exact, the shape and color right… you get the picture. Oh, you must also hold your mouth just right.
Areas to fish would include larger rivers where irrigation and flood control needs have installed dams with bottom release of warmer water. Such releases provide miles of great fly fishing opportunities where the water flows around large boulders, through deep runs, bubbles over riffles, and even glides through slicks. The consistent flows and water temperatures are key components to bug life with midges and blue winged olives thriving while providing a well supplied dinner table for trout eager to dine on mostly small bugs that can hatch every day of the year. There are at least 12 such dams within 4 hours drive of Denver and quite a few of those within 2 hours. The South Platte River provides many notable places to fish close to town including: Cheesman Canyon, Deckers, 11 Mile Canyon, Dream Stream, and Waterton Canyon. The Blue River has two: Dillon and Green Mountain. Taylor, Gunnison, Fryingpan, Colorado, and Yampa Rivers are a bit farther away, but can be well worth the trip. The Arkansas River, Big Thompson River and Boulder Creek round out the list of the locations for you to try. Smaller streams are generally choked with ice by late November although this year there were a few areas open into early December and are generally not available for fishing.