There's No Such Thing As Bad Weather: Part I. Fly Fishing in Cold Weather Conditions

Guest Blogger: Joe Dellaria, Woodbury MN

Years ago I was fishing with a friend when the weather took a turn for the worse. I had warned him to bring a rain jacket as there was a possibility of rain later in the day. He decided to roll the dice and not bring it which in my humble opinion makes it nearly certain it will rain (it’s like washing your car). Sure enough, the front came through late in the morning and we returned to our cars in short order. He started taking off his gear and noticed I was not doing the same.

He asked, “Why aren’t you taking off your gear?”

I replied, “Because I am going back out to fish after you leave?”

He then asked, “Why are you doing that?”

I answered, “Because, guys like you are leaving and I can fish wherever I want to.”

He left and I went back on the river and had a red-banner afternoon catching fish in the rain. I was completely comfortable because I had some decent raingear and was 95% dry (in fly fishing it’s tough not to get a little drainage down your casting arm cuff as it is held up and exposed to the rain.)

Years later I overheard a guide saying to his client, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.”

While the statement is basically true, there are limits such as:

• Lightning most notably, which one should never fish in
• High winds (There is a point where you can’t force a cast into the wind.)
• Temperatures below 20-25 degrees Fahrenheit (You can fish, but most of your time is spent breaking ice out of your guides or unfreezing you reel.)
• High temperatures that elevate the water temperature over 68 degrees Fahrenheit (Water temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit is lethal for browns. Starting around 68 degrees Fahrenheit the fish can be compromised if you play the fish too long. It is best not to fish under these conditions.)

Other than these exceptions what you wear and how you wear it can be the difference between fishing comfortably and being forced off the water. While I am not an expert at knowing the best type and brands of clothing for each type of apparel, I can provide some experience to guide you in selecting the correct type of clothing.

 Talking to sales people at reputable outdoor apparel stores can get you informed quickly on the specific apparel to buy.

You should be forewarned; good outdoor apparel tends to be expensive. I like to watch for close-out sales at the end of the season. Selection can be limited and you may not get your favorite color, but you can often save more than half the original retail price. If you see something that should fit on-line, don’t hesitate – these clearances move merchandise fast!

Right now we are in the cold-weather preseason for trout in the Midwest. Layering is the most important factor to staying warm (assuming you are not falling in the river – once you get wet the game is pretty much over). Let’s start with the feet and move up to the head.

The following are the fruit of years of trying different combinations of clothing to stay warm while fishing in temperatures between 25-45 degrees Fahrenheit. This is what works for me. There are plenty of different ways to stay warm. My way is just one which will hopefully help you figure out what works best for you.

In addition, I am describing what I wear for the coldest days I fish (around 25 degrees, preferably with some sun). For every 7-10 or so degrees of warmer temperatures you can take off one or more layer. Yesterday it was nearly 60. I started with 2 less torso layers and used a light raincoat as a wind break. Within a few minutes of fishing I took off the raincoat and stuffed it into the back of my vest as I was too warm. At the end of this I provide a chart of what I wear in different temperature ranges. The following provides a fairly detailed description of each layer and its function.

• Feet – first and foremost, do not wear so much on your feet that you can feel pressure on your feet when you put on your boots. If you do, you are constricting blood flow to your feet and are nearly assured of having cold feet all day. You are much better off to wear slightly less with more room than to squeeze your feet with bigger and warmer socks.
• The first layer should be a moisture wicking fabric. Removing moisture is one of the more helpful things to do.
• The second layer should be your insulating layer. I am old fashioned and still like thick wool socks. They retain much of their insulating ability even when they are wet. However, it seems like it is harder to find 100% wool socks every year and there are numerous high-tech socks on the market that can be as good as wool. They all sound fantastic when you read the packaging – if you really want to know, talk to people who do cold-weather fishing. They have a self-interest in finding the warmest possible sock.

• Legs – I used to wear a decent pair of long johns and flannel lined jeans. After wearing out the lining on several pairs of waders, I was informed that jeans and other cotton pants materials are too coarse and will wear off the interior lining of your waders. When the water is in the upper 30’s to 50’s I wear a decent pair of long johns, a loosely fitting pair of sports warm ups, and a cotton lined pair of nylon sports warm-ups I used to wear for running in the winter. Nylon has a slippery surface and does not abrade the lining of waders. Since switching to this, my legs rarely if ever are cold. Just a heads up on one down-side. When the call of nature comes you should answer that call ASAP since it takes a while to get everything off. If you wait too long, the story can have an ugly ending!
• Torso – I prefer to be a little too warm rather than being chilled. Layering can help as you can always unzip your coat if you get too warm. When the temperatures are in the 30-40s, I start off with a loosely fitting (but not baggy) water wicking layer with a regular cotton t-shirt over it. This is followed by a decent pair of long john tops and a good turtle neck shirt. You want the turtle neck to fit snuggly around your neck to retain your body heat. Next comes a flannel shirt. The closer you are to 30 I use a heavy wool flannel shirt. As you get closer to 40, I use a thick cotton flannel shirt, and over 45 I use a light weight cotton flannel shirt. Next comes a wind-proof shell which prevents cooling by wind drafts. Finally, I use a lightly insulated jacket that is wind-proof and at least water resistant in case it snows. If it is in the mid-40s I use one of my heavier hooded raincoats to cut the wind.
• Neck – This is a place where you can lose a lot of body warmth. Your turtle neck will reduce heat losses here but if it is colder and windy, I add a neck warmer. It is a fleece tube that you pull over your head. Make sure it overlaps with your turtle neck and zip your outer jacket up as far as you can. This will dramatically reduce heat losses from your neck.
• Hands – I have been blessed with cold-resistant hands and rarely have to use gloves. However, I find that most of my friends need gloves of some sort to prevent cold hands. I like wool mittens where the tops flip off to expose your fingertips while the remainder of your hand is covered by a wool glove. These excel as they keep your hands warm even if they get wet. The downside to these is that they are bulky and can interfere with tying flies on and hooks invariably get caught in the material. I use predominately barbless hooks and even these can be difficult to remove. Barbed hooks can take quite a while to remove if you don’t want to ruin the gloves. There are quite a few neoprene gloves on the market. The better ones retain most of your finger dexterity, but I find myself taking these off to change flies. In addition, when the glove gets wet and it is windy, evaporative cooling occurs and even though your hands are dry inside, the neoprene transmits the cold to your hands. This is mostly a problem when it is windy. I have settled on a fairly light pair of neoprene gloves that have a slit in the thumb and forefinger so you can use those fingers to change flies and do other things requiring more dexterity. If you get water in the gloves, it can get a bit cold but I prefer having the finger dexterity. I experimented with several different pairs of gloves before settling on one pair. You might expect the same.
• Head – This can be a primary heat loss area. It is important to keep your head warm. A cheap solution that mostly works is to wear a baseball hat and pull a bigger wool stocking cap over the cap. It is crude but it works. However, I find I have to keep pulling the wool hat down as it naturally pushes up off your head. I finally gave in and bought a hat with drop down flaps that cover your ears. I highly recommend getting the variety with a bill in front to provide shade from direct sun. You can find these pretty easily on the internet. They keep your head toasty warm, if it has a chin strap, that will help keep it from pushing up off your head. Finally, your outer jacket should have a hood. If it is windy, that hood will be a welcome relief from wind blowing down the back of your neck.

Here is a chart summarizing what I wear for different temperature ranges. Remember, do what works for you. You may want to use more or less than I present in the chart. I am typically warmer than most people in cold weather. It is likely you may need more.

* If it is windy and/or cloudy – Y; if it is sunny with little wind – N

** Use one or the other of these

This may sound like a lot of clothes. It is! But being comfortable on the river when it is cold and windy makes your time on the water much more enjoyable. In addition, I find that I fish better as I am not distracted by being cold. I always try to go one layer more than I think I will need in cold weather. You can always take something off if need be. But if you are cold on the water, there’s nothing to do short of going back to the car; it can be pretty miserable.

In the next installment we will look at rainy and hot fishing conditions.