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Guest Blogger: Joe Dellaria, Woodbury MN

In Part 2 of this blog, we discussed snow, ice and safety; glare; and water conditions. In Part 3 of this series, we will look at:

Productive Techniques, Winter Flies, and Set-Ups

It is good to remember that suggestions made in the third part are generalizations. As any fisherman knows, there are always exceptions to “normal.” (As if there is such a thing as normal in fishing!) With this caveat in mind let’s dive into some techniques I have found to be productive in winter fly fishing based on the conditions you are facing. I made some strategy observations in Part 2 on each of these conditions – you may want to review or read those as well.

Low & Clear Water: A Parachute Dry with Nymph Dropper

My go to set-up is a two-fly rig (be sure the regulations on the river you are fishing allows two hooks before you start fishing this rig) consisting of an appropriately sized parachute dry and a 24–36-inch 5X fluorocarbon dropper.

 

Dry Fly Selection: With low and clear water, I use between a #16-14 dry fly. You can use even smaller dry flies but you will need to reduce the size of the nymph dropper. My experience has been that a parachute fly with a high-visibility post is most effective because you can twitch the lead fly by jostling your rod tip to make the fly move 4-8”. This often triggers a take. I have tried numerous styles of flies and have found a parachute dry to strike the balance of twitching well, triggering takes, and floating the longest. But I would encourage you to try other flies – if you find one that works well, use it! 

 

Dropper Selection: The dropper can run the gamut from a #18 unweighted nymph to a #14 tungsten head nymph. Every day is a new day; what worked yesterday may not work today and different spots on the same river may require a different dropper. If you don’t get a take after 10 minutes or so, try a different fly. Keep trying till you start getting takes. My list of favorite nymphs include: various colored copper johns, princes, gray hare’s ears, and zebra midges. This is just a starting point, keep trying something different until you find what works.

 

As a final note, my experience is that 5X fluorocarbon provides the best balance between strength, abrasion resistance, and flexibility that permits the dropper nymph to waft naturally in the current. Sometimes a dead drift is best. I always start with twitching and back off to a dead drift if that doesn’t work.

Low Runoff, Turbid but Fishable Conditions: Dry Fly with a Wet Fly Dropper:

Water levels and current are higher under these conditions. This calls for a heavier dropper to keep the fly near the bottom which in turn requires a larger and more buoyant dry fly.

 

Dry Fly selection: This sounds crazy but in the dead of winter my go to fly is the “killer beetle” (See my blog on it). It is buoyant enough to float #6 flies with a tungsten head, twitches well, and retains its buoyancy with periodic drying and treatment with any good dry fly treatment. As good as all that is, it gets even better as for whatever reason it inspires 16-19” browns to eat it in the dead of winter! This doesn’t happen a lot, but it sure is fun when it does. I have seen a wake coming from 10-15 feet to take the beetle. As you watch the approaching wake, constantly remind yourself not to set the hook until the fish turns! #6 Stimulators and trude flies work well too but they do not retain their buoyancy as well as the killer beetle. For visibility purposes I use high-visibility colors like yellow, orange, and red either as the top color in the case of the beetle, or as the post, wing or over-wing. People always ask if this bothers the fish. From my experience these bright colors don’t seem to put fish off. If you think about it, they are looking from under the fly and up, they may not see the covering or wings.

 

In case you are wondering, the beetle tends not to work in low and clear water situations as they hit the water too hard. You can watch the fish scatter as it hits the water. However, if you are in the shade and fishing deeper water, you can get away with it sometimes.

 

Wet Fly selection: The objective is to keep the dropper at or very near the bottom. I find that if I am not getting a periodic snag, I am not close enough to the bottom and usually that means I am not getting takes. The dropper menu includes: Copper Johns, Hare’s Ears, Princes, Girdle Bugs, and Wooly Buggers. In general, smaller dropper flies tend to be more effective. You have a number of variables you can adjust to get your fly down. 

  • · Bead Head – tungsten or brass heads
  • · Size of the fly - #4-#14
  • · Body Material – smoother bodies sink faster and rougher slower
  • · Dropper – Strength and length of the dropper material

 

A good middle-of-the-road starting place is a #12-#14 tungsten head Copper John (red, black, or copper) with 24-36” of a 5X fluorocarbon dropper. If the water is very turbid (you can see the fly in 7-10 inches of water) I usually start with black. If you aren’t touching the bottom, go to a tungsten head Wooly Bugger (olive or black) sizes #8-#12 with 4X-dropper material. Finally, try a tungsten head Girdle Bug (black, olive, or brown) sizes #4-#8; it sinks like a rock. When you get to dropper flies this heavy it’s a good idea to go to 3X-4X-dropper material. If you aren’t getting to the bottom with the Girdle Bug, it’s a very deep hole or you probably shouldn’t be fishing. 

 

When you are snagging too much with the #12-#14 tungsten head Copper John, try switching to a brass bead head. If you are still getting bottom too much, down size the Copper John or try a Hare’s Ear or Prince. 

 

It takes some experience to get a feel for what type and size of fly will work depending on the conditions. But after a while you will develop a feel and it will take only a couple of fly changes to find the right flies for the conditions. 

 

Float Indicator with a Two-Fly Set-Up: Another effective method is to use a float indicator with a heavier bead head lead fly and a smaller and lighter dropper fly with or without a bead head. This is particularly effective with deeper water or faster currents. The general rule is to place the float indicator about twice the depth you are fishing. My preference (everyone has their favorite so try a few before settling on one) is the thingamabobber. It is relatively easy to get on and off, holds its position as long as you are in the heavier section of a tapered leader, they are fairly easy to cast even in modest wind, and are reasonably sensitive. I generally start with a bead head #6-#8 wooly bugger or girdle bug as the lead fly and use a #14-#18 nymph with or without a bead head depending on the conditions. If the water is lower and the current is modest, I don’t use a bead head on the dropper nymph. In faster and deeper water, I do use a bead head on the dropper. This set-up gives you the chance to create numerous combinations until you find one that works. 

 

If you are getting a lot of snags, start by downsizing the lead fly by one size. If you are still getting too many snags, down size the dropper. Alternate downsizing the lead and dropper flies until you get the right combination. Usually if you are not getting some snags, you are not close enough to the bottom and you are probably out of the “fish zone.”

An 18-inch brown that took a #6 bead head black wooly bugger which you can see above the fish’s dorsal fin and near the net frame. The nymph is below the tail.

 

For those of you who like streamers, you have probably noticed that I have not mentioned much about streamers. There is no doubt they can and do work in the winter. I have dabbled using streamers and find them to bring in fewer but larger fish. I also know people who use streamers exclusively. When we compare notes on fish caught, I catch nearly as many larger fish (I arbitrarily define that as 15 inches and up) and much higher numbers. So, if you like throwing streamers, go for it! Let me know how you do and what you are using!

In Conclusion

Winter fly fishing presents some unique challenges requiring adjustments to your normal/usual warm water methods. While there will be days where it will be tough to get a few fish, those who persist and remain committed to changing flies to figure out what the fish want can enjoy some excellent fishing. This can lead to days with good numbers of fish and even a shot at an occasional larger fish. Hope this helps you get started on winter stream fishing!

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