Winter Fly Fishing Tips and Tricks

Winter fly fishing tips start with one change: slow down and fish deep. In cold water, trout will not chase a fly far, so success comes from small flies, a dead drift, light tippet, and staying warm enough to fish patiently.

What flies should you use in winter?

Go small on tippet and flies. Zebra Midges, small Pheasant Tail nymphs, and other small flies can be the ticket to success, with sizes 18 to 24 described as hot in winter. Recommended winter nymphs from Orvis include English Pheasant Tail Nymph sizes 18 and 20, Disco Midge sizes 20 and 22, Flashback Scud size 16, Micro Stone size 14, and Vernille San Juan Worm in red and tan.

Recommended winter dries include ICSI (I Can See It) Midge, gray, size 22, Griffith's Gnat size 20, and Cannon's Bunny Dun, Baetis, sizes 18 and 20. Recommended winter streamers include Bead Head Lite Brite Zonker, white, size 8, and Moto's Minnow, dark, size 10. Trout feed on eggs too. Egg patterns, Egg Sucking Leeches, and Glow Bugs can be effective in general winter fishing. No fly here is presented as proven effective on a named local water in winter.

How should you present a fly in cold, slow water?

Slow and deep is best. Use a strike indicator and weighted fly, or weight on the leader and the high stick method, which keeps most fly line off the water. Dead drift is critical because trout will not chase a fly in cold water. Trout will not move more than a few inches for a fly and will be close to the bottom, so fish deep and slowly, with a nymph fished dead drift as the best bet.

Fish pod up in deeper, slower water. Once one is caught, avoid disturbing the water and keep fishing the same place. A small streamer, fished upstream like a nymph with an occasional twitch, may interest a trout, because trout eat minnows and crayfish in winter but will not chase them far. See this trout winter guide for why trout hold there.

What tippet and indicator tactics help in low, clear water?

Winter streams are typically very low and clear, so keep tippet as long and light as possible, often needing 6X or 7X with small nymphs. Light tippets are usually more productive because flies are small and water is clear. A strike indicator allows the angler to see the strike and set the hook quickly in general nymphing, per a Trout Unlimited chapter presentation, which also states tippet length should be 1.5 times estimated water depth. That tippet length claim is general, not winter specific.

How do you stay warm enough to fish well?

Layering is part of technique. Start with a lightweight, moisture wicking base layer, then add a fleece or fleece lined midlayer for legs and body. Wear two pairs of socks: one synthetic sock liner and wool blend or nylon socks over that. Wear insulated convertible gloves and a snug, insulated hat. Never wear cotton, including cotton undershirts, underwear, and socks, because cotton absorbs moisture quickly and then fails to insulate. Avoid layers that make wading boots too tight. Always carry a spare set of gloves. Try waders on with winter layers and leave room to wiggle toes. For packing detail, see this packing guide.

What common winter mistakes should you avoid?

Do not fish high water in winter. Flooded or dirty water makes fly fishing nearly impossible. Stay off redds, because eggs are fragile and susceptible to being silted in. Do not smack a rod tip on the water to bounce ice off, because the author of the Troutbitten warning broke two rods that way. Do not fish with a second rod in Rocky Mountain National Park, because a second rod stamp is not honored in the park. On rod size, this post makes no winter specific claim for this area. For general trout gear only, Orvis calls a 9 foot rod for a 5 weight line the best all around trout rod, and 5 weight the standard trout line size. Confirm what gear is provided before buying a winter specific setup.

Where can you learn winter technique in person?

For hands on help with presentation, indicator setup, and fly selection, a lesson can shorten the learning curve. Fly Fishing Lessons are a 2-hour introductory class.