Location, location, location.
Fishing in the winter means finding fish in their over-wintering locations; usually deeper stretches of the river where the river keeps a more constant temperature or has sufficient cover for fish to hide. If you are familiar with your local river, then you should already know where these deep pools are located. This is a perfect starting point for you to begin fishing. Before you arrive at the river, make sure you bundle up and wear the proper clothing for the current temperatures. Winter footwear to keep your feet dry and warm, a good windproof winter jacket with a hood, and waterproof winter pants will serve you well on a chilly winter’s afternoon! It would also be wise to have your reel all spooled up with fresh line that will be suited to the size of fish in your local river as well as the cold water!
In the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, the lowest temperatures occur in February and March. Seasonal temperature changes tend to happen slowly, while the daily changes in the weather can be much faster, therefore reducing the time available for fish to adapt. It is known that changes in the water temperature follow several hours behind changes in air temperature! During rapid temperature changes in fresh water, fish tend to head to deeper water where the temperature is more constant. When temperatures are low and fish are conserving energy, they require a greater enticement to lure them from their inertia. Cold weather requires the use of larger bait both to be more visible from longer distances, and to provide additional temptation to fish that are not moving much! It is important for you to consider how much energy fish are likely to have at any given time, and to fish in view of that. In the cold of winter, fish are conserving energy and are much less likely to travel for a meal! During winter months, the angler must do the travelling and cover plenty of water to find fish.
So let’s get fishing shall we. You walk into a nice deep position in the river, looks good and the weather is nice; say plus 5 degrees Celsius, 41F ambient temperature. The next decision is what you are going to tie on your line. In the winter months the metabolism of a trout slows down considerably and a slow presentation is your best bet for cold water- sluggish fish. Take note, a river has current and fishes much different than a lake. In lakes you can jig or drop-shot a plastic bait slowly off the bottom and gently entice you’re pray into striking! In a river where there is flow, albeit a slower flow; you will need to adjust your retrieve methods. Here a long pause while retrieving is a great technique to let your pray catch up to your bait. I also love to let my lure tumble down the current without even touching the reel; this is done with the rod tip up on a tight line to feel for strikes. A few tweaks of the lure while the bait is tumbling, is a great scheme to increase hookups. The fish see a dead minnow (Rapala, Live Target, Etc.) floating slowly through their zone, the subtle tweak of the lure makes the minnow imitation come alive (swim) causing the fish to hit. Here is how it’s done. (1). Cast upriver at a three of four o’clock position. (2). Let the lure sink on a tight line for a few seconds depending on the depth of the water. (3). After letting your bait drift down river for a second or two, lift your rod tip up slowly with a wrist action only. (4). Reel in the slack line you have created by lifting your rod tip up and repeat this process for as long as you can. A long cast will help with this method so have a full spool of line ready to fire away.
Another option is to use lures that move slowly in the water, lures such as a Blue Fox Minnow Spinner. If you read the info on the package of the minnow spinner, it states that “this lure works best when retrieved slowly”. In the winter this statement rings true, a slow steady retrieval will let those fish catch up to your bait and often you will catch many more fish. There is really no specific technique required to use this lure, just simply cast it upstream at a two or three o’clock position and reel the lure in slow and steady. One trick you can try is giving the lure an aggressive jerk while retrieving; sometimes the fish will hammer the lure after a few of these aggressive jerks of the lure! It is best to test a few different retrieve tactics to hone in on what the fish what most that day. You can also cast the lure directly upriver and reel it downstream as another option which has bagged me my fair share of winter brownies.
Brown trout become savages in the pre-spawn mode and will gorge down on large and small minnows to gain energy before expelling this energy in their annual spawn. October through till December is primo for the possibility of your personal best fish. As previously noted, it is necessary to hunt the fish until you find a location with tons of fish. In the past from my experience, I have had to fish in up to five locations to hit consistent success. Once you hook into five or six fish, you have found what you were hunting for and chances are; they will be there for a while! That’s the good news; the bad news is the weather can get cold and keep you locked indoors screaming to get back out for more!
However you do it, or where ever you are; stay warm out there and enjoy the thrill and beauty of winter in its entire splendor.
