It’s winter here for most of us in the Northern Hemisphere. For the anglers who dare to brave the frosty mornings and chilly days in pursuit for that winter trout, we have the top six flies you’ll be needing to do just that. When it comes to fly fishing in the winter months, for me I like to strictly nymph. Czech, French you name it. Of course, nymphing is productive year-round but, winter time I like it low and slow, on the bottom and slow controlled drifts.
What’s on the menu?
By this time of the year not many bugs are moving around, in short, you’ll be fishing Stonefly, Midge some Caddis and obviously, baitfish patterns. I always say you can never have too many Caddis larva patterns in your box. Even with the sun at its highest point in the sky, odds are you won’t encounter many if any rising fish. However, with warming water temps you’ll always find some fish cruising looking for a meal so you’ll want to be ready to oblige him. Depending where your fishing you’ll want to phone up your local shop to see what’s happening streamside.
1.) My number one fly that I always have loads of is the Copper John #12CY. Red, Chartreuse and Copper especially. What does this pattern represent? Probably debris as far as I’m concerned but, who cares?! This pattern has stood test of time and will continue to do so.
2.) The mighty Zebra Midge comes in at a close second for me. Hands down one of the best winter flies ever devised. In a plethora of color combos with Cdc and mirage flash incorporated into some versions, we’ll have you covered. Personally, I like fishing these under an indicator or a dry dropper set up.
3.) Wiggly Worms. What more can be said about this fly that hasn’t already been said? This is a fantastic fishing fly for stocked or holdover fish. When this fly hits the water, the appendages undulate with every little micro current underneath the surface that produce strikes all day long. Do yourself a favor and pick some of these up.
4.) Hot Head Euro Pheasant Tails produce year-round and seemingly more so in the winter. The combination of buggy materials, flashback and fluorescent colored beads are a surefire win.
5.) Having some caddis larva with you can always pay dividends. No matter the time of year caddis are always present. Having a Tactical Glister Grub on the point on or near the bottom is going to produce some fish for you.
6.) Pat’s Black Rubber Legs need to be in every anglers box, year-round this fly picks up insurmountable numbers of fish all over the world. Winter time calls for smaller sizes, so keep this in mind. Having this paired up with a dropper above it and any of the other flies listed above is a great set up that will turn up fish anywhere you fish this winter.
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