feature
A
s the water temperature drops into the thirties during the winter, everything slows down. The metabolism of the trout slows along with that of the insects in the stream. The number of anglers in the streams decreases, also. With less active insects, the trout have fewer varieties of food from which to choose. However, the trout have to feed to survive. During the winter months, the few active insects are Little Winter Stoneflies (Little Black Stoneflies), Midges, and Micro Caddis Flies. High water events may wash worms into the stream, as well as dislodge a few large stoneflies. For a general rule in the winter time, darker colored flies tend to produce better than their bright and flashy counterparts. The one exception to this is San Juan worms and eggs. The best winter color I have found is dark gray/brown followed by blue and then black. In the San Juan worms and eggs I
look to pink to be my start color. In the winter time, I typically fish a smaller fly than I would the rest of the year. Generally, I like to use a size 14-20 in the nymphs. For the few little dry flies one encounters, I use a size 16-18 black Elk Hair caddis, or for the winter stoneflies, I use an 18-20 Stimulator. For the Micro Caddis, a size 20 Elk Hair or Web Wing Caddis will usually suffice. When I am fishing the smaller nymphs, like the Poison Tung and the Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail, I will usually use a nine-foot leader tapered to 5X or 6X tippet. I will then attach a small strike indicator about 5-6 feet above the lead fly, and then I will add more weight, usually one to two BB shot to keep the flies down in the water column. Here are my favorite winter flies and how I fish them.
Kevin’s Stonefly Original This is the largest of all the winter flies I use, mainly because stoneflies have a three year life cycle in the stream which means there are large stoneflies available to trout every day of the year. This fly works best in the winter in times of high water. The fly should also be heavily weighted. I prefer a size 8-12 weighted with a full shank of .030-.050 lead wire depending on water speed and depth.
170 | Southern Trout | February 2014 | www.southerntrout.com