So you want to talk about winter fishing…
Not to sound like a plug for the Casper Chamber of Commerce, but we are really fortunate to have a fishery in our back yard that fishes well the bulk of the whole calendar year. There are lots of great fisheries that really have short seasons and limited windows of peak fishing. Not the North Platte in these parts. Sure we have shoulder season, the winter is one of them, but it has to do with the elements,not the quality of fishing available.
Yes, winter fishing in Wyoming is not for the faint of heart or everyone. That is fine, if nice weather and summertime fishing is more your speed, there is no shame in knowing what makes a good time for you. It can be a bit of a sadistic endeavor and you have to have a mind set of laughing at and embracing “the suck”. Your hands will get cold. Your guides will freeze every couple cast and that can get annoying. Evidently they will be frozen when you actually need to make an accurate cast and zero line will shoot,and you miss the mark. Oh well. It is not worth the time to get mad about it. So step one the right mindset and the right warm, windproof,weatherproof gear. Plenty of gloves and hand warmers. There doesn’t seem to be a perfect solution or system. The nitrile gloves to keep water off the hands and still have “feel”, helps, kind of. They can get clammy and still cold. Big ol gloves you can’t do anything. Better solution is just take a break, warm up, or it’s your turn to row and get the blood flowing.
Pick your days. Sometimes the warmest day can also be the windiest, so just looking at the high temps isn’t always the route to go. Seems like before or after a storm but before a solid high pressure warm front ( aka could be real windy) can be the best combination. Basically aiming for the middle. Wind is relative, you probably won’t get dead calm. Cold is relative too. That is what the right gear is for.
The fishing can be really good. Crowds are non-existent and a great time to find some really big, in great shape toads. Nymphing is the main staple and running classic Reef offerings of worms and leeches with some BWO and midge patterns will put you in the hunt. This is a good time of year to streamer fish as well. Winter time there are plenty of fish actively pursuing baitfish. It is calories in for calories out and protein packed baitfish can sure beat trying to make a living on midges. Winter streamer tactics can be a little different than just chucking to the banks and stripping. Hitting soft secondary seams and the deeper wintering pools with more of a “lake leech” slower retrieve often finds more fish. Sink Tips and even full sink lines to help with this style and maintain contact to the fly are lines of choice. Varying retrieves with motion without a lot of speed. But experiment on depth and retrieve style. Each day and even spot tot spot canbe different. Go to patterns include Ditch-Witches, Rusty Trombones, Dragons, Dungeons, and Sparkle Minnows.
Final note, watch your timing. Days are shorter, and there is nothing worse than having a great day, the weather turns, everyone is frozen and the row out to the take out turns into a painful struggle fest. Keep it fun and know when to say when. Here is to winter fishing and can’t wait to see some of the best fish of the year come out of the net with a big old streamer hanging out of the corner of their mouth.
