Some Winter Fishing

Over the years many people have asked me if I go ice fishing.

“Nope,” I reply. “Ice fishing’s past the point of being a normal sportsman’s activity.”

I let it end like that. I do not tell my questioners that I sometimes go fly-fishing during the winter – which is also a little off the wall.

I do not make winter fly-fishing adventures nearly as often as I did 25 years ago. In those days I regularly sandwiched fly-fishing adventures between cross-country skiing outings. But, with global warming – less snow, with the type of snow we now get clinging to my skis – I rarely hop on the skis anymore. Truth be told, with my bad knee on which I have recently had a second ablation performed, it’s tough for me to ski even under good conditions. (I also pretty much hobble along when trying to play 60-and-over basketball at the Y.)

Anyhow, I have managed to get on the water several times since the advent of winter. I always wear long johns, jeans, a heavy hoodie, a warm jacket, a snug cap, and a pair of gloves when hitting the water. In addition, I often wear chest waders, even on small streams. Donna says I look like a dork.

Trout streams during winter are usually uncrowded. After all, “not many other fishermen are stupid enough to go fly-fishing on winter days,” my wife reminds me.

The first of this winter’s adventures was back on Dec. 21, the day before my 74th birthday. The air temperature was over 35 degrees, and I knew I didn’t want to fall into the 41-degree water. Using a favorite nymph, I fished from 12:30 to 2:30 and caught and released quite a few trout. That the largest one taped at 21 inches was a nice bonus.

After a recent bout of inclement weather, I hit the water again. The snow was mostly gone, and the water was higher than it had been. I had to use a large, heavily weighted nymph to get my fly down to where the trout were lurking. Things began badly. In the first pool I tried, I rolled a big trout but did not hook him. I then fished several hundred yards of stream before getting another bite. Then things happened quickly, and I ended the afternoon at 3:00 with a nice tally of trout up to 15 inches.

These were productive fly-fishing adventures; others weren’t so successful.

(Remember: Approved [stocked] trout streams are now closed to fishing until the April 6 opening day.)