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The single best thing about fishing in the snow, other than it’s beautiful, refreshing, the fishing is great, and there are fewer people, is the tracks! If you want to find fish and areas that are seeing little to no pressure, all you have to do it look at the snow and see if there are tracks, or at least fresh tracks, left by your fellow anglers.
It is Streamer and Nymphing weather these days, with the big winter hatches coming soon. Do not make the mistake of not fishing when it is snowing. It is the norm to have some of the best winter fishing when it is pounding snow. The harder it snows and the bigger the flakes, the better!
There are not a lot of bugs left to imitate as the winter season moves forward. The Midge hatches become the single most important bug we will see and imitate until March. There are a variety of tried-and-true winter patterns that continue to work. If you are fishing the Midge, try Brassies, Zebra Nymphs and Tie-Down Midges. If you are fishing them on the surface, just use a Griffiths Gnat and a Tie-Down Midge. If you would like to fish bigger winter nymphs, look at Girdle Bugs and Prince Nymphs. Copper Johns are a great option, as well.
Streamer fishing can be great fun in the winter. If you are swinging by Picabo Angler, be sure to ask us about our custom-tied Sparkle Minnows. These are deep-sinking flies with large hook gaps to grab onto the biggest Idaho trout! Fish them in any of our area waters. On the Big Wood River, this fly is a killer. You can also get away with basic Bugger patterns, as well. Simply put a small split shot directly above the knot you tied the fly on with. The fish won’t care, and you’ll catch a lot of them.
Fish group up in the wintertime. They seek out soft currents where they can still find food, and not too deep. They still want a little warm sun—like we do! Try to find deeper riffled water that is moving gently. Back eddies and foam lines are also great places to target. Keep in mind the fish are grouped, so if you find one, you will find several.
It’s a great time to be out there. Please be safe and fish with a buddy.
Happy fishing, everyone!