Techniques

Cold water doesn't just slow trout down—it exposes every weakness you've learned to ignore the rest of the year. Numb fingers, stiff joints, old injuries, nerves that don't fire like they used to. January doesn't care how long you've been fishing or how good you once were at tying knots in the wind. The mistake is pretending none of that matters. Winter...

Question: Watching George Daniel's video on smallmouth poppers—where his most counterintuitive advice is simply "don't pop it"—makes me wonder if there are other flies that work best when fished "wrong." Are there? —Andy S., Springfield, MO Answer: George Daniel built his reputation on Euro-nymphing and technical streamer fishing, but his approach to...

For most of the year, I'm a big-fly guy. During the spring, I drift large rubber-legged nymphs beneath indicators and splash hefty streamers down against the bank. In the summer, I twitch and skate big foam dry flies, and in the autumn, I fish baitfish patterns the size of Christmas stockings in search of something monstrous. Yet as soon as winter rears its...

Question: I’ve been wanting to get into steelhead and salmon fishing, but not sure about the right gear. What are the differences between Spey casting and Skagit casting, and what are the benefits of each? —Jenny K., Ashland, OR Answer: Some anglers talk about Spey and Skagit casting as if they’re competing schools of thought, but they’re actually...

There’s nothing a streamer angler likes better than stripping, jerking, and swinging a big bug through the current in hopes of a savage strike. It’s fast paced, it’s exciting, and it’s a great way to catch big, predatory trout—but not always. As much as you may like to see big trout chase down your flies and to feel aggressive, line ripping grabs...

Question: When you are fishing nymphs on rivers for trout in winter, is it better to use shiny attractor patterns or more natural-looking, imitative nymphs? —Tim, Missoula, MT Answer: Like many questions about fly fishing, the answer to this one is not absolute. Both styles can be effective, and knowing when to use each is one of the most important winter...

Winter trout fishing is a strange and special thing. It’s the kind of cold that stings your ears, numbs your fingers, and makes you question every knot you tie. Yet for all that discomfort, winter might be my favorite season to trout fish. Everything slows down. The river is quieter. Short days mean fewer hours on the water, but they also mean no rush...

Most fly fishers aren’t big fans of winter. The cold weather slows down the insect activity and fishing action and makes conditions on the river so tough that many anglers just put their rods in the corner and stare longingly out the window while they wait for spring. However, there are some who look forward to the coming of winter like kids waiting for...

Question: A lot of articles about winter fly fishing include discussions of dry flies, but I’ve never seen a single fish rise in winter. Is the cold-weather hatch a myth, or do I just live in the wrong place? —Tim, Waterville Valley, NH Answer: It’s true that winter is usually thought of as the season for nymphing, not for rising trout and dry flies...

The first time I used an intruder fly, it changed how I fish. It was on a steelhead trip in Washington, on a river I had never fished before, and I was having a hard time hooking up. Steelhead were in the river—I could see them jumping as they moved upstream—but my arsenal of classic and reliable steelhead flies just weren’t doing the job. On my third...