winter fly selection?

**72Twenty** · 01-19-2009, 10:59 PM

what are your go-to winter flies usually?

I have been using streamers mostly, but I think I might change it up a bit and start nymphing and maybe trailing some blood worms and/or scuds...

Just curious what your "usual" winter rig would be for your area...

**Pow4Brains** · 01-20-2009, 02:07 AM

Zebra midge, Ray Charles, RS2 and small black or purple pheasant tails (all flies size 18 or less). Oh yeah, an egg for a lead fly can work well too.

Edit - This is for most tailwaters around CO

**igBand** · 01-20-2009, 10:32 AM

Great topic.

Rubber legs or prince nymph as lead

Pearl lighting bug, zebra midge, pink midge, green caddis pupa, or san juan dropper

**schwerty** · 01-20-2009, 01:37 PM

Agreed ^^^ great topic 72! Obviously the answers vary from area to area but since I'm in your neck of the woods, sorta,....

Being that most of the rivers around here are cold as fuck , (tailwaters and spring feds stay a little warmer), I usually put the streamer box in hibernation until april. Our trout are too sluggish, (rightfully so!), this time of year to chase much. A dead drifted streamer can work but I just leave 'em at home. Nymphing with attractor patterns or midges is my staple until bwo's or skwalas begin. Scuds can be very productive for the regional tailwaters....I'll be fishing them on a tailwater tomorrow! Rock worms are usually in my box as well as a few ugly black rubber legs.

If I had to guess the single most important part of my fishing gear in the winter is a good blend of shot in my pocket! Assuming there isn't much action on top, probing every depth of the water is essential. Changing the amount of weight and positioning seems to make more of an impact than fly selection for me...

**Happy Fun Ball** · 01-20-2009, 02:55 PM

Very small stone flies and green caddis are both go to flies for me in the dead cold of winter in Northern Michigan. I also run these with an egg dropper from time to time just to see if anything is interested.

**ak_powder_monkey** · 01-21-2009, 03:31 AM

these

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this

**fez** · 01-21-2009, 11:14 PM

bacon and eggs baby. bacon and eggs. the trout like it almost as much as i do!

**G. Gordon Liddy** · 01-22-2009, 12:42 PM

I use one rig, and one rig only.

Rubber leg stone fly - so easy to tie. Brown and striped legs work well too:

Zebra midge - usually with tugnstun bead head - black or olive:

**Lumpy** · 01-22-2009, 05:18 PM

Sows tied in 16-20, zebra midges, and yes the baconator and eggs!

**Kai** · 01-22-2009, 05:51 PM

Wilcox's JC Special Pheasant Tail

It doesn't really look exactly like any bug, but it looks a bit like a lot of bugs.

It's large enough in size 14 to entice fish resting on the bottom to come up and get it.

I was fishing today with this fly, and caught a dozen or so fish in the pools between the iced up sections of the creek.

http://store.wileysflies.com/wilcoxs...lsize14-1.aspx

**72Twenty** · 01-22-2009, 08:41 PM

Snow n the forecast for Saturday. Looks like I'll go with the midge and perhaps a pheasant tail or hare's ear...

**fez** · 01-22-2009, 09:51 PM

snow in the forecast for saturday, looks like i'll go skiing...

**adipose** · 01-23-2009, 08:45 AM

I've been doing very well on a #20 pink scud for the last few weeks with a #20 PT trailer or something like it. Like Schwerty said a nice mix of shot may be the most important item, would that be, scotch, schnapps, jack or tinsmore

? A week ago I stuck over 20 fish, over 20" on a #20 fly. The highlight was 22" native cutty. This is the best time of year to be fishing central Wyoming for big fish.

**72Twenty** · 01-23-2009, 09:35 AM

I'll play with shot tomorrow - my river is very shallow right now, so I doubt I'll need much. There are a few holes here and there, but I expect to be fishing mostly in less than 2 feet of water (based on open water between the ice zones).

adipose - don't forget the tequila.

Here's to life!

**72Twenty** · 01-23-2009, 11:02 PM

oh yeah... should be good tomorrow:

Saturday: Snow likely, mainly after 11am. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. West southwest wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Gonna be cold, wet and soggy.

**schwerty** · 01-24-2009, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by 72Twenty

oh yeah... should be good tomorrow:

Saturday: Snow likely, mainly after 11am. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. West southwest wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Gonna be cold, wet and soggy.

It's pounding snow here! Skiing time. Fishing in Feb.

**72Twenty** · 02-07-2009, 10:14 PM

I caught a god damned CHUB today (only fish of the day) on an orange scud. He was about 8 inches long, took the fly, gave me a tug. It was all the same to me until I got a look at him and realized he wasn't a trout... or even a whitefish. Oh well, it was a fish!