Cold Weather Fishing...
What Is Happening?
What Do You Look For?
What Do You Use?
Answers below... As deep winter approaches any Chironomids hatching tend to tail off during November, forcing Trout to turn to subsurface food proper. This involves the likes of Hoglouse, freshwater Shrimps and Bloodworms (midge larvae).
Whilst all these food forms are available 365, Trout do tend to get preoccupied with surface hatching flies during the warmer months. Naturally, when Trout are grubbing about below the surface, there’s little sign of life, so we have to dig deep and believe in our tactics. | |
As mentioned, literally nothing will be happening at the surface, so we have to rely on watercraft, or past experiences to locate Trout.
Sometimes, given milder weather, Trout will move into the shallows to seek out freshwater Shrimp, especially in recently flooded areas after heavy rain.
Now, you’ll see the odd bow wave, or upper tail lobe of fish break surface as Trout tilt down to forage for Shrimps. | |
A single Shrimp is best here too, as it won’t “bottom out” too quickly to snag the lakebed. It’s best to keep back from the water’s edge and cast parallel to the shoreline, as many Trout patrol the margins.
Above all, remember to fish your fly extremely slowly, after all, natural Shrimps aren’t turbo charged! | |
Where deeper water exists, we can present our nymphs on a HiD sinking line “booby” style. This involves using something like Cortland 444 Type 6 Sinking Fly Line.
Approx 3ft of 7lb level monofilament is then attached, before knotting on a booby. Ultimately this acts as a sacrificial fly to support a Shrimp pattern that’s arrange on a dropper 1ft above the Booby fly. | | |
| The beauty about this system is you can explore deep water without fear of fouling the bottom, as along with the Shrimp dressing, the Booby fly sits clear of the lakebed. | |
