Cold Weather Trout Fishing

Many people have asked me, “How long does your season last?” or “When do you stop fishing for the year?” I struggle to answer this question concretely because the reality is, the fishing never stops! And while the majority of fly fishing trips we take occur between April and October, there are phenomenal opportunities in the winter months. I want to bring awareness through sharing here and through continued education as the question comes, that winter trout fishing is some of the best we have. Here’s why:

Pressure

An easy answer and logical reason for fishing in the winter months is simply, less people. Less people means less pressure on the fish and less crowds on the river. I have selfishly always enjoyed fishing through the winter months because I know many anglers are simply not willing to face the elements. I know what you are thinking, “well of course no body is out there it’s freezing!” Cold fingers will be far from your mind with some thick socks, layers, and a hot fishing bite, I assure you!

Trout Behavior

I’m going to get a little nerdy here but bare with me. Trout are opportunistic feeders and they are always in need of a good meal. While their metabolism slows down in the winter, they can never stop eating because they can never stop working or fighting the current. In addition, the “bug life” and food source of our rivers decreases. All that means is that the flies you are presenting are now one of fewer options, which only increases the opportunity of them being eaten. Trout fishing/fly fishing is often times a game of odds (or you may call it luck).

Another factor to consider is the spawning season of brown trout. There are a couple phases of the spawn to consider. The pre-spawn, post-spawn, and of course, spawn. During the pre-spawn (Sept-Octoberish), browns increase their feeding and are beginning to displace from their habitats (these trout are very territorial) to meet up with the whole gang. During the spawn itself (Octoberish-Februaryish), the browns are doing the dirty and we call those spawning places, redds. I will share more details of redds and the ethics of fishing at spawning trout in another post. All I’ll say is, do not fish or disturb actively spawning fish. The post-spawn (Jan-Feb) is the slow return back to their primary habitat. All in all, brown trout spawn is a great time to target big fish and have great number days as well.

Delayed harvest

The winter months are also a great opportunity for easy access and good fishing in some great stocked rivers. I caption this heading with “Delayed Harvest” in reference to one of North Carolina’s stocking designations. Delayed Harvest is a state stocking program that places trout in a number of rivers close by in October, November, March, April and May. The beauty of fishing it after the stockings in October and November is that it remains catch and release while also keeping many of the crowds away. Many qualms with these designated rivers is due to the heavy foot traffic in the spring and early summer because of they have just stocked and the temps are starting to rise again . The winter months still provide awesome opportunities in these places because you get high numbers of stocked fish without brushing shoulders with everyone and their mother.

Final Thoughts

This is definitely not a complete list of reasons to fish in the winter but I hope it gets you thinking. My goal is to help and educate anyone looking to grow in their angling ability. And more than that, I want to give people the best experience they can on the water and that can 100% happen in the coldest months of the year. There is no off season and there’s no month of the year to ever hang up the waders and boots.

Reach out to our shop or consider taking a trip this winter. We’d love to show you what it has to offer!

- Joel Brown