As we all know it's getting chilly in NorCal and that means its time to put on chest high waders, thick wool socks, and an extra layer or two before we hit our favorite trout streams. It means that not only do we have to worry about trying to catch fish, but do so without freezing our faces off in the process and we all know getting skunked whilst simultaneously freezing is a terrible way to spend a day in one of the most scenic and serene environments on the planet. Luckily with some research, an eye for changing environment, and some luck we can prevent at least one of those two scenarios from happening.
So where do we start? In order to under stand what flies to use we must first understand how the trout behave in the colder months. Lower water temps means more lethargic fish due to the fact that they are cold blooded. They have less energy and therefore they feed while expending as little amount of energy as possible. It's a numbers game, calories in vs calories out. Fish are less likely to travel through the water column and move out of their lies during cold months. So correctly identifying what the trout are feeding on and what part of the system they are feeding in will make our success right much higher! Also they typical insects they feed on become much smaller. On the Truckee during the summer I'll throw a 20 pound stonefly pattern thats as big as my foot and catch fish all day. In the winter you're lucky if you can get away with anything bigger than a size 18.
We also need to take into account spawning fish. Fish who have spawned or are beginning to spawn are in a very fragile state. They are exhausted from creating redds and flailing about like halibut releasing eggs and sperm so as anglers it's our duty to be mindful of the state the fish are in. We should strive to land them as quickly as possible and take some extra time when releasing them to make sure they have their strength before releasing them back into the river. We also want to make sure not to lift them out of the water if at all possible. If you see actively spawning fish on shallow gravel beds Do not target them. By all means watch them and enjoy watching these creatures create the new generation but please don't attempt to catch these fish by any means. Ok rant over!
Which brings us to aquatic insects. During the cold months there are two major players in most NorCal trout streams Baetis, and Midges. Obviously there are other possible food sources for the trout but because these two are the most abundant they are what I will choose to focus on in this article. They are also the two insects I have had most success imitating.
Above we have a couple different baetis nymphs in an olive and a rusty brown color. They are from different areas of the world but they have a few defining characteristics we can focus on. We want to observe 3 main features of this insect when we imitate it.
1-The tail is about the length of the abdomen(sometimes as long as the whole body) and is comprised of 3 strands.
2- The abdomen is clearly segmented and has a slight contrast
3- It has small legs at the front of its thorax.
Now how does this help us catch more fish? Well It gives us an idea of what to focus on when selecting fly patterns! We want to focus on those highly noticeable features because as the flies float past the fish the most common and obvious features are ones that will stand out. It's similar to seeing something in your peripheral vision. Take a dog for example we know they usually have long bodies, walk on four legs and wag their tail. If we see that in our peripheral vision our brain makes the connection "oh thats a dog" you don't even need to actually see it to know what it is. Fish are the same way if we present a fly that has a similar profile to an actual food source the fish will eat it.
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Above I have one of my go too baetis patterns here tied in brown on a size 18 hook. When we compare it to our baetis up top we see similarities such as a sparse tail, segmented abdomen and some legs represented by some dubbing. I also tie this one in black and olive. Now of course its not a perfect match but remember we are imitating nature not copying it. If you have a stream with a strong baetis population turn over some rocks see what you can find! You'll probably find something similar to the pictures above. If you can snap a picture of baetis you find in a river when you hit up a fly fishing store you can try and find the pattern you think most accurately imitates that insect. A great tactic to keep in mind also when fishing new rivers or fishing in other parts of the world. WD-40's, Two Bit Hookers, Sloan's Mighty Mite, Micro May's, Pheasant Tails, and Hares Ears are all good choices. I would stay in the 18-20 range I have never needed to go anything smaller than a size 20.
Here we have an example of a midge. Now there are thousands of different species if midges in California so like the baetis we should really focus on some key features. For the midge the largest defining feature is the segmented body. It is a fairly small insect so they are quite simple to imitate. A simple zebra midge will work well. Above we have the standard black, red, and olive, but I also tie them in chartreuse and fluorescent orange for those days when the fish just wont go for the natural color. The midges below are used to represent emerges, some flashy wings give the appearance of a midge about to hatch and also has another way to get the trouts attention. Some other great midge patterns are the Blood Midge, Brassie, Disco Midge, Top Secret Midge, Mercury Midge, and the Rainbow Warrior. With midges stay in the 18-22 range.
My best advice is to buy (or tie) a couple of each of the flies I recommend and see which work for you most consistently with your style of fishing. Do your best to systematically weed out what works and what doesn't work. When I fish the Truckee in the summer I catch 90% of my fish using mayflies and stoneflies. I rarely ever tie on caddis because for me, they don't work as well. Maybe its my technique, the flies I choose, the time of day who knows? I see people slay 20 fish a day using only caddis. So I know they work on the river just not for me. Yet.
Im going to rap this post up on some tips about changing environment and how that affects what patterns to use. California has some of the best winter weather. We can have sunny days with no clouds in the 60's or complete white outs that take us down below freezing, depending on where you choose to fish.
On principle I typically change my nymphing rig every 50-60 casts. Unless I'm absolutely wrecking the river and the trout are practically offering up ritual sacrifices in my name. We've all had those days. However if I notice a change in environment such as clouds coming in on a sunny day, a gradual drop or rise in stream flows, bugs emerging or hatching, the change of sunlight on the water etc. I will immediately adjust my choice of flies, weight, or tippet choice. Generally on cloudy days I stick with muted colors with my flies greys, blacks, olives and browns. Natural colors work better on cloudy days than fluorescent or sparkly flies. Think about it if theres no sun on the water to make the fly sparkle why use it? ITs completely unnatural. This is the same for early morning before the sun in on the water. When the sun IS on the water go for some sparkly flashy flies. They work much better with sun light hitting them and are far more effective in my experience. When it comes to tippet I generally use 4x fluorocarbon tippet on cloudy days, 5x flouro on sunny days and only go to 6x flouro on the brightest days when I absolutely have too or I'm going down to size 22 flies. If I am getting that desperate I usually just call it a day and commit an extra hour I would've spent fishing to drinking more beer in front of my fireplace.
One time while fishing on the Truckee I was fishing one of my favorite holes where I always catch a few fish. After fishing it for nearly an hour I hadn't got a single strike. I didn't even hit bottom enough to pretend like it was a strike and at least save some dignity. About the time I realized maybe my flies probably aren't getting deep enough a river otter swims out of the pool on the opposite bank with a fish in its mouth and begins to chow down on what would've been a lovely fish to catch! Resisting the urge to swim across the river and get me an otter pelt I huffed and puffed my way upstream to the next fishing spot. Had I seen the otter swim into the pool I could've saved an hour of fishing and gone somewhere else where who knows, I may have not caught a single fish. The moral of the story is be aware of what's around you! Don't just go up to your spot you want to fish and start casting. Look at the water is it clear or off color?Are the flows higher than normal? Was there a full moon last night? Are there insects hatching? Is there a f***ing river otter in the pool your'e fishing at? All situations that can affect whether or not you catch a fish.
Remember these are things I have learned from my 11 years of fly fishing. I encourage you to open your mind and try some new things when you go fly fishing because you might just learn something that changes the way you see the sport we love. I hope this article has taught you something! If not, that sucks. Thanks for reading and remember. tight lines!
Cheers,
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