The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Been way to long since my last post, not that I was ever really known. My wife and I are taking a month long road trip, camping out (in the van) and seeing the interior West. Winter is an odd choice, suffice to say sometimes you have to take an opportunity when it presents itself.

I've never fished in Winter, let alone these states and their waters. I've been reading about openings and closings, and crazy weather patterns. There are massive number of amazing water in these states. Never been steelhead fishing, can't take myh own tube, willing to rent boats etc., thinking about a guide....

Anyone had some good winter experiences that way they would recommend to a guy willing to wade, most familiar with California freestone, looking for some hopefully slow witted fish with extra big heaters milling about accessible water.

Thanks for your help.... promise to return emails, and reports if I don't end up drowning.

Used to by syncrofly...... of course hadn't logged in recent enough to see the fancy new digs either, my email if anyone wants it is kelly s ross at g m a i l dot com

Try registering and logging in - it makes things a lot easier.

-Greg

Montana can be fun in the winter if it is not too cold. I lived in Bozeman for four years while faking my way through Kolledge Sometimes it is downright worthles to even attempt fishing in the winter. The answer to your question is fairly obvious, spring creeks and tail waters. The pay to play spring creeks near livingston can be fun and you can fish them for less money than you would in the summer. My favorite winter time fishery was the Madison below bear trap canyon. If it is below 25 degrees I would not even bother. Stripping buggers, and muddlers almost exclusively. I landed some huge browns during the winter. I would alway head out there when the temps got above the absolute frigid mark. I would usually tote a shotgun and kill a couple mallards, geese or hungarian partridge too. The spring creeks can be alot of fun if the temps get above freezing. There can be some little midges that come off and make the creeks come alive. Have fun and report back.

I've fished the Big Horn in eastern Wyoming in early winter and done well. Bitch Creeks and Girdle bugs worked real well. You could watch the big (last time I was there we were averaging 18-20 inch fish) Rainbows cruise up almost hanging vertical in the current and eye them then take them. In my experience - in winter the fish are not interesred in expending much energy. You need to bring the fly close to them (you really do better if you can see the fish you are casting to) and big flies are better. And more often than in warmer weather, no matter what you do they just aren't interested. I can give you good info if you are going to be at the Big Horn...let me know.

I know I am going to get totaly flamed for this but I gotta tell this story,,,,,,when in college (an adequate preface for somethin you did with questionable thought process involved) I had access to hunt on a small private spring creek west of Bozeman...it would fill up with ducks when everything else froze over. Anyway, it was also full of huge browns and brookies. These fish were extremely picky about flies, but they loved night crawlers.....I would tie on about 5 feet of 12 lb test to the back of one of my duck decoys with a night crawler baited hook dangling behind it, when the decoy started bobbing wildly, I had dinner. It was actually perfectly legal since I was monitoring it and I only used one line. Those fish tasted good.

bt45 wrote:
These fish were extremely picky about flies, but they loved night crawlers.....I would tie on about 5 feet of 12 lb test to the back of one of my duck decoys with a night crawler baited hook dangling behind it, when the decoy started bobbing wildly, I had dinner. It was actually perfectly legal since I was monitoring it and I only used one line. Those fish tasted good.

Just a big Strike indicator, kinda like fishing one of them thar 'Center pin' thingies....

Here it comes, Ed, brace yoseff

Thanks for all the helpful advice. Did some digging and I hadnt made a report since '04. Where did the time go?

I'm watching the storms roll in and am going to try to time everything just right.... Hopefully my wife has a good book. Traveling in a van with 4WD and heat....

Wish me luck, I'll report back.

Seeing it in person , driving in it is highly over-rated.

You could go ICE FISHING.

that sounds like a lot of fun. set it up and sit back around a fire and watch the duck!

Beerfly

If you don't mind walking out on a frozen lake, it can be fun. I have done it many times and found the fish to be quite easy to catch. We would either chop a hole in the ice or find a big crack in the ice. Earlier years ago we used bait, but the last couple times I found dragging a small wooley bugger through the crack would get some action. You need to put a small weight (I won't say lead, but that's what we used) on the front of the bugger to get it down there since you're not really casting. Kinda makes it look like a head on the bugger, at least the fish didn't seem to mind it.

Beerfly

I can not lie,,,it was a bunch of fun. Especially if the ducks were flying.