Troutbitten

A streamer is not only a great change-up in the winter, it can be the best fly in your box - if you fish it well. There are some changes to make for a wintertime streamer approach, versus the warmer seasons. And those nuances in presentation make all the difference.

In this episode my friend, Austin Dando, and I share our best tips for fishing streamers in the winter.

We Cover the Following

• Why, when, where and how
• Gear for winter streamers
• The flies and the lines
• Benefits of fishing streamers in the winter
• Presentation specifics
• The Super-Pause
• Low and slow?
• Water types to focus on
• How far will a trout move?
• Stripping, jigging, drifting
• . . . and more

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Fishing in the Winter
PODCAST: Troutbitten | S1 Ep 14 --  Winter Fly Fishing
READ: Troutbitten | Category | Streamers
READ: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- Quick or Smooth?
READ: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- Strips, Jigs and Jerks

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In this episode, we dive deep into winter nymphing strategies. Specifically, we highlight what is different and what is unique about nymphing in the winter versus other seasons.

With fewer hatches and with trout that are less willing to move for a fly, presenting a nymph to winter fish is often our best strategy. But having success requires a refined approach, and winter nymphing can seem like the toughest of the year. However, with a great presentation and a good understanding of where fish feed in colder water, trout can be caught. In fact, with these skills, winter nymphing may sometimes provide the fastest fishing of the year.

We Cover the Following

• Why nymphing is our favorite winter tactic
• Trout behaviors in cold water
• More predictable water types, methods and fly selection
• Low and slow?
• Trout grouping and trout spreading out
• Favorite rigs, tight line and indy
• Favorite flies
• Fly pairings and placement
• Long drifts vs short drifts
• Bobber holes

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Fishing in the Winter
PODCAST: Troutbitten | S1 Ep 14 --  Winter Fly Fishing
READ: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- The Go-To Nymphing Rig
READ: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- The Secondary Nymphing Rig

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Here's a full podcast dedicated to staying warm, from head to toe. Because sometimes, staying warm and functional in the winter is far more important than the tactics. The cold becomes our biggest challenge.

This episode is about keeping the cold out, the heat in and fishing hard — all day long, in even the roughest weather. More specifically, it's about regulating your body heat while on the river.

In This Episode, We Cover the Following

• How to regulate heat with layers and zippers
• Staying mobile with flexible layers that hold in heat and let it go
• Best materials for each zone, each layer
• Hats, buffs, balaclavas, hoods
• Dark colors and UV rays
• Base layers, insulating layers, outer layers
• Winters waders, winter boots
• Socks
• Heat packs
• Battery solutions
• . . . more

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Fishing in the Winter
PODCAST: Troutbitten | S1 Ep 14 --  Winter Fly Fishing
READ: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes
READ: Troutbitten | Winter -- Something Is Always Going to Hurt

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Cold. That is what defines winter fishing. We acknowledged in the last podcast that the cold — or really the inability to deal with it — is one of the main reasons anglers stay home.

So that’s why I think any in-depth discussion about winter fishing really has to start with how to stay warm. If you’re so cold that you can’t function normally, you just won’t fish well.

In next week’s podcast, we’re going to get deep into all of it — keeping your whole body warm, from head to toe. And not just warm, but ready for fishing, walking, wading and hiking a little. But in this episode, we’re starting with your hands — just your hands. Because there’s a lot to this. And maybe nothing is more important.  We need warm hands -- working hands -- to fish in the coldest weather we encounter and stay out there, catching fish and meeting the challenges that winter fishing can bring.

In This Episode, We Cover the Following

• Why fly anglers need two hands
• The benefit of body heat
• Something is still going to hurt
• Keep your hands dry
• Does everyone need gloves?
• Types of gloves
• Wool, fleece, nitrile
• Heat packs (Hot Hands)
• Using your pockets
• Wrist bands

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Fishing in the Winter
PODCAST: Troutbitten | S1, Ep 14 --  Winter Fly Fishing
READ: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- Your Hands
READ: Troutbitten | Winter -- Something Is Always Going to Hurt
READ: Troutbitten | Winter Pregarme

 
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Season Six of the Troutbitten podcast begins. This is an eight part Skill Series about fly fishing in the winter months, and episode one is an overview of the series, along with details about where to find trout and in what water type we should expect them to eat. This episode is about our approach, with advice on time of day, fly strategy, covering water to suite the river and reading what the trout want for the moment.

I'm joined this season by my co-host, Austin Dando.

This Skills Series format is designed with less conversation and more detail.

Here Are the Winter Skills Series Episode Titles:

• The System / The Plan
• Your Hands
• Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
• Nymphing in the Winter
• Streamer Fishing in the Winter
• Dry Flies, Midges, Emergers and More
• Winter Problems, Winter Solutions
• Roundtable Review

In This Episode, We Cover the Following

• What does winter mean
• Air temperatures and water temperatures
• Enjoying the struggle
• Cracking the winter code
• Winter predictability
• Where to expect trout
• River types and water types
• Finding feeding fish
• Move and fish
• Nymphing, streamers dry flies
• Why don't more anglers fish in the winter?
• The experience

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Fishing in the Winter
PODCAST: Troutbitten | S1 Ep 14 --  Winter Fly Fishing
READ: Troutbitten | Winter -- Something Is Always Going to Hurt
READ: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- The System
READ: Troutbitten | Winter Welcome Home

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For the finale of Season Five of the Troutbitten Podcast and to wrap up 2022, we’re closing the curtain with an episode about fishing buddies — why we need them, how to find them and how to keep them for a lifetime.

We talk about what makes a good, bad or great fishing companion and share some experiences about a few would-be friendships gone wrong.

We Cover the Following

• What qualities are needed in a great river companion?
• How to meet new fishing friends
• Why do we need fishing friends?
• How many is too many?
• How the Troutbitten crew came together
• River friends who didn't work out
• New Year's resolutions for 2023

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Fish With Friends
READ: Troutbitten | How to Fish With Friends
READ: Troutbitten | Respect the Spots, Man!
READ: Troutbitten | Rivers and Friends
READ: Troutbitten | Lost Fishing Friends
READ: Troutbitten | I'll Meet You Upstream

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One of the most captivating aspects of fly fishing is the seemingly endless variety of approaches, tactics and strategies that are available with a fly rod in our hands. There are so many things to learn that put trout in the net. And we quickly understand that there’s a lifetime of education for us if we want it.

So we combine our time on the water with conversations that we have with friends. We read books and articles. We watch videos. Maybe we listen to podcasts. And yes, we might even learn something from social media.

But with so many sources in easy reach, sorting through the flood of information can be overwhelming. How do you weigh the value or the validity of these sources? These days, conflicting information — conflicting opinions — seem to be right next to each other.

So . . . what should you trust? How do you sift through the overflowing bank of information and find what works?

That is what this episode is about.

We Cover the Following

• Are there experts in fly fishing?
• What is an expert?
• Are the best anglers well known?
• Who have you learned from the most?
• How have you learned the most?
• How can you pick out bad information?
• Can we trust the trout?
• Learning to trust yourself
• Enjoying the experience

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Find Your Rabbit Hole
READ: Troutbitten | Who Knows Better Than You?
READ: Troutbitten | Explore - Learn -Return
READ: Troutbitten | What To Trust
READ: Troutbitten | Never Blame the Fish

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Wind challenges our cast and changes our drifts more than any other element. It forces us to adapt our presentations, and it makes some of our favorite styles impossible. But there is always a way to beat it. There’s always a way to make things work. And no matter how rough the wind, there are strategies not just for fighting through it, but for fishing well and catching trout. That’s what this episode is about.

Here are our best strategies for fly fishing in windy conditions. Wind does not need to keep you home. And it doesn’t need to force you off the water. There are ways to deal with the difficulty of wind, to learn something from the challenge and sometimes even catch more trout than you might in calm conditions.

Most of the foul weather that bothers us just doesn't seem to affect the trout much. And if you learn to beat the wind and weather, or at least work with it and cut that edge, both success and solitude can be yours.

Forget the forecast. Just fish.

We Cover the Following

• Do trout care if it's windy?
• How does wind complicate fly fishing?
• Fish closer
• Low rod angles
• How weight (in many forms) is what beats wind
• Dry fly, streamer and nymphing tips
• Advantages gained from the wind

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Podcast | Dealing With Weather and Fighting the Elements
READ: Troutbitten | Angler Types in Profile -- Goldilocks
READ: Troutbitten | Explore - Learn - Return
READ: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing Tips #50 -- Fish Hard
READ: Troutbitten | Never Blame the Fish
READ: Troutbitten | Don't Be a Hero -- Fish Closer

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The Troutbitten crew answers questions from podcast listeners. These questions range from gear talk to ethics, from fly selection to reading a trout river. And while most of our podcast episodes are narrowly focused on one theme, this one is spread out across topics.

This is an entertaining conversation, with both stories and tactics.

We Cover the Following

• How far do trout move for a fly?
• Stories about bad days on the water
• Carrying two fly rods
• The Mono Rig from a boat
• Tippet protection as a fly rod feature
• The Mono Rig for steelhead
• What we learn on tough days
• Dream destination trips

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Podcast | The Versatile Angler
READ: Troutbitten | Design and Function of the Troutbitten Standard Mono Rig
READ: Troutbitten | Lightning Fast Leader Changes (with VIDEO)
READ: Troutbitten | The Best Fly Rods for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
READ: Troutbitten | Convinced or Curious -- What Moves a Trout to a Fly

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The longer we toss around streamers, the more we realize that it’s the most subtle changes in presentation that make a difference. Faster or slower? Sure. But how about letting the fly free fall in the current? What about a slight cross lead before reestablishing a strike-zone path in one seam? Or let’s try sliding a streamer off the bank with a broadside look, because that often draws a strike when nothing else does.

I think most anglers start fishing streamers by casting and stripping, keeping it simple at first. And that works. But as time goes by, we realize how much control we truly have over the streamer. And we learn that making it dance, swoon or dart can bring trout charging and crashing into the fly.

Understand this: What we do with a streamer, the motions we give it and the manipulations we perform with the rod or the line start with the head of the streamer. That’s what we’re moving.

Trout care about the head position of a streamer. They recognize the head, and they feed in a way that is different from nymphs, wets or dry flies. The other fly styles are too small for a trout to care about where the head is. But there is no doubt that trout are keenly aware of the head of a baitfish. That is their target. And while chasing a moving food form, trout certainly recognize where the head is and where that food is going next.

So as streamer fishermen, we should consider the head as well, because all of our animations to the fly start there. It’s our attachment point to the fly. And what we do with the rod or the line hand directly affects the head of the streamer first. It’s how we bring the fly to life.

In this episode, we talk about the head orientation of the streamer in the water — how the streamer moves with the currents or against them, and what looks more natural vs what might look more attractive. We also dig into what added weight does to the head of a streamer, how that affects the action and how that limits or enhances the presentation styles that we have available.


We Cover the Following

• What head angle converts the most fish in the net?
• What head angle brings the most interest?
• Do trout eat the head first?
• What head angle looks like a baitfish that is holding, fleeing, dying?
• How weight in the head affects the fly and the presentation

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Category | Streamers
READ: Troutbitten | The Old School Streamer Thing
READ: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Head Flip
READ: Troutbitten | The Meat Eater Minority -- Streamer Fishing Myth vs Truth
READ: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Cross Current Strip

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