whadd'ya do in winter?

[slip n slide]

As long as the water is not frozen here in the Great Lakes there's some nice trout coming in from the lakes.

A smallish but crazy fish @ ~ 6lbs ... it was all I could do to keep her from shaking the hook before she settled in for a tug of war and wills...cell phone quality,so,is what it is.

Video_1.mov

[Fergal]

This winter, 5 days in key west. Otherwise I’d try to hit the Farmington as along as it’s above freezing, I’m not dealing with frozen guides. Eff that ****. it is unlikely that I’ll fish or even possibly cast before key west, I’m still recovering from surgery. 

[Skunkoff]

I fish until I can't.  Last year I was breaking ice to get to an open spot.  Couldn't get far enough out due to steep drop off.  Then did rivers until there was too much ice flow.

[theshadow]

On the Cape.Most winters there is open water except for about a month some place.As age has crept up the ice fishing has lost most of it's luster. Plenty of rod repairs and massive flytying orders for the coming season occupies most of the winter. A couple of days a week wading the ponds or slinking around for holdovers is plenty.Frozen guides,toes,and fingers tell me "thats enough". Casting 1 day[was 2 reduced due to scheduling] a week in a local gym.Tying get togethers are in the process of lining up after New Years too. Actually quite busy over all.

 After looking at the video I do miss swinging in the snow for brookies,landlocks,and smallies when I lived in Maine.
 

Edited December 20, 2022 by theshadow

[Fergal]

Lots of tying too. I still need some permit stuff, still need some tarpon stuff for May, I need to get my recently retired father-in-law a bunch of soft hackles and wets. After that, I need to more striper stuff for me. I need to fish more going forward than I have the last few years. 

[Philly]

My fishing is done for the year.  Go through my fly boxes, remove patterns that didn't work.  Sort through my materials.  Tie some flies.  See if I can come up with something new.  Clean up my rods and reels, fly lines etc.  Go to a couple of fly fishing shows/outdoor shows in the area.  Plus hit the local fishing flea markets as they come up.  Make some in-line spinners and some spinner baits for the guys I fish with.

[jerseystriper]

Duck hunt- when thats over last day of January, go clamming and the occasional hit a trout stream chuck and duck nymphs or a streamer just to get out. If its to cold sitting by the fire sipping a Irish whiskey and reading a fishing book is sufficient.  

[Skip S]

Winter here means hitting the mill ponds for pickerel.The ponds rarely freeze so launch the canoe and throw deceivers or Clousers.Also catch some yellow perch or occasional bass if im lucky.

[ken r]

Leave for Baja early January. Be back in May/ June.

[Stonefish]

One of the nice things about living in a temperate climate is being able to fish year round, so no end of the season here.

There is always a place to fish regardless of the winter weather.

SF

[slip n slide]

Cuz,well,yeah...makin stuff all winter too.

My new fav rod I built last winter,an 11',6wt on an NFC blank.Got his big brother,an 11',8wt,on the bench right now...gonna be a Nigara R/Mi rod.

Steelhead floats from wine corks;shorter/fatter for heavy flows and rapids,longer/tapered for slower water and normal flows.

Make sure I have enough crawdads come bass season.

Can't have too many steelhead flies,esp in Mi where the bottom of every stream is lined w/ wood.

And more fishing.S'posed to hit the 50's after this big arctic X-mas blast,good reason to go back again...

[onthefly]

Tie,tie,tie about 300 fresh and salt flies so far next week I start my north fork 10 wt fly rod build, maybe make some crank baits an soft plastics in February 

[The Fisherman]

22 hours ago, slip n slide said:

As long as the water is not frozen here in the Great Lakes there's some nice trout coming in from the lakes.

A smallish but crazy fish @ ~ 6lbs ... it was all I could do to keep her from shaking the hook before she settled in for a tug of war and wills...cell phone quality,so,is what it is.

Video_1.mov

 

Cracking steelhead!

 

We did Erie tribs in OH and PA for the first time past weekend and it was insanely off-the-charts good. What have I been missing all these years (a very rhetorical question)?

 

Steve Culton 

[sm94427p]

I tie fish the salmon river when weather is ok or I fish tailwaters. Ive been to the salmon every weekend since mid october till about two weeks ago and am considering going on new years.

[slowroller]

Our winter run steelhead season is just starting, with the upper part of the river opening January 1, so that'll be the only game going for me until late spring. I've spent most of my time nymphing for them, but this season going to put more time in swinging with a single hand skagit set up.