A mid December cold snap moved into southern New England Friday, Saturday and Saturday night. The day temps were around 30 with a very strong wind. Sunday's forecast was for sunny skies through mid-day with the clouds taking over, temps about 40. Not what you would call prime weather. I decided to fish anyway and my starting time would be after ten. The stream had a thin coating of ice in places along with some very slippery rocks. There were areas of water that were ice free and if you were able to get the fly into them the possibility was there to hook a fish.
Not that fly patterns make a big difference in a small stream but in winter it's even simpler. Today I used a small bead head fly.
As I would cast the fly I observed it drift some and then just hang on the bottom. At times movement could be seen and the figure of a brook trout would be on the fly. Even in cold water they are aggressive.
An example of how rewarding winter fishing can be. In times of cold, with air temps at or below freezing it's best to keep the fish in the water.
Luckily my day turned out to be a good one. The air seemed to warm up a bit, and I was fortunate to fool two wild ones.
Very intricate patterns in the ice in your header photo. Mother Nature's artistry. Very nice Alan!!! Glad you got out there.
ReplyDeleteTROUT1
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Pete that was so beautiful, especially when the sun chimed in. I saw a couple of brookies under there.
Excellent walk-n-cast in the woods, thanks for sharing...
ReplyDeleteDoug Korn
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Doug the day actually turned out well.
Very nice Alan! Glad you were able to fish despite the cold. It was about 12 degrees at our place Sunday morning. I guess winter is here!
ReplyDeleteMark Wittman
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Mark it seems winter came in fast. We must take advantage of those moderate times.
Very Nice Alan. Got the first ice in my guides last Friday. Winter is here...
ReplyDeleteJustin
MrFishman80
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Justin I had that issue myself, but it soon warmed enough to make it enjoyable.
Looks like a spring day Alan....Hope your weather is as mild this time of year as ours is, cant believe how mild it is for middle of December, enjoy it whilst you can.
ReplyDeleteGeorge
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George it was far from spring. It's a bit early for the deep freeze, hope things moderate.
Alan
ReplyDeleteJust curious, what is the coldest temp you have fished in there? Thanks for sharing
Bill Trussell
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Bill I can only give you a guess...10 degrees...that temp usually occurs during our annual NYD fishing get together.
Alan, those Brookies are even more beautiful it seems in that cold, icy water. Great choice of which fly to use also.
ReplyDeleteP.S. thanks for the heads up on your comments over on my blog. Problems with Blogger format I guess. Anyway they are all up now and responses to your comments also.
Grandpa Mel
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Mel that cold water is so clear which enhances the trouts colors.
Thanks for your response on the blog issue.
Glad you got out. At my age, I can no longer deal with the cold. I'll be rebuilding gear and tying flys until Spring. But I will spend some time in FL chasing snappers and barracuda. Snappers to eat; barracuda for fun.
ReplyDeleteJohn Dornik
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John extreme cold is something I have a problem with. 30-40 degrees is my winter comfort zone.
Never been to Fla. but they say the fishing's great.
That first photo is quite beautiful and those brook trout--the word beautiful is too much of an understatement.
ReplyDeleteThere you are experiencing cold, icy conditions and yesterday I didn't go fishing because it was too hot and windy here in OZ(Australia). Would you like to swap a little weather with me?
Kind Regards,
Steve.
Steve Hynes
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Steve, those extremes weather cold or hot are not the best..... wind is another pain in the butt.
Here in my region you can not fish in winter, it is restricted to fish, they also freeze their hands in winter ...!
ReplyDeleteArmando Milosevic
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Armando here in CT it's pretty much open all year...there are different regulations in winter.
We freeze our hands too.
Alan, you sure are a hardy soul to endure such cold, we are not that cold yet but the weatherman is saying Wednesday into Thursday is suppose to be in 20s. I continue to fish the winter but I pick my times to go. That first photo is really neat. I also loved the walk out,pure solitude,those are precious times. Thanks Alan very enjoyable post.
ReplyDeleteBrad Basehore
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Brad I too pick those times, not the cold weather gut I was. Selecting the time frame of 10 'til 2 usually insures I'll have the warmest times to fish.
Those walk outs are times of enjoyment.
Props to you, Alan, for getting out in not ideal conditions. The solitude of fishing where you do can't be beat.
ReplyDeleteBest, Sam
Parachute Adams
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Sam it was not to bad, compared to what's in store for us come thursday and friday. Love New England.
In Colorado, we can fish all year around. Some of us have more sense. ;) Way to age gracefully Alan.
ReplyDeleteHoward Levett
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Howard as long as I'm able I'll be out there.
Hi Alan, do you find that in the winter the brown trout 'switch' off, whereas the brook trout (char) continue to feed?
ReplyDeleteGrannom
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That's a great question. I'll give you my best answer.
I've had fair days in terms of success with winter browns. But far better winter days with brook trout. It seems that brook trout are always on the feed and I do not know why, perhaps it's due to their long history of surviving the various roadblocks put in their way both from nature as well as man. I could never prove it but I'd bet this to be true....if a brown and a brookie were side by side in a stream and food was presented to them, the brookie would move to it before the brown.
Thanks Alan,
DeleteUnfortunately we have no brookie her in the UK, though we do have char in deepwater lakes. From what I have read brownies go into a torpid state, stop feeding and move to deeper pools as the water temperature drops and this borne out by my own experience - hill streams can appear to be almost devoid of brown trout early in the year. Might be nice to have a your pretty brookies to throw a line at in the colder months.
Sounds like there will be more than a skim on the water for the next few days..beautiful brookies..
ReplyDeletepenbayman
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Mike it's going to get brutal for a few. Then they say a moderating with temps around 50.