Winter Tying, Buying, and Let's Not Forget...Fishing.
Winter has arrived in Colorado. With it comes lighter tippets, shorter days, more layers, and plenty of time in front of the vise.
I went to college in Oswego, NY. If you've ever been to that part of the world you know something about the cold. Truthfully, one of the reasons I moved to Colorado was to get away from it, but there's something about it. The relative solitude of winter fishing in Colorado can be truly special. Even with frozen feet, guides that need some Stanley's Ice Off paste before cast #1, and hands that are crying out for gloves, I still love it.
There is definitely a sense of peace that winter fishing brings. Most warm weather anglers don't want to bother with the weather, the Broncos usually have a game on Sunday, and the snow can make it stunningly beautiful.
I have a fished a few times recently and it's definitely time to focus on throwing primarily midges. I did get into a nice little BWO hatch on the South Platte last weekend, but after the cold snap that's coming Pueblo will probably be the only only place to find a steady hatch of BWO's until March.
This 21" slob took a BWO:
Ed Engle famously said, "Winter midging is the master game." He's so right about that, but if you can brave the elements and feel comfortable throwing flies in the 22-28 range your rewards can be great. I actually enjoy dry fly fishing during the dead of winter. There are usually fishing rising in the slowest water and they're eating midges. How simple can you get? I recently fooled a beautiful cutthroat on a size 26 midge using 7x tippet. That's what it took for him to eat because I covered him MANY times with great drifts before that take. The reward of that moment was the first of this winter fishing season and it inspired me to keep casting dry flies.
Here are the spectacular fins and tiny spots of that rewarding Cutt:
There's no doubt that nymphing a 2 or 3 fly rig will catch MORE fish, and I will definitely do that in a few spots, but if there are steady risers and they have some size to them, I'll throw dries until I get a take or I can't feel my fingers. I mean, you never leave rising fish, right?
Tying small dry flies and nymphs can be challenging, but winter tying can be a lot of fun. The days are short so weekday fishing is out of the question for most, which leaves more time for making comfort food, tying flies, and sipping on something to provide some fly tying inspiration.
I tie an assortment of midge dries and nymphs for the winter months. Lately I have been tying some little red midges using a red bead and the micro midge tubing. I will tie those town to 22 or even 24 if I can get the tubing to look right. I also found some cool little blue beads so I have been tying them with black Veevus 16/0 thread, fine silver wire, and a little rabbit fur for the head. Reds and blues can go a long way in the winter to attract a take.
Below my attractor I have been tying little foam wing emergers down to size 26. Tie small flies. It's fun and once you get the hang of it, tying 18's will seem like you're tying a Green Drake!
This stunning brown ate a size 26 foam wing on the Blue River:
The key I think is to keep your fly bodies slender. Use 14 or 16/0 thread and make every wrap count. Don't over wrap and make an uneven looking fly. The fish know what they want in the winter time and I feel like fly profile is one of their biggest turnoffs. There aren't mayfly nymphs in the middle of the water column so the fish are less likely to eat an imitation of one.
Have fun messing around with different colors of thread, wire, and beads. You never know if you'll come up with a special fly for your home waters. Also, do some online shopping. It's fun to check out what's available. Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions has posted a few new videos (link below) so check those out. Treat yourself to a new vise, some new tools, or just a plethora of new tying materials. If you can't treat yourself then make sure the things in your Amazon Cart end up on someone's Christmas list so you can enjoy some fun January tying!
I'm going to brave the cold and get out there and fish because the crowds are minimal and the fish are in there. Go get 'em! Until next time, tight lines my friends!
I'll leave you with this big girl that was caught at the end of October...
I went to college in Oswego, NY. If you've ever been to that part of the world you know something about the cold. Truthfully, one of the reasons I moved to Colorado was to get away from it, but there's something about it. The relative solitude of winter fishing in Colorado can be truly special. Even with frozen feet, guides that need some Stanley's Ice Off paste before cast #1, and hands that are crying out for gloves, I still love it.
There is definitely a sense of peace that winter fishing brings. Most warm weather anglers don't want to bother with the weather, the Broncos usually have a game on Sunday, and the snow can make it stunningly beautiful.
I have a fished a few times recently and it's definitely time to focus on throwing primarily midges. I did get into a nice little BWO hatch on the South Platte last weekend, but after the cold snap that's coming Pueblo will probably be the only only place to find a steady hatch of BWO's until March.
This 21" slob took a BWO:
Ed Engle famously said, "Winter midging is the master game." He's so right about that, but if you can brave the elements and feel comfortable throwing flies in the 22-28 range your rewards can be great. I actually enjoy dry fly fishing during the dead of winter. There are usually fishing rising in the slowest water and they're eating midges. How simple can you get? I recently fooled a beautiful cutthroat on a size 26 midge using 7x tippet. That's what it took for him to eat because I covered him MANY times with great drifts before that take. The reward of that moment was the first of this winter fishing season and it inspired me to keep casting dry flies.
Here are the spectacular fins and tiny spots of that rewarding Cutt:
There's no doubt that nymphing a 2 or 3 fly rig will catch MORE fish, and I will definitely do that in a few spots, but if there are steady risers and they have some size to them, I'll throw dries until I get a take or I can't feel my fingers. I mean, you never leave rising fish, right?
Tying small dry flies and nymphs can be challenging, but winter tying can be a lot of fun. The days are short so weekday fishing is out of the question for most, which leaves more time for making comfort food, tying flies, and sipping on something to provide some fly tying inspiration.
I tie an assortment of midge dries and nymphs for the winter months. Lately I have been tying some little red midges using a red bead and the micro midge tubing. I will tie those town to 22 or even 24 if I can get the tubing to look right. I also found some cool little blue beads so I have been tying them with black Veevus 16/0 thread, fine silver wire, and a little rabbit fur for the head. Reds and blues can go a long way in the winter to attract a take.
Below my attractor I have been tying little foam wing emergers down to size 26. Tie small flies. It's fun and once you get the hang of it, tying 18's will seem like you're tying a Green Drake!
This stunning brown ate a size 26 foam wing on the Blue River:
The key I think is to keep your fly bodies slender. Use 14 or 16/0 thread and make every wrap count. Don't over wrap and make an uneven looking fly. The fish know what they want in the winter time and I feel like fly profile is one of their biggest turnoffs. There aren't mayfly nymphs in the middle of the water column so the fish are less likely to eat an imitation of one.
Have fun messing around with different colors of thread, wire, and beads. You never know if you'll come up with a special fly for your home waters. Also, do some online shopping. It's fun to check out what's available. Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions has posted a few new videos (link below) so check those out. Treat yourself to a new vise, some new tools, or just a plethora of new tying materials. If you can't treat yourself then make sure the things in your Amazon Cart end up on someone's Christmas list so you can enjoy some fun January tying!
I'm going to brave the cold and get out there and fish because the crowds are minimal and the fish are in there. Go get 'em! Until next time, tight lines my friends!
I'll leave you with this big girl that was caught at the end of October...
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