Tips for Winter Midge Fishing

Photo: Alex Stulce

Years ago, back when I still lived in Utah, I spent a lot of time on the Lower Provo River. In the summer, it’s crowded with anglers and recreational tubers alike. The flows are high, and the fish have a reputation for ignoring hatches and eating nymphs more than the average trout. Come winter, the flows drop, the crowds thin, and most folks who brave the cold do so with a heavy nymph rig.

The Lower Provo has a fantastic winter midge hatch, though, and for dry-fly enthusiasts, it can be some of the best fishing of the year. This holds true for most rivers that are fishable during winter; namely, tailwaters and spring creeks.

If you’d like to get in on this dry-fly fishing action, then you should read Craig Mathews’ latest for Fly Fisherman Magazine. Craig, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, Montana, knows a thing or two about fishing, and his tips on winter midges are fantastic.

You’ll learn some tips for emerger strategies, how to recognize different rise forms, and a few other techniques that will help you put fish in the net. You can read the entire story here.