Techniques

Image by Rick Mikesell Winter in Colorado has stayed pretty mild this year, but it is still cold, and the landscape remains brown and depressing. For much of the rest of the country, winter has followed its usual script of bitter cold, ice, snow, and short days. By the time February and March arrive, warm water and tailing bonefish start to feel like the...

Winter steelhead aren’t everywhere. In January—cold water, short days, and frequent flow swings—steelhead stack in low-effort lies: places they can rest, travel, and eat with minimal energy. Use this winter steelhead water-reading guide (Pacific Northwest, Northern California, and Great Lakes) to stop random casting and start targeting fish—whether...

Sight‑fishing on saltwater flats is hunting with a fly rod. Instead of blind casting, you read light, bottom, current, and fish behavior—then place the fly where the fish will be. Master these fundamentals and you’ll see more fish, spook fewer, and convert more shots on bonefish, redfish, and permit worldwide. "Ready" | photo by Mark Sides Train Your...

Dead-Drift Techniques for Cold-Water Trout There's a particular kind of quiet that settles over a trout stream in January. Snow dusts the banks, ice rims the slower eddies, and most anglers have long since hung up their rods until spring. But for those willing to brave the cold, winter offers something valuable: the chance to become a genuinely better nymph...

Sunset redfish | photo by perry Quick answer: The best winter redfish flies are small, subtle, and fished slowly. Pack (1) dark Clouser Minnows or Seaducers (mud minnows/cold‑stunned baitfish), (2) weighted shrimp patterns (Kwan, Craft‑Fur, EP‑style), and (3) compact crab flies (Merkin/EP). Use tan/olive over sand and grass, brown/olive over mud, and...

Winter fly fishing doesn't require a truck full of equipment. Two rods—one for swimming flies, one for suspending them—cover nearly every cold-water situation from farm ponds to tailraces. This simple system is built around how winter fish behave: they hold in narrow depth bands, won't chase far, and eat on the pause more than the strip. Here's how to...

No matter the species, it all boils down to two things Neutral and slow-fall baitfish patterns are the ticket, because nobody's chasing anything in winter Winter doesn't end warmwater fly fishing—it just changes the rules. Bass, crappie, pike, carp, and walleye all remain catchable through January when you understand two critical factors: water...

Crappie are prime winter targets for indicator rigs When water temperatures sink into the 35–50°F range, the predators you're chasing become a different animal. Bass, crappie, and bluegill won't burn calories chasing meals—they park at precise depths and wait for food to drift into view. Strip a fly past them and they'll watch it go. But suspend a...

Fly fishing the South Fork in winter | A.J. & Jennie Swentosky photo The river looks asleep in winter: shelf ice on the edges, quiet seams, and trout that seem to have almost completely vanished. They’re still there—just tucked into soft, deep water and eating like they’re trying not to spend a calorie. That’s why winter nymphing is so...

Winter doesn't shut down panfish fishing; it just concentrates it. Bluegill and crappie remain active and catchable through the cold months when you understand one simple principle: find the warmest water available. Why Winter Panfish Move to Warm Shallows Fish are cold-blooded. When water temperature drops, their metabolism slows dramatically. Panfish in...