Big rainbows in tough winter conditions

23.  I suppose if you're a Chicago Bulls fan that number brings back warm memories of days gone by when Michael Jordan ran up and down the hardwoods on his way to six NBA titles.  But 23 doesn't always carry that warm and fuzzy connotation. With my trout calendar restricted to but a handful of adventures per year - Georgia during JROTC Leadership Academy, New Hampshire in summer, and Virginia over Christmas break, I'm at the mercy of the weather gods whenever I head out from Florida. On this trip the gods chose to not cooperate. 23 degrees plus a wind chill pushing temps into the teens mixed with snow flurries -- a regular winter wonderland!

Thanks to Matt for leaving behind his Jeep while he was enjoying time with his family in New Hampshire, but that meant I was flying solo for two days between Christmas and New Years. My two targets - Beaver Creek and the Rose River.

Did I mention it was friggin' cold! Hand warmers, thermal socks, gloves all sound and look good, but toes and fingers get numb fast, painfully fast at times. That said, I was bound and determined to make the most of my two trips on the water.

Beaver Creek has long been a favorite of mine. It's a bit of a drive, but it can produce some impressive fish. I wanted to use my dad's Orvis bamboo fly rod for a couple of reasons -- nostalgia of memories of my dad fishing and the old school sense of fishing with it. About the fly rod, I queried Jim West, the resident historian of Orvis fly rods who sent me this -- "Rod is an 8’ 2pc. 13 ferrule which is a slow 7wt. made 11-26-1965 by Bill Young  and George Reed sold 12-17-1965 to MacCallum’s Boat House looks like Epsorn NH."  My dad won it in a fishing contest back in the 60s,,, how awesome is that? Now many would argue that rod belongs on a wall to be looked at only, but I can't think of a better way to pay homage to the man who got me into the sport than by using it every chance I get (I just better not break it!).

So after a couple hours of no action and having lost all sensation in my toes and fingers by now, I was about to pack it in when I walked past an elevated bank and saw a few small trout below. Then I saw a big guy cruise past and disappear.  I maneuvered back upstream, found an opening through the bushes and laid out a few casts downstream toward the area by the bank.  WHAM! (not George Michael - may he rest in peace), but a jolt that immediately brought life back to my fingers and toes.  Fish on!

Some may consider a one fish day a bad day on the water -- not so! I could have fished that hole a bit longer, and possibly hooked a fish or two more, but I couldn't think of a better way to end my day than a "last cast, last fish" moment.

Day 2 turned colder than the first! When you no longer fish as often as you used to I think some of your fishing instincts fade away.  Winter fishing rule #1 -- the fish will generally feed during the warmer part of the day.  Why I pressed hard to be on the water early each morning in hindsight wasn't the best call.

  On the Rose, this proved true as the few hookups in the morning transformed into more regular bent rods in the afternoon.  In between sessions, I stripped out of my waders, turned the Jeep on and blasted the heat until my toes finally regained some feel.  I decided to rig two rods -- one for streamers and one for nymphing since changing back in forth is a a pain even in the best of conditions, but when your fingers aren't fully working it made sense.  Water was low and typical drift lanes barely moved the nymphs so I switched primarily to swinging streamers in the big pools (plus that meant using the bamboo rod most of the time). 

Taking quality pictures and shooting video proved challenging in these conditions as well. 

 I hooked a dozen or so rainbows in the afternoon.  Though two pools provided steady action, I ventured  down to the end of the river and set a goal of catching a trout in each pool before moving up to the next stretch of the river.  Both a black/olive and a white woolley bugger seemed to produce the best results. I used a sinking line which I beleive made a big difference in putting the flies on the bottom quickly

As the sun started moving behind the hills it was time to pack it up once again.  My takeawys from this latest venture:

1.  One beautiful fish can make an entire day worthwhile.

2.  Rigging two rods is a pretty good idea when switching between nymphing &swinging  streamers.

3.  Fish low and slow is the key.  You cannot fish slow enough.

4.  Hitting the water mid-late morning is plenty early enough in the winter. Fish bite mid-day.

5.  Fishing in bitter cold is better than not fishing at all!

Thanks again Matt for use of your Jeep.  Until next time.