Cold Weather and Hot Fishing
By John F. Comes
Editor, NorthWestTrout.com

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It was a scene reminiscent of a 1^st grade show and tell. Three grown men sat in a cabin room on a cold December night and proudly showed and shared: a new large arbor reel, a trusted 4-piece rod, a custom bamboo 2-piece rod, fluorocarbon leaders and tippet, new gloves and personally tied flies. The three friends, Tony from Billings, Eric from the Indianapolis area and me from the Seattle area, were together again; ready to fish one of our favorite rivers for big and plentiful trout.

With our fly boxes and gear laid out on the bed, flies and stories were exchanged as we mapped out the next day’s float trip. The conversation lasted into the early hours. It was filled with talk of scuds, sow bugs, San Juan worms, streamers, egg patterns, 5x vs. 4x leaders, strike indicators and the pros and cons of wool and fleece. The mercury dropped near single digits. As snow began falling again outside our cabin at the Bighorn Fly & Tackle Shop in Fort Smith, Montana we were very thankful. It was Tuesday, December 4, 2002, and we were fishing the ‘Horn in the morning.

The Bighorn River boasts more fish per mile than any other river in Montana. Thanks to the construction of the Yellowtail Dam just outside of Fort Smith over 40 years ago, the Bighorn changed from a desert-country creek to a world-class tail water trout river.

Even with the tremendous pressure it receives it continues to be a great river to fish. While not regulated as a fly only, a fair portion is catch-and-release. From the Afterbay access area below the dam to the Bighorn Fishing Access it is catch-and-release for rainbows, artificial lures only. The trout limit is five browns with only one over 18 inches. Below Bighorn Access, normal regulations apply, including use of bait. The majority of anglers release all the fish to fight another day. Thanks to this and an abundant food source, it routinely produces rainbow and brown trout in the 18 to 24 inch range with a number of brutes bulking up to 5 pounds.

Because of this, the Bighorn is one of our favorite rivers on which to get together. Most of the time, it’s a spring trip, but this winter three wonderful women enabled us to leave our homes and hit the water. For Eric and me, those wonderful gals are our wives that put up with (and sometimes encourage) our pursuit of fish, as well as keep our children safe at home while we jet off to wade a cold Montana river. For Tony, she is a great gal who caught his eye, stole his heart, accepted his hand in marriage and allowed two of his friends to take him fishing two days before his wedding. I hope all anglers can be so lucky.

Wednesday morning, the alarm sounded too early and the bed was too warm. But outside, less than a mile away was the ‘Horn. With all the preparation the night before, we were layered and wadered up quickly. The temperature gauge in the truck showed 16 degrees as we launched just below Yellowtail dam. On the water before 7 A.M., the first hook-up was moments after. My excitement and impatience resulted in a long distance release. No worries as Eric soon had a nice brown trout on a tight line and in hand moments later.

The fishing action ran hot most of the day. Big browns preparing to spawn were hitting on orange and tan scuds along with bead-head pheasant tail nymphs. Opportunistic rainbows below the browns’ spawning redds sucked up egg patterns. It made for a great day. It would be a good 8 hours and countless fish later before we noticed it was actually cold outside. Ice in the guides, two inches of fresh snow in our rented ClackaCraft and waning light reminded us these are short, brisk winter days. We would need nothing short of Olympic-class rowing by Tony to make it to the planned 13-mile Access takeout before dark. 

Thankfully, the upper stretch proved so productive we hadn’t even passed the 3-Mile Access takeout. Thinking ahead, we also left a second truck at 3-Mile. Calling it a day, we packed up and headed back to Billings. The gauge in the truck now displayed the temperature at a balmy 19 degrees.

Bare trees don’t mean the fishing can't be fruitful. At a time when many are packing their gear away and turning to their fly vises, great fly-fishing can still be found throughout the Northwest. Be it a tail water like the Bighorn, storied steelhead waters like the Deschutes or Skagit, or the numerous catch-and-release year round rivers and streams, fishing opportunities abound for those willing to look. A quick stop into the local fly shop can usually point one to the right river or spot. 

Gear Improvements

Winter fly-fishing is much more comfortable than in the past. New lightweight, high tech warm clothing and products geared for cold weather extend fishing time. Here are a just a few tips to make your winter fly fishing forays successful

Layers, layers, layers. 

At a minimum, plan on three layers, head to toe.
- First, a wicking layer like polypropylene to move perspiration away from your skin.
- Second, an insulating layer, like polar fleece. Some fleece items also have wicking abilities to continue moving perspiration. This layer can also be doubled to provide additional warmth.
- Third, an outer layer such as Gore-Tex that is water proof and breathable.
- Breathable waders. Advances in durability plus using layers means for most situations, you can forego the clammy neoprene waders in favor of a more comfortable breathable pair
- A warm hat. Your mother used to nag you about this. Mom was right.
- Gloves, hand warmers or hand muffs.

Buddy system.
Winter fishing can be hazardous. A trusted friend might be a lifesaver if you get into trouble. Beside, you need someone to snap your picture with that trophy steelhead.

Safety gear
Every year rivers in the Northwest claim the lives of anglers that didn’t have a life vest or other floatation gear. Water conditions can change quickly and the cold can quickly turn a little slip into a life threaten dunk in freezing waters. Invest in and wear floatation gear.
- Wading staff
- Cell Phone
- Change of Clothes kept in a dry place.

Food and Liquids
To keep your furnace burning, you need fuel. High carbohydrate energy bars eaten through out the day will help keep you warm
Hot coffee, chocolate or tea can quickly take the chill out of the air. Avoid alcohol – it not only impairs your abilities, but can quicken dehydration and heat loss.

And lastly, local knowledge. We tend to drive this point home a lot. For us, the guys in the local shops know the rivers better than we ever could. A trip to the local fly shop can be the difference between being skunked and memories you’ll tell your grandchildren as they gleefully strip line off your old reels.

Except for some moments of nervousness as we passed grazing bulls along the banks, the morning was another blue ribbon outing. It's probably good Tony didn’t make it out. He was as nervous as a cat at the Westminster dog show that day. He probably couldn’t have cast a double-nymph rig if he wanted to. But at the end of the day, he caught his limit.