Cold weather trout fishing

Late fall and winter trout fishing is usually demanding but can be rewarding. Personally, I’ve taken some of my biggest Maryland trout this time of year.

By mid-October most of the put-and take waters have been pretty thoroughly picked over. So the best bets are usually the catch-and-release, delayed harvest, and limited take streams. I list a few favorites below.

Weather

Cold weather is a serious matter. Four of Maryland’s premier trout streams are in Garrett County, so fog, ice and snow are possibilities that can affect whether or not to try these waters in the next five months. Any trout stream in the state will have cold water during this time period.

Some fishermen opt for the light waders used in warmer months but supplement them with fleece leggings or insulated underwear in cold weather. Others feel insulated neoprene waders, over insulated underwear, are better. Chest waders are the obvious choice with a tight belt cinched at the waist or mid chest to prevent water entering in case of a spill. A spare set of dry clothes in the car is an added precaution.

Only rubber-soled wading boots are now allowed in Maryland. Many come with steel-studded soles or have studs that can be added. My personal preference is boots without studs, but I carry a pair of studded, strap-on Korkers that I can add if conditions dictate.

Of course you should wear appropriately layered warm clothing. I like a turtle neck shirt over insulated underwear then a wool shirt or fleece over the turtleneck.

A balaclava over a long-billed cap is good choice for head gear, and fingerless gloves will save your hands.

Tackle

Cold weather fishing is usually fine fishing with small flies and light leaders. My standard trout rod is a 9-foot 5-weight with a floating line. In smaller streams like Morgan Run and Beaver Creek, I find my 7 1/2-foot 3-4-weight rod with a floating 4-weight line preferable.

To me there are two kinds of flies for cold weather –- standard, year-round patterns and tiny patterns. In the standard category, a lightly-weighted, size 10, black wooly bugger may be the champ. I know of one local, year-round, small stream expert who uses almost no other fly, and he catches lots of cold weather trout. (This is a great panfish fly, too.)

San Juan Worms, made of chenille and tied on the hook, in red or pink are another standard and are particularly effective after rain or snow melt colors the water. Note that in Maryland, scented plastic worms, like Berkley Powerbait Trout Worms, are considered baits. Unscented plastics, like Squirmy Wormies, may be usable if tied to the hook. The final standards are small nymphs like Prince, Hare’s Ear and Pheasant Tail in size 18 or smaller and soft hackle flies, size 16 and smaller.

All of these flies are best fished slowly, drifted and swung along bottom using no weight or as little split shot as possible. Use a 5X tippet in clear water, 4X in cloudy water. I try to fish with no indicator unless a long drift over deeper water is required.

Midges often provide the best trout fishing in winter. There are hundreds of styles, colors and patterns –- dry flies, emergers, pupae, larvae. I have seen trout streams “boil” with trout feeding on emerging midges, and this can go on for hours. So here are some guidelines for flies and fishing. The most dominant color in our area is black, but I have seen major hatches of cream-colored midges on Beaver Creek and the Patapsco River. Sizes range from size 20 to as small as size 28.

The best bet for matching local midges are to go to one of the fly shop listed below. One good generic pattern is a Griffith’s Gnat in size 20 - 24. One snowy Valentine’s Day Jim Heim and I took rainbows for hours on floating Griffith’s Gnats, dunking our rods repeatedly to keep the guides from icing up.

The small hook gaps on these flies make hookups difficult. Many anglers use pliers or hemostats to slightly open and offset the hook. When setting the hook, use a “slip set” strike and drag the fly to the side rather than upward.

Hatching midges tend to be in the surface film or slightly under. These tiny flies demand fine leaders. Personally I don’t get finer than 6X, but some experts go as fine as 8X. My arthritic hands and tired eyes can’t deal with these dimensions in the cold. So I tie a half dozen or so midge patterns on 18 to 24-inch leaders at home and have them ready in my vest. I’ll tie on a highly visible dry fly, like a size 12 Humpy or Wulff pattern on a 7 to 10-foot leader tapered to 5X. This fly serves as a subtle indicator. Then I’ll tie the tippet with the midge to the bend of the indicator dry fly with an improved clinch knot.

Brown trout spawn in late fall, so be sure to avoid wading in redds, indicated by cleared-bottom gravel beds.

Streams, Regulations, Fly Shops

Streams: Gunpowder River upstream and down of York Road, upstream of Falls Road; Beaver Creek from the hatchery boundary to behind the Beaver Creek Fly Shop; Casselman River upstream and down from the bridge crossing the River to the Amish farm; Morgan Run upstream and down of Jim Bowers Road and Klees Mill Road.

Check the regulations on all these waters and various sections of them plus times of year and limits of possible harvest.

I recommend the following shops for flies and up-to-date local information:

Great Feathers Fly Shop,www.greatfeathers.com,14824 York Rd, Sparks, MD 21152, 410-472-6799.

Backwater Angler,backwaterangler.com, 107 Mount Carmel Rd, Ste 106, Parkton, MD 21120, 410-357-9557.

Beaver Creek Fly Shop,beavercreekflyshop.com, 9720 Country Store Ln, Hagerstown, MD 21740, 301-393-9090.