Winter Stillwater Trout Fishing - Advice and Techniques

The cold winter months can offer some exceptional sport and what better time to get out of the house and catch some fighting fit stillwater trout? Jonny Muir is here to help you do just that.

While spending a day on the banks of a stillwater might be most pleasant on a warm summer’s day, trout dislike high water temperatures and winter can often bring with it the most frantic sport of the year. With a large number of fisheries staying open throughout the winter months, there’s no reason not to get out there and grab yourself a piece of the action!

So, what’s different about fishing at this time of year? It’s fair to expect fish activity to slow down in the very coldest parts of the winter, but with our variable climate there will be many times when fish can be found feeding throughout the water column. They may even take emerging insects, such as chironomids, which are active all year round and always feature on a stillwater trout’s menu so don’t think winter fishing is all about pulling lures. As with other seasons, a period of stable, settled weather will usually offer the best opportunity at a bumper day.

Winter Trout Fishing Techniques

The bulk of your summer trout tackle will work just fine in the winter, though it often pays to equip yourself with a range of sinking lines too. Having a selection of stillwater fly lines which includes a sink-tip, intermediate and faster sinking options will allow you to fully explore the deeper parts of your chosen fishery. This is particularly important if there is a drop in temperature. In this scenario, the deeper parts of a stillwater remain the most temperature-stable, whilst the surface layer and shallows will chill more quickly, especially with a cold wind upon exposed parts of the water. This may cause fish to avoid the cooler upper layers and remain in milder areas.

The use of a slow retrieve is likely to increase your chances of success and this is a good time to apply the figure-of-eight method. This technique enables you to inch the fly gradually back through the water and still remain in contact for good bite-detection. If you wish, this can also be a great time of year to fish static flies under an indicator. More conventionally, letting a small, dark fly such as a buzzer swing around on the wind can be a very effective winter technique on many stillwaters. On Haywards Farm Lake at the Sportfish Game Fishing Centre, we often advise beginners to use this technique as less casting is required and the fly remains in the water, fishing for a long period.

VIDEO: Join Sportfish team member, JT, on the bank at Haywards Farm Lake as he takes a look at three techniques to try on your local small stillwater this winter season: nymphs, dry fly and lures. The changing of the seasons can bring unsettled weather, varied temperatures and sometimes finnicky fish, but as our latest video shows, if you have confidence in your methods and stick at it - rewards will come your way! Watch our film now to pick up some handy hints and tips.

As the season progresses towards spring, aquatic insects gradually increase in size until they mature as adults, mate and lay eggs. When fishing during the winter, you must therefore bear in mind that insect nymphs and larvae can be quite small (especially for species which only spend one year maturing) making this an important consideration when delving into your fly boxes. Don’t be afraid to fish small! The sort of nymph patterns a spring or summer trout would have chased down in an instant often do not work so effectively in the colder months. Having said that, if trout are not responding to a subtle, imitative approach, the use of large lures should not be discounted and a Blob or Cat’s Whisker fished very slowly has been the downfall of many a winter trout. Slow is often the way to go, as during the winter the metabolism of trout slows down dramatically, sometimes resulting in gentle, finicky takes which are hard to detect. Keeping in contact with your flies, employing good straight line control and using fly lines with low-stretch cores can make all the difference in your catch return.

Recommended Clothing

If ever there’s a time when clothing choice is critical, then this is it! Modern fishing clothing is remarkably lightweight and it pays to take advantage of this by layering. You will fish far more comfortably in light materials which don’t restrict your movement. Similarly, a number of thin layers will help regulate your body temperature more easily than one or two thick layers. We carry a range of base layers, mid layers, insulating layers and weatherproof outerwear, all of which can be combined to form a comfortable and effective winter fishing outfit.

The winter months also go hand-in-hand with poor light conditions as the sun is low in the sky, daylight hours are few, and conditions are often dull and cloudy. The use of polarised fishing sunglasses with a yellow lens tint is a great option for this time of year and will help enhance the available light, enabling you to spot and intercept fish.

Five Tips To Help You Succeed

1. Experiment with both small, dark imitative flies and large garish lures fished slow and deep.
2. Wear glasses with yellow lenses to enhance the available light.
3. Fish sub surface or employ sink tip lines to avoid creating a fish-scaring wake on quiet, glassy water.
4. As with all times of the year, try to keep your silhouette below the sky line to avoid spooking passing fish.
5. Use a layering strategy with your clothing to stay warm, dry and comfortable. Don’t forget to keep your extremities covered with a warm hat, gloves and neck gaiter.

If you’ve any top tips for winter trout fishing of your own, or wish to ask a question, please leave your comments below – it’s great to share & chat! Also, don't forget to check out our full article on how to catch trout for full information on everything trout fly fishing!

Tight Lines,

Jonny.

If you normally put your gear away in autumn and don’t dust it off again until spring then STOP! Sportfish team member JT thinks it‘s time that you reconsidered and enjoyed some of the superb cold weather sport on offer.

I love stillwater fishing through the colder winter months. The shorter days can lead to some superb sport throughout the day and the cold, clean and clear waters are ideal for a coldwater species like the trout to thrive. With our summers getting hotter and with higher water temperatures, small water anglers often find their local venues are taking a summer recess and closing their doors. However, as the water cools fish can again turn their attention to feeding hard and getting back into condition.

With this in mind, here are some of my 'must have' items and products for this coming winter.

Tight lines

JT