How to Take Advantage of Trout Bulking Up For Winter
While midges will continue to increase in importance as we dive into the coldest of the winter months, trout are still bulking up. These fish will become more sluggish as the water gets colder. That lethargy will influence their willingness to move for meals. In order to pack on the weight to survive the coldest days, trout will be on the lookout for high-calories snacks on the warmest days. Which means on both the tailwaters and the freestones, bait fish, leeches, freshwater shrimp, eggs, and little stoneflies are all on the menu.
Don’t be afraid to throw a few streamers on the cloudy days, even if it’s cold outside. Patterns resembling bait fish and leeches are ideal protein-rich, calorie-dense food sources for nutrient-deprived trout. Change up your strip speed and drifts until you find the magic pace.
Some days, especially during periods of low barometric pressure, fish are willing to aggressively chase down streamers the second they spot them. Then on other days, usually those with the coldest air temperatures, trout will only eat a streamer if you hit them in the face with it. On those occasions, sometimes all you need is a clean, accurate dead drift.⠀
When nymphing with two-fly rigs, leeches, scuds, mysis shrimp, eggs, and stones can work as both the point fly and the trailer. If you’re seeing lots of adult midges, it might be worth tying on a small baetis pattern as the point and trail a leech with some split shot. The key: keep switching things up and covering different types of water until you find what they’re eating.