Winter Fly Fishing Prep äóñ Chris Dore

So itäó»s now that funky crossover period between rivers closing and fish beginning to move here in the south, but thereäó»s a lot you can do to ensure that youäó»re ready when those rainbows run... check it.
1. Practise your casting, because we know you havenäó»t been. Winter fishing often requires longer casts and bigger mends, usually with way more weight than youäó»ve been used to these past several months. Itäó»s no use waiting until your Turangi mission to find youäó»re lacking, or arriving at that river mouth and not getting your flies beyond the drop off. And practise with weight similar to what youäó»ll be fishing. A bit of fluff wonäó»t help you much once you tie on that Ugly Mother and glo bug combo.
2. Socks, thermals, gloves and hats. Dig them out and check their condition. Worn out / worn down garments wonäó»t provide the same insulation and wicking benefits as they would new. And if youäó»re cold, chances are your fishingäó»s going to suck too.
3. Check waders for leaks. You need to be comfy. For Gore-Tex it is but a simple spray test . Checking for leaks in Toray / non Gore-Tex waders is a little more complicated but still an easy DIY fix.
4. Sort your fly box. With cold hands you donäó»t want to be wasting time, poking around for that special fly so have your box sorted neat, practical and accessible, which may mean leaving extra space between flies so cold, clumsy fingers can get to them. Likewise check your leaders and tippet . Chances are your 0-3x doesnäó»t get much of a workout over a low, warm summer so make sure your spools are still full and ready to go.
5. Finally, clean and dress your lines . Grit, scum, slime etc from last winter will affect the shootability of sunken lines, and the buoyancy of floaters. A wipe through a damp towel and a touch of Whizz Lube and youäó»ll be casting like the wizard you tell your mates you are.