Winter Fly Fishing Tips From The Pro's In The Know
We got an awesome bunch of fly fishing experts to tell you what you need to do to ensure that you’re ready when those rainbows run. So open your eyes and ears... or scroll down to see what some other top pros think. We've asked a few to cover every base.
CHRIS DORE | FLY FISHING WITH CHRIS DORE & FRIENDS | SOUTHLAND & CENTRAL OTAGO
Your hands will probably get cold fast, so fish smarter and cast less. Excessive false casting will be clumsy, so false cast less by tracking straight, rotating late and accelerating smoothly to a crisp stop, what you should be doing anyway. My top 5 getting ready for Winter Fly Fishing tips are:
Practise your casting, because we know you haven’t been. Winter fishing often requires longer casts and bigger mends, usually with way more weight than you’ve been used to these past several months. It’s no use waiting until your Winter mission to find you’re lacking, or arriving at that river mouth and not getting your flies beyond the drop off. And practice with weight similar to what you’ll be fishing. A bit of fluff won’t help you much once you tie on your personal glo bug combo.
Socks, thermals, gloves and hats. Dig them out and check their condition. Worn out / worn down garments won’t provide the same insulation and wicking benefits as they would new. And if you’re cold, chances are your fishing’s going to suck too.
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. If you are not keen to DIY, then get in touch with your local Simms dealer and they will be able to point you in the right direction.
Sort your fly box. With cold hands you don’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 doesn’t get much of a workout over a low, warm summer so make sure your spools are still full and ready to go.
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 Loon's Line Speed and you’ll be casting like the wizard you tell your mates you are.