Ring in the New Year, by shopping Big Y Fly Co. 4th Annual Dry Fly Sale

Wishing you a very happy and healthy 2008, from all of us at Big Y Fly Co. May you find plenty of time to fish the all waters of your desire.

Winter is definitely here, pick your spots carefully, dress appropriately and get out there for some winter fly fishing. Or better yet fly somewhere new and warm. Or at the least, practice casting in your own backyard, side street, or alleyway. It is amazing what a few hours of casting in the off season can do to improve your techniques. When you are only concentrating on your form, you can really experiment and improve your distance and accuracy.

If you haven't already done so be sure and join the Frequent Fly Buyers program. It costs nothing and you earn 5% on everything you purchase, to be used for future purchases.

As always thanks for shopping at the Big Y.

Announcing Big Y Fly Co 4th Annual Dry Fly Sale. Please visit: http://www.bigyflyco.com/items/big-y-fly-co-specials/list.htm, for all the available patterns. All items are on a first come first served basis, and inventory will be added throughout the month


48 fly winter trout assortment for just $23.95. Includes: buggers, sculpins, midges, BWO,s BH Hare’s Ear, scuds, worms, eggs

BIg Y Fly Co New Flies for December

Here are quick links to newly added patterns, quite a bit for winter and spring steelhead. Some nice early season dry flies, and Yuk Bug which attracts just about everything under the water.

Yuk Bug
Alaskabou
Assassin
Thunder Chicken
Wonder Minnow
Aquatic Nuisance
Alevin Unweighted
Pink Cahill
Pink Albert
Royal Wulff Chartreuse

How to avoid fly fishing crowds

Fishing among crowds is just part of the fly fishing world. And there is much good to be had from commiserating with fellow fly fisherman. Many great conversations can be had, information swapped, some of it might even be true at times, and many great characters can be met, during your time on the water. I used to worry more about crowded fishing than I do now. Part of me has just come to expect it, but there are still times when fishing in solitude is desirable. While it is still very common to find solitude on the water, certain stretches on certain rivers are rarely if ever void of fishermen. There are strategies though to use to put the odds of solitude in your favor, even on the most easily accessible waters.

Most of these approaches mean seeking out less than perfect conditions for fishing, and perhaps even fewer fish, but they do allow for less pressurized fishing as well. I have found employing many of these strategies that the sheer number of fish might decrease the odds of that memorable fish increase. Perhaps the largest fish too, are trying to find some solitude!

Fish Locally:

I always find it strange that people insist on driving hours before they fish, when almost anywhere you live fly fishing can be found close at hand. Even in your major metropolitan areas, there are some urban streams that have fishing opportunities. While they might not be pristine, they are close, and usually under fished. The advantage of these local fisheries are they are easily accessible and can be fished multiple times in a month. Thereby increasing your fishing time. If you meet other fishermen, or if crowds are a problem you can begin to get a sense of when the times of the day, or year they are empty and concentrate on fishing during these times.

Steelhead and bass in particular seem to run or live in metro areas, while steelhead just return to spawn it is still amazing what they put up with in their native waters.

Seasons, hatches, etc:

The most famous rivers have famous hatches and runs on them. They are well known and marked on many a fisherman's calendar. Try fishing the edges of these times. For example, if the river of your desire has a Green Drake hatch that runs from the middle of May to the end of June, show up a week early. The big crowds are likely to hit right after the middle of May, people taking a week off of work, usually want to ensure the hatch will be going, so they tend to hit the middle of calendar period. By showing up early you are beating the crowd, and the fish are primed for the hatch, and the hatch itself just might be early.

Likewise if you are fishing a run of steelhead that traditionally show up mid-March, and run strong through mid-May, beat the crowds by showing up the first week of March, and hope the fish are early, or work the water for the first fish of the season. Fish and hatches don't keep calnedars, we can definitely use weather and water temperatures to predict peaks of runs and hatches but the fringes are imprecise, and fishing these times do result in fish.

Late timing also works well, after the hatch has peaked or the runs have peaked there are still fish to be had. Think of a bell curve, the numbers might be down but so are the crowds.

Holes, Rivers, Runs:

Like hatches and runs, famous rivers have holes, pools, stretches, that are pounded year after year. Solitude and fish can be found on less than these perfect lies. Fish don't like crowds either, and perfect water lies often get pressured so much that fish move on. This is especially true for sea-runs, trout feeding on hatches tend to congregate where there are easy pick ens, but that doesn't mean a well placed fly won't coax a strike on sup-prime water. In fact many times these fish are less selective, in regards to fly selection and presentation.

Also try fishing nearby less famous streams, creeks, tributaries etc. The same conditions that exist on that world famous stretch are also likely to be going on nearby, especially on the tributaries. You might have to work a little harder for access but the pay-off is less crowds.

Water conditions and weather:

Again picking less than ideal will result in more solitude. If you are waiting for the water to drop from a recent storm, going a day or two before water ebbs to that level will result in more water to yourself. Slightly off color water often result in some of the best fishing, as perfect visibility can make the fish more wary.

Beautiful spring afternoons are likely to bring out throngs of cabin fevered fisherman, and are best avoided if you are trying to avoid crowds. However afternoons on weekdays are less pressured than weekends.

Time of Day:

Many fishing runs and hatches have times of day when fishing is supposedly the best. Many steelhead runs I know are fished heavily from sun up til mid-morning, and others are fished at sun down. As a general rule cold weather runs are fished more in the morning and warm weather runs are fished more in the evening.

Learn the ways of the particular runs and fish the opposite. Fish do tend to be most active at these times, but especially on cloudy days fishing can be steady all day long, only the crowds change.

Like wise on hatches, true many have peaks during the day. But the fringes of these times can provide excellent fishing with emergers and/or spinners. Some of the most selective fish rarely hit adult duns anyway, although there are often spectacular splashes during the prime of the hatch, I suspect just as much feeding if not more often goes on, before or after the fireworks of the hatch.

As stated previously some of these startegies come with trade offs, usually being fewer fish. But in those fewer fish could be the one you remember for a lifetime. Even if that fish isn't caught, the solitude will allow you to fish at your pace, and to fish the water you want with worrying about crowding the fly fisherman down stream.

Winter Trout Fly Fishing

 

It is winter time now. One step on the frozen porch steps first thing in the morning removes any doubt of that fact. Winter time brings on many thoughts, holidays, dark afternoons, football on TV and for me some of the best trout fly fishing there is. That’s right trout fishing, winter steelhead fly fishing has been around a long time, and gets more popular every season. But the truth of the matter is trout fly fishing can be excellent, the crowds are down to non-existent, the scenery and wildlife are plentiful, and it makes those long days of early spring with non-stop rain and overflowing rivers more tolerable.

When to go:

Winter fly fishing demands a little timing and planning on your part. One nice thing is, the weekends aren’t crowded, so you really don’t need to ask the boss for time off, to really get some peace and solitude. But other planning does need to be done. The first thing is checking your local regulations. Many, many places now offer year around trout fly fishing. A good portion of this is probably catch and release, but that only helps in further reducing the crowds. Some areas allow only lakes to be fished year round, some only allow rivers, but most places will allow something to be fished year round.

After you have your areas selected, you must really get an idea on the weather. Mild winter days, specifically afternoons, can provide some shirtsleeve fishing opportunities. Coastal regions that rarely get snow or ice, need to be checked more for river levels. Three or four days of steady rain can really put a river at unfishable levels. It is also rarely enjoyable to fish in well below freezing temperatures. Even if you can dress warmly enough, the ice on the guides make casting nearly impossible, and the slickness of entering the river is extremely dangerous. Extreme care should be taken when wading in general, one slight misstep, can send you into the river, dangerous all year, this is multiplied by the cold air temperatures in the winter. Also light is much less, making it difficult to see the river bottom while wading. So step very cautiously. And always fish with a partner.

OK, enough of the warnings, when to go is what we are after. I prefer a nice period of dry weather, with mild afternoons. I rarely fish in the early morning, in the winter, but if you can get a fogged over morning with nicely rising afternoon temperatures that reach in to the 40’s, you have a day to hit the water!

 

The southern US offers many excellent year around trout fishing locales, requiring much less pinpointing of the weather to enjoy.  Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas all the way to Arizona and California have superb trout fishing through the winter months, with temperatures well above freezing virtually all of the time.

What to wear:

A few years ago I switched to breathable waders and I actually have never been more comfortable while winter fishing. I layer underneath with two or three layers of thermal wear, including one layer of fleece pants. I can move much better than in neoprene’s, and there is no clamminess to bring on chills. Socks are also important silk liners with thick winter socks work for me. I have a roomier pair of wading boots specifically for winter to allow for the extra bulk. I also don’t cinch my boots down too tight, as that seems to cut off circulation, nothing will ruin a fishing trip quicker than cold feet.

Many angler’s wear fingerless fleece gloves. I like them only if there is a biting wind, otherwise I can’t seem to keep them dry long enough to make them worth the effort. I can cast adequately with either hand, and will sometimes tuck my free hand inside my waders by my chest.

To me a hat is virtually as important as waders, and I layer shirts, remembering my vest will also provide some warmth. Don’t forget the inside, a nice hot thermos of coffee, has brought many a sigh of satisfaction.

Fishing:

Winter trout fly fishing requires some adjustments. Plan on sub-surface fishing primarily. The warm afternoons like I mentioned above will produce Blue Wing Olive hatches in many locations, and midges hatch year round as well. Some dry fly action can occur, especially on smaller streams where options are less for trout. But by and large plan on fishing nymphs. And plan on fishing them deep. Depending on the size of water, a split or two is mandatory, and perhaps a sinking tip line. I usually use two flies, one as a dropper. Good patterns include, imitations of food sources that are available year round like San Juan Worms, Chironomid Pupas, Disco Midge, and Wd-40’s. General nymph patterns like Hare’s Ear and Prince Nymphs, will work to imitate the occasional nymph that might come in the trout’s path.. Streamers also make excellent winter flies, including Woolly Buggers, Muddler’s and Mickey Finn’s. Don’t forget that like trout, small fish and nymphs metabolism is slow as well, and they are apt to stick to the bottom, and out of the main current.

 

Many waters have scuds and sow bugs available year around and they can provide some of the  most dependable witner fishing.  Also if there are sea-runs don't forget Glo-Bugs, depending on the number of species spawning can occur at anytime and fish eggs are always on the trout's menu.

Winter fishing usually means clear water. I use lighter tippet than normal, because fish seem more easily spooked. Trout’s metabolism makes them want to seek out pools near the bank that are warmed by the sun, so they are more vulnerable. I usually forgo strike indicators as well. Also remember that due to the slower metabolism, the fish will be sluggish. They often will bite gingerly, hook-ups will be primarily in the tongue. As trout may often go after several small insects in one mouthful. So rigorous setting of the hook is not required.

They are not likely to chase food down, as this will burn more calories then they will take in. Especially when fishing smaller patterns. While small pattern are very effective, in fact the first choice of many winter angler’s, they need to be fished deep, and in front of the fish. Dead drifting nymphs is my first choice. If no luck I will try swinging streamers, second. I mend my line as soon as it hits the water, to ensure a drag free drift, and wait for the gentle take. I let the fish do the setting.

Once landed the winter fish might need more that it’s usual care before allowing it to swim free. Landing fish should be quicker do to their lower energy, and then one must make sure the fish is 100% revived before it’s release.

Summary:

There you have it, like all forms of fly fishing winter fly fishing takes a little practice, and a lot of patience. But the surreal beauty of winter combined the solitude it brings, makes this an especially rewarding time of year, to flog the water.

December Hot Flies

The following hot patterns are recommended for the month of December, as always check local sources for the most up to date information.
Steelies are still the thing, check water levels, weather reports, and be safe.
Steelies are coming on strong in the great lakes area now with; Sucker Spawn and Glo Bugs still working. Hot streamer patterns includes Egg-Sucking Leech, Beadhed Flashbugger, Zonkers, Sculpins, and Muddlers. Don't forget the nymphs, as the eggs begin to disappear, BH Circus Caddis, BH Hare's Ear, BH Kaufmann Stones, are all good bets.
West coast steelies are being caught on Purple Perils, Freight Trains, Green Butt Skunks, among others. Also many fish are being taken on nymphs, beadhead and other wise. #10 Beadhead Hare's Ear, Beadhead Kaufmann Stones, and don't foget Leeches.
Flats fishing can be very good right now with little pressure, especially for Tailing Reds, try Mantis Shrimp, Seaducer, or Borski's Chernobyl Crab.

Trout fishing goes extreme this time of year, with small patterns, and steamers. Aggressive strikes can still be had ahead of the cold water, using buggers, muddlers. For rivers with scuds and sowbugs, they are available year around to fish, and will work right now through winter.
BWO's-The hatch that just keeps on giving. BWO, Parachute BWO, Foam Post Emerger BWO, Spinner BWO, Loop Wing Emerger BWO, BWO Wet Fly, Pheasant Tail, BH Pheasant Tail Emerger.

Midges-Hatch everywhere all winter. Don't forget sub-surface midges; Disco Midge, RS2 Foamback, WD-40.

http://www.endofearthproductions.com/

Big Y Fly Co is pleased to be a sponsor of Casey Johnson's Journey to the end of the Earth. A motorcycle, fly fishing, surfing, journey from Alaska to Argentina. That certainly makes my own upcoming trips pale a little by comparison, but due to responsiblities I had to turn down an invite to meet up in Mazatlan, while I hated to miss the opportunity, I gladly will also miss Casey's Manta Ray sting, and the subsequent foot swelling to the size of a football.

Be sure and check out the updates, albeit they might be a little delayed for awhile.

Anyway we are glad Casey who was first a Big Y Fly Co. customer found us worthy to be featured along with Scott Fly Rods and other fine sponsors.

I will be picking his brain upon return as this is one of those things I have on my do before I die list.

December Photo of the Month

This month's photo of the month winner comes from Joe Onukiavage of Pennsylvania, the right photo is a nice brown caught at Oak Orchards River NY, using a #8 brown BH Woolly Bugger, the left photo comes from 18 Mile Creek this steelie was landed after hitting a Chartreuse Hot Egg.

Thanks Joe an assortment of flies is headed your way.

Big Y Fly Co Decmber Specials and Newsletter

Join Frequent Fly Buyer Program and earn 5% on purchases
Double Rewards All December

Fishing in the Erie Tribs is hot, Elk, Grand, Walnut Creek, Ohio River, and many others all reporting lots of fish, both old and new. Using Sucker Spawns, Glo-Bugs, Nymphs, and our personal favorite Beadhead Flashbugger.

There are steelies to be had on the west coast as well. Although some place are now waiting
for the winter run. Many place in the US have excellent trout fishing this time of year, including Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, like other palces you must plan your outing.

Florida has snook, speckled trout, redfish, all hitting clousers. And let us not forget down under Australia, New Zealand for the adventurous.

Whatever your plans may be, we do wish you a safe and happy holiday season. And thank you again for making 2007 the best year ever at Big Y Fly Co.

December Specials

10% off all fly box assortments: Choose from the following assortments: beadhead, caddis, midge, steelhead and salmon, Great Lakes steelhead, streamer, or blue wing olive

10% off all gift certificates: Available in $25, $50, or $100 increments. Valid for six months from purchase, and may be redeemed online or through the mail.

48 fly winter trout assortment-$23.95– includes, buggers, midges, BWO, scuds, worms, glo-bugs, bh hare’s ears.

Receive 3 free flies with every purchase of a Frog Hair product.