The snow may have started to fall, but the streams are still open for fly casting, says Diane Ehlert, owner of Winter Park Flyfisher.
True anglers know that even when the temperatures are cold enough to stiffen your fingers and the snow creates beautiful patterns on the river banks, it’s still a great time to land a fish on a fly rod.
“Grand County fly fishing during the winter months takes on a whole new dimension,” says Diane Ehlert, owner of Winter Park Flyfisher in Fraser. “You’ll find more solitude along the snow-covered banks of the Colorado River, and the trout feed on midge pupae and sometimes adult midges on the surface during the warmer midday hours.”
Guide Riley Strickland shared some locations and tips for catching a beauty during the winter on the company’s website, writing that the tailwaters of Williams Fork, Wolford, and Willow Creek reservoirs offer winter fishing pristine
While winter stops insect activity and hatching, he writes, it doesn’t stop the trout’s feeding habits. He says the cold weather will slow down the trout’s metabolism, however, “which means they become a lot lazier.” They may not be as willing to move for a fly as they would in warmer months, but that doesn’t slow down the fishing as they tend to congregate in deeper pools with slower currents.
“This means it’s easier to spot where the fish are feeding and multiplies your success rate at bringing out multiple fish and larger fish,” writes Strickland. “These nocturnal pigs have now started feeding during the warmer part of the day, usually between 10 am and 2 pm”