Winter is officially here! If your looking to fish the Snake don’t be in a rush to get up early. With the cold weather the best window for fishing is usually going to be in the afternoon when things warm up and the midges get moving around. But life and colder water temperature’s are going to make the fish’s feeding windows a lot smaller. A big thing to focus on is that if you find feeding fish don’t leave them. Fish may be feeding one spot but others won’t have much going on, so stay put if your finding trout. Nymphing will be the best bet most of the day. Just because it’s cold dredging bottom with heavy rigs isn’t necessarily the key to success and whitefish can get in the way by doing this. So try suspended rigs and really concentrate on major feeding lanes. Soft inside edges can be great and remember the water is low and clear so don’t stand right on top of where you’re targeting. Rubber legs with small pheasant tails, or zebra midges rigs are a great go to and whatever midge pattern you have confidence in! Even San Juan worms are good too. Small emerger’s with cdc or foam post to mimic emerging midges are reliable as well. But remember put the emerger on behind or after a heavier fly so they ride higher in the water column where trout are looking for them. Also start your drift upstream of your target area to avoid spooking fish when you rig hits the water.
If you do see trout rising, try to slow down. The fish are spookier then in warmer months. Try to make your first few cast count and minimize unnecessary splashing. Try small Adams, Grittiths gnat’s, renegades and RS2 trailers. Small CDC flies that sit in the surface film can be deadly as the weather gets colder and trout are becoming more lethargic. It’s helpful to put on a larger point fly with one of these smaller patterns trailing behind to help see what your doing better. Dry dropper rigs can work great too for getting nymphs half way through the water column and sometimes they make less of a splash or ruckus when they hit the water then a big ole bobber.
The biggest factor right now is time and place. Finding feeding fish is key! So get on the water later in the day afternoon and keep those eyes peeled in the soft water and sometimes tailouts for rising cutthroat!