Fly Fishing Northwest
The Olympic Peninsula's most recommended
fly fishing guides
   

 Essential Winter 
Fly Patterns






    fly tying section
  CLICK HERE

  Fly fishing for winter Steelhead during the winter months of January, February and early March can best be described as "a labor of  love". Out here on our Northwest Olympic Peninsula rivers Ol' mother nature rules with a very fickle temperament. However there are certain genetic traits (it has yet to be clinically announced whether they be positive or negative traits) that compel fly fishermen or fly fisherwomen to go through endless hours of practical casting application with a fly rod in pursuit of winter run Steelhead in what at times one would consider to be the most uncomfortable of conditions, I.E... sub freezing air temps where water droplets can actually freeze to your leader and rod guides during a cast and were risking a case of hypothermia or frost bite to auditory and olfactory appendages is a real concern. When these conditions occur one either develops certain successful winter fly fishing survival techniques or one simply finds their favorite channel, flops over on the couch with a hot toddy and waits for fairer weather. I myself have never been "one" to consider myself as a "flopper" shall we say. The point I'm trying to make is that Winter Steelheading with a fly rod, more so than any other fly fishing quest, can be  incredibly demanding, the Steelhead themselves are at the lowest ebb of metabolic function that they will experience all year (since they are cold blooded their metabolism is directly proportional to the the effective temps of the river waters) and this is directly proportional to how stimulated the Steelhead will be in either intercepting or rather chasing your fly. The rewards however, for us masochistic types are huge, 20lbs + huge. The keys to successful winter fly fishing for Steelhead are #1. Presentation, #2. Patience/Persistence, #3. Mobility, #4 Subtlety. In very cold water I always try to present a very slow and full profile of my fly during all portions of the swing while trying to keep the fly close to but not on the bottom of the river, it is extremely important that your fly not dredge a trench along the bottom but rather remain 5 - 10" off of the bottom structure. When nymphing in cold water, watching my line (or strike indicator) for any sort of slightly erratic behavior instead of waiting to see it totally disappear or feel the actual take has been key to pinning fish I would have otherwise never felt or known  had taken the fly. More often than not I'll encounter structure or "current events" that will simulate an actual take, but I respond nonetheless. Depending on the type of pattern I'm fishing and the way I'm fishing it ( Spey rod, single handed rod, sinking shooting head , short sink tip, full floater with a strike indicator etc...) the way I respond to a potential take will differ but only slightly. With a Spey rod I'll generally never lift the tip, I just give a short even tug on the line and then let the fish turn and plant himself on the hook .With a single handed rod I'll tug on the line in conjunction with a short lift of the rod tip and once again wait for the fish to turn before applying any real pressure.
 Now don't Panic, there are some absolutely stellar winter days out here when the mercury threatens the 55 degree mark, the rivers are low and clear and the sun forces me to put on the Polaroid shades. In fact a quick check of my records over the last seventeen years indicates that the majority of my days spent on the river during the winter season leans toward the fairer weather side of the scale, probably something to do with global warming
(don't worry it's just a myth --- Yeah right ), anyway, the biggest, not the most, of my Steelhead have always seem to come to the fly  best on the days that the bear are most content to be in their caves.