Trout Fishing
When fly fishing in December, I like to look for the springs along the trout streams. These play an important part at this time of year for the trout and the angler. The water flowing from these springs is considerably warmer in the winter than the stream temperatures. This prompts the trout to feed aggressively below the springs. The alkalinity of the springs prompt heavy growth of cress bugs and shrimp. These are important food sources in the winter.
There are two ways to locate these springs during the winter. If the majority of the stream is covered with ice the spring will melt the ice and there will be open water below them. When the stream is free of ice, you can locate the springs by the rich green aquatic weed growth which grows in and just downstream of the springs.
If the stream is less than 15 feet wide I fish them upstream dead drift right below the springs with a Cress Bug or Murray’s Shrimp size 14. If the stream is more than 15 feet wide I fish across stream with the same two flies casting right below the springs.
Bass Fly Fishing
Bass do feed in December but not as actively as they do in the summer. I find they select feeding stations in protected areas away from the full force of the river current. The back eddies which form below the riffles on the side of river with the slowest current provide excellent feeding stations with a good supply of minnows for the bass to feed upon.
These back eddies may range from 4-6 feet deep. Flies which match the minnows are the Magnum Hog Sucker, Magnum Creek Chub, and Magnum Darter size 4. These back eddies can be fished from a boat in the main part of the river or by wading down the shallow water beside the bank. The goal is to fish the whole back eddy thoroughly with overlapping casts to swim your flies slowly along the stream bottom.
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