Creatively Passing Time Throughout Winter
Winter Fly Fishing in Montana
As January comes to an end we’re seeing warmer temps around this area, but that doesn’t mean that winter is coming to an end as January is. With a few more months of cold weather still ominously hanging over our heads, we’re becoming creative in how we feed our fly fishing addiction while we [not so] patiently wait for the remarkable fishing spring and summer will bring.
Of course, tying flies is a go to for many of us. It takes a lot to resist the urge to only tie our favorite meaty streamers, so we’re doing the best we can to balance tying our favorite patterns and the patterns we may not love to tie but are a necessity for the upcoming season. It’s usually more fun to tie a few Cheech Leeches or Lefty’s Deceivers, but having Zebra Midges, Lightning Bugs, and Rainbow Warriors on hand is pretty important.
Next to fly tying, something I personally make it a point to accomplish throughout the winter is gear organization and maintenance. It can be hard during the depths of the dry fly season or the excitement of the fall run to even think about organizing and maintaining the plethora of fishing gear we have spread throughout the house, garage, and car, but it has to be done. Throughout the year I do my best to keep everything in working order, but the winter offers ample time to clean lines, repair leaky waders, go through boat bags, and so on. If you have as much gear as I do, this could take you quite some time.
Lastly, another great way to pass time is to seek out fly-fishing events in your community. From film tours to fundraising events or meetings, you may be surprised by how many options you have to gather with fellow anglers.
For those of you who have exhausted these options and are willing to brave the conditions winter creates then the Upper Madison, Lower Madison, and Gallatin are all good places to be. For the next couple of months nymphs and streamers will be your friend. That being said, on warmer days be ready for good midge fishing on top as well.
Now that you know what we do while we’re not fishing during the winter, keep a look out for a blog in the near future about our recent fishing escapades. Sometimes we can’t help but get out there on the water, rain or shine.
Posted by Ashley Cook
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Brad Richey
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