Time To Fish In Winter

There Is No Wrong Time To Fish In Winter

By Freddy McKnight

Cold water means the end of the fishing season for many anglers. On the other hand, there are those die-hards out there that don’t seem to pay any attention to the cold. I happen to be a member of the last group, choosing to fish when the desire hits me. While I will freely admit it is easier to fish when the weather is warmer, the rewards that one receives in cold weather are much greater.

The one factor I have noted when fishing the winter months, November through March, is that there is no wrong time to go fishing. Some species respond well during the daylight hours, when the weak winter sun will warm the water by fractions of a degree. Others prefer the twilight periods of the day, when low light levels allow them to sneak up on prey. Still others are best sought-out after dark, though fishing at that time of the year under those conditions presents its own set of challenges.

If my target is trout in an open stream, afternoon is the time to fish. Using live bait is a personal preference, and a small minnow is my absolute favorite bait. Target the deeper pools and make sure your offering is on the bottom. If you are not losing an occasional rig to rocks or other stream debris, you are fishing too high. Trout, though a coldwater fish, are still sluggish at this time of the year. They will lie behind some sort of obstruction to help break the current. They will occasionally ambush some food morsel, but their metabolism is such that they may only feed once a week. This can be affected by weather changes. Should a mid-winter warm spell set upon us, they may act differently for a short period of time. One other factor that can determine behavior, and is quite common in the Ohio Valley Outdoors coverage area, is a warm water discharge. These flows can affect fish for miles below their outlets and improve the reaction of the fish.

Twilight is my favorite time to fish during the winter because I tend to target walleyes and smallmouth. Walleyes are especially prone to feeding during the last hour of the day, but I have found that the larger smallmouths also tend to do this, as well. Again, I prefer to use minnows as bait, self-caught ones if the conditions will allow me to gather them. They are tougher than the store bought baits and tend to resemble the local forage more than the shiners so often found in the bait shops.

When fishing minnows for any species in the winter, remember that they are lightly lip-hooked and have enough weight to keep them near the bottom. Fishing with an open bail, but using a finger to keep the line from spooling off freely, I will let go of the tension at the moment I feel a strike. These fish tend to take the bait and mouth it before ingesting it during this cold water period. Setting the hook too soon will result in either a lot of missed fish or ones that were hooked for only a few seconds. It takes a bit of practice to learn when you should set the hook, so fish often to make sure you stay sharp.

My personal favorite fish to pursue during the winter months may seem an odd choice to some, but where I live, the opportunity is huge. Rock bass dominate one of the spillway areas I tend to favor in the winter, but when the time is right to go after them, many anglers have given up for the day. Fishing at night in this area can be dangerous at times, with fluctuating water levels leaving a coating of ice on the riprap that is present along the shoreline. It is the same riprap that the rock bass use to hide in during the daylight hours.

Locating these fish is the first step in taking them. Using a small flashlight, I will scan the shallows near the shoreline to find the fish. They are mostly in the first two or three feet of water, well out of the current and tight to the structure. Once I locate them in the clear water of the outflow, I use a small minnow to take these fish. As long as the minnow does not get mangled too much, you can use it to take fish after fish simply by twitching it. I have caught a dozen or more rock bass on one small minnow using this trick. A mess of cold-water fillets from these fish will warm you up inside on the coldest of winter days.

Perch are another species I like to target and, again, I have found that the best fishing for them takes place at night during the winter. This approach, however, also takes safe ice, as well. First shown to me by an angler on a western Pennsylvania lake, this method is slowly gathering its fair share of followers each year. The perch are attracted (we think) by the lights of the lanterns we use for light and heat. They will often school just under the surface in two key areas, at least on this lake. The first requirement is a hard bottom of sorts with some sort of structure on it like rock piles or logs. The second is a weed bed, on a flat, in about 8-10 feet of water, just off a main channel. Either location seems to consistently produce when the fish are on the feed. Aside from minnows, small mealworms are a good choice to try. Some anglers have success with small jigs, as well, though I have not yet acquired the right technique for making large catches with this method.

Pickerel are another possibility for anglers in the winter and one can do well to fish those streams that are mostly open in the cold weather for them. I say mostly open because this species seems to favor the edge of the ice channel for its ambush point. Double that if there are weeds or structure for them to use in such a place. This is about the only area where I prefer hard bait to a minnow. Using either a spinner or stick bait, I work the edge as slowly as the current will allow, enticing a strike. This type of action can take place any time of the day, but seems to work best during the middle of the day when the sun is high.

Of course, we can all head to the Great Lakes to fish the tributaries for steelhead, lake trout and brown trout with any time of the day being a good time to go. Daylight seems to be the best time to fish the smaller streams, especially if they are clear and the pressure has been great. In the deeper waters, the fish don’t seem to really have a preference, but can be affected by storms hitting the area. Should the water rise and new fish come in, the action can be superb for a few days before tapering off, so keep watch on the weather.

Fishing during the winter differs somewhat from warm weather months, but there is really no wrong time to go. Just keep in mind the safety precautions needed to make sure you are around for a return trip. Fishing with a partner is a good safety practice, as is keeping a change of clothes handy just in case you take a dunk in the icy water. Play it safe and keep counting those rewards received by winter fishing.