Winter Fly Fishing to kick off the New Year

Hope everyone had a good Holiday season. Ours was pretty low key, opting to stay in Jackson and celebrate Christmas/New Years with friends. We’ve been getting a lot snow so far this winter. This is great for our fisheries and also has kept temperatures fairly mild (high 20s-30s).

I’ve had the pleasure of guiding a few folks over the past few weeks on winter wade fishing trips on the Snake River here in Jackson. As some of you know, winter fishing is a bit of a crap shoot. I’ve had some great days over the years on the water in the winter months and also had some really tough ones! I’d say the past couple trips have been on the harder side. Fish are laying low in the cold water and not willing to move much for flies. We’ve gotten some sporadic action dead drifting nymphs, but so far midge/surface action has remained elusive. Regardless, the clients I’ve taken have had a great time learning and honing their fishing skills. It’s really fun as a guide to work with folks who have a basic understanding of fly casting, reading water, etc and help them gain a good foundation they can take home with them.

Definitely always worth getting out on the water in the wintertime. I suspect we’ve got another month or so before consistent midge hatch start rolling. March and April are some of my favorite times to be on the water. Lack of other anglers and hungry cutthroat trout make for a great time. Below are a few photos of the adventurous anglers who fished with me lately.