Winter trout tend to keep to the bottom of deep pools and become more active during midday. Fish the foot of long shallow runs. Some hatches do occur, for example midges and stoneflies. Try weighted nymphs or slow streamers. Sometimes the most effective nymph patterns imitate the largest nymph in the stream. Try sowbugs, Cressbugs, Egg patterns, Dons’ Sculpin, Crawfish & Wooley buggers.
January
Water temperatures in January usually remain in the low forties. We start seeing concentrations of Snowflies.
February
In early February water temperatures are around forty degrees.
Some hatches do occur, for example midges and stone-flies.
March
The first part of March brings temperatures in the mid forty's and the first Robins of the season.
M=morning; A=afternoon; E=evening
H=major hatch; S=sporadic; P=present
Red=important
PATTERN SCIENTIFIC NAME
TIME Jan Feb Mar
Behavior Location
MAYFLIES
Little Blue Quill or Baetis tricaudatus MAE H H
Swimmer flats
Iron Blue Dun Paraleptophlebia MA H
Crawler pools ,flats
STONEFLIES MA H H
Little Black Stonefly Capnia vernalis
crawler riffles, runs
DIPTERA
Midge, (Al’s Rat) Chironomidae MAE H H H
pools, flats
Craneflies
Orange Crane Fly Tipula bucomis P P
pools, flats, runs
TERRESTRIALS
Leeches Hirudinea P P P
Scuds
Dons Scud Amphipoda, Isopoda P P P swimmer, crawler pools, flats
Crawfish Crustacea P P P
swmmer, crawler pools and flats
FISHES
Sculpin Cotidae P P P
crawler, Swimmer pools, flats, run, riffles
Dace, shiners etc. Cypinidae P P P
swimmer pools
Suckers Catostomidae P P P
swimmer, rester pools, flats, runs
P
Swimmer pools, flats, runs, riffles