One thing that I have never done is go fishing in winter time.
This year I plan to, as long as its not Artic conditions like last year
I am quite looking forward to it with the different challenges it will through up.

Do many from the forum actually fish for Rainbow (on stillwater) in the winter?
Is it still enjoyable or are the conditions just not worth it?
How do the tactics change and is it more difficult to catch?

Apart from the last couple of years it has been pretty mild until well into the new year.The rainbows seem to relish the colder conditions.but their food intake seems to slow down a bit.so slower retrieve and a bit deeper on the frosty mornings but even in december they have been willing to take off the surface given a Milder few hours round midday.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

May i ask why the fish would be down in deeper water on a frosty moring? Sorry if that's a stupid question but I can't see why. The water temp wouldn't be any different... would it?

Surface temp cooler.food not on surface.fish feeding a bit deeper. that's my take on it.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

I've found that winter rainbows are often in much better condition than earlier in the season - been in the water longer, had time to grow a bit and become naturalised, wilier and leaner.

But it does get a bit miserable if you can't find them.

Water is at it's densest at 4ºC, therefore even in a frozen lake there is a layer of water that is comfortable for a Trout.

I fish through the Winter, as long as the roads are passable and there's some water that isn't frozen. The fish often have plenty of energy, due to the increased amount of dissolved oxygen.

A sinking line and a Booby may not be everyone's idea of fun but allows you to get deep without dragging your fly along the bottom.

SharkeyP

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Often thinks not travel widens,
Stay at home the Trout obliges.

Would it be because there is less food on the surface at this time of year??

I fish in the winter snow ice permitting,apps blood worm in pink olive or red does the business for me either a floating line long leader or intermediate

Neil

Our reservoir fishes better through winter than it does through July and August - as long as it's not frozen over, as it has been for the past two winters.

I like to fish a Damsel, or an unweighted Woolly B***** deep and slow on an intermediate (I don't think you can fish them slow enough on faster sinking lines).

Most of our members though prefer to float-fish an "egg" with another "egg" or bloodworm on a dropper just a couple of feet from the point.

You'll have to find what depth they're taking at of course. Start off around 10ft. The water's colder near the surface so go shallower on the milder days and deeper on the colder days.

These are only my observations - I don't see it as fly-fishing.

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How poor a thing, sometimes I find,
Will captivate a greedy mind - Isaac Walton.

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Get some good warm clothes on (Deerhunter make great winter suits), fingerless gloves, a pocket handwarmer, a flask of hot coffee and get out there and enjoy it! The banks will be quieter for a start. Winter fishing can be very rewarding as not only are you pitting your wits against the fish (see advice above), but also the elements. I agree that tugging lures about isn't quite my idea of fly fishing, but see if there are terrestrials being blown about and try copies of those on the surface. I have seen that if the water is frozen, the fish sometimes feed at the edges of the ice just below the surface. Last winter I caught a few by casting onto the ice and popping the fly off the edge before creating a wake on the retrieve.
It's always better to regret something you have done than something you haven't...

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"It's just a ride,...No effort, no work, no job, no savings of money. A choice, right now, between fear and love." Bill Hicks