Trout Fishing in Cold Weather - Things to Remember When Fishing For Trout in the Fall & Winter

I don't know about you, but I don't stop trout fishing simply because the weather starts to cool off. As a matter of fact trout fishing in cold weather can be some of the best trout fishing of the year (as long as it's not too cold!). As a matter of fact most of my "trophy" trout have been caught while trout fishing late in the year. Trout fishing in cold weather can be quite productive and in this article I'm going to give you some things to remember when fishing in the fall & winter.

The first thing to remember is that as the water temperatures begin to drop, so do the trout's body temperatures, which means they will become less active. This means that you want to fish when the water temperatures are the highest, which means during the day. During the winter, afternoons are generally more productive because the sun has had time to warm the water a bit.

The next thing to keep in mind when trout fishing in cold temperatures is the size of the bait that is being used. In cold weather you want to downsize your baits as much as possible. Rather than using live worms for example, try using meal worms or maggots as bait. If you are using flies or spinners, make sure that you use smaller sizes during the fall & winter.

Along with downsizing you baits, it's also important that you slow down you presentation. If you're trolling in a float tube or small boat, slower is better during the fall and winter. If you're casting spinners or flies slow down your retrieve. Trout are very sluggish during cold weather months and don't move very far or fast for a meal, thus slower is better.

As we all know trout fishing involves a lot of knot tying, which can be a bit difficult during cold weather, when your hands are cold. This is why fishing gloves are so important. Fishing gloves are gloves that still provide you with the use of your fingers for knot tying and such. Fingerless gloves are a great idea during cold weather and a pair of neoprene gloves that you can slip over the fingerless gloves is a great idea as well. The bottom line is that when trout fishing in cold weather keeping your hands warm is of the utmost importance.

What about when you go fishing? At no time of the year is it more important to be on the water when the trout are the most active that it is in the fall and winter. The best times to be on the water can be determined by paying attention to the weather and moon. The weather and moon play a huge role in the activity level of fish, and the more you understand and use this information to your advantage, the better off you will be.

Remember these simple things the next time that you go trout fishing in cold weather and you will have a much more enjoyable and successful time. These tips have been helping me for more than 20 years and I know they will do the same for you.