February Nights

This is the winter that wasn't. I made the commitment before it started that I'd night fish for trout at least once each month. I feel I was given an unfair advantage. I was expecting to have to deal with ice in the guides and completely unwilling fish, instead I've been ale to find nights that have been almost comfortable to fish in and trout that were willing to feed in the dark.

These are fall stocked rainbows I'm fishing over primarily, so in terms of learning things that I can transpose to wild trout fisheries I'm not sure I've got anything. But night fishing for trout is notably erratic anyway, with differences river to river and sometimes pool to pool that don't seem to correlate to anything in particular. For example, I've found that pools that fish well in the summer don't always fish well in the summer, but not for any good reason so far as I can tell. One deep bend pool I've fished in both seasons now never fished well in summer but has produced a fish or two each visit this winter. Another bend pool that is almost identical in size, depth, and structure though fishes really well in the spring and summer, and has had fish in all winter, but I haven't caught a one on any of my night visits. Why? All factors taken into consideration, I see nothing different enough to stand out as a cause. 

So basically, what I'm learning about winter night fishing is most applicable to this river system, these trout, this year, and may not extend that well into many areas. But I don't think it's completely useless, because at least some of it is corroborated by the observations other skilled night fisherman I know fishing for wild trout in other parts of the country. So, I'll lay it out point by point. 

1: Insect imitations, be the stonefly nymphs or wetflies, have come up short, while streamers have taken the lion's share of the fish. This may be because even in the winter, small baitfish are more apt to be out and about at night than during the day. Equally possible, it may be that a larger profile fly like a size 2 black Muddler draws an opportunistic strike while a size 6 Professor or Leadwing Coachman doesn't even get noticed.

Not for lack of trying. 

2: Fish don't push up shallow in the winter. During the summer, with the exception of stretches of river that are bathed in artificial light or on full moon nights, trout typically move into shallow water to feed after dark rather than staying in the deeper, faster water they were feeding or resting in during the day. This seems very much not the case during the winter, everywhere I've caught fish they've been exactly where they were in daylight. I'm having to present my flies differently because of this, and the obvious sluggishness of the fish has forced me to include two and sometimes three split shot in my rig, along with weighted flies. More than a few fishing have taken the fly skittering on the bottom in more than five feet of water. During "normal" night fishing season, I do fish this way sometimes, but it is usually a last resort strategy. 

3: I do a hand-twist or figure eight retrieve in a lot of situations year round night fishing, and that SUCKS in the winter. It soaks your hand, you can't avoid it. Bring a towel to dry off, always. 

4: Zero surface activity of any kind. Throwing mice is pointless. This isn't at all surprising, mice are in their nests staying warm, frogs are in hibernation, and there aren't any big insects around. Though I've caught stocked trout on mice at night in March before, they were fresh stockers that were willing to eat mice during the day as well. If it isn't a time of year when there are small swimming animals and big insect for your trout to key on and you can't get them to eat a mouse during the day don't bother trying after dark. 

That's that. February trout at night in Connecticut. Is anybody else out there doing it? Honestly, even during the traditional night season, the only river I've seen other night fisherman out is the Farmington. For all the press and social media buzz mousing has gotten in recent years there really aren't that many anglers out there night fishing for trout. I know why: night trout fishing is crazy. You have to be totally obsessive to actually get remotely good at night fishing for trout. You have to have your priorities and expectations in line, your whits about you, no fear of the things that lurk in the dark, and more then a dash of insanity. How insane am I? The most exiting thing to me in the three nights I've fished already this month was having a white sucker slam my fly and fight like an absolute madman, running upstream past me in shallow water making a roostertail as it went. That was really cool to me. But maybe I'm the sane one, the prejudice against suckers makes no sense.

Until next time.

Fish for the love of fish.

Fish for the love of places fish live.

Fish for you.

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