Looking to invest in some winter fly fishing gear, but don’t know where to start?
This post is for anyone who wants to take greater advantage of the many winter fly fishing opportunities the season affords while also being properly prepared and equipped to do so.
For several obvious reasons — frigid temps, iced-over rivers and lakes, treacherous driving conditions and finicky fish, to name just a few — winter fly fishing is something many anglers avoid. But for those of us who can’t get enough; who like to fish uncrowded waters, and who enjoy the challenges the season presents, winter can be an amazing time to wet a line. That said, for the unprepared, winter fly fishing can not only be a frustrating snooze, it can turn ugly and downright dangerous in a heartbeat. So, with the idea of improving your cold season angling experiences and outcomes, we came up with 17 winter fly fishing essentials no angler should go without.
Let’s get started!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we will receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you click through and make a purchase.Winter Fly Fishing Gear – The Essentials
As I write this, the outdoor temperature is nearing ninety degrees. Although I’d rather be fishing, I’m sitting in my office wearing a light tee-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. The air conditioner is running full-tilt; the grass and trees are green; the streets still show signs of recent neighborhood Independence Day fireworks displays; and three little ones are gleefully running through the sprinklers in the yard across the way. In other words, it’s the perfect time to be daydreaming about winter fly fishing.
What? You’re not? I don’t believe you.
But, even if that’s true, it won’t be long before many of you will be tubing-up your rods and stowing your gear in the basement to wait out the seemingly interminable period between about Thanksgiving and spring thaw.
But it doesn’t have to be that way, because, when properly equipped, winter is a fine time to go fly fishing.
And, no, for the sake of this article, I don’t mean escaping to Belize for some sunny salt-water flats fly fishing excursion. I mean a dead-of-winter, gray sky, bundled-up, chilled-to-the-bone, no wimps allowed kind of thing. While that doesn’t sound all that inviting, the moment you hook-up on a few fat rainbows, gaze around at your undoubtedly gorgeous and uncrowded surroundings, and realize you’re just as toasty as you need to be for another few hours of fly fishing bliss, I hope you’ll quietly thank me for outlining the following winter angling essentials.
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- When Is Fly Fishing Season?
- Can You Fly Fish Anywhere?
- 5 Easy Ways To Tell What Trout Are Eating
1. Long underwear
Sometimes, when writing about something as particular as fly fishing in the winter, it requires addressing some pretty obvious things. Suggesting that you start your base layering with a good pair of long underwear is one of them. But since one of Fly Fishing Fix’s most popular posts is What to Wear Under Waders in Summer I figure it might be something we ought to cover when talking about what to wear under your waders in winter too.
A good pair of long underwear is the first element of a successful winter day on the water. Avoid cotton. In fact, let’s just go with the avoid cotton rule for the rest of this article. As an article of warm winter clothing, cotton is rotten and should be forgotten. We recommend synthetic fabrics and base layer clothing manufactured by companies that know what they’re doing. We also like stuff that fits well and holds up over time. I mean, no one likes wearing a pair of long underwear that’s all stretched out and falling down.
Maybe I’m weird, but just thinking about that feeling makes me cringe!
One of our favorite long underwear choices for both men and women is Patagonia’s Capilene line. It comes in different weights, including mid-weight and thermal. Depending upon what your anticipated winter weather conditions might be, we recommend owning a few pairs in different weights.
2. Thermal socks
Along the same lines of obviousness, if the day ahead includes trudging through snowbanks and standing in icy water, while the ambient temperature dances around the freezing mark, I’m pretty sure you’ll be thrilled that you donned a good pair of thermal socks. Mindlessly throw on a pair of cotton socks, even ones you think were made to keep your tootsies warm, and you’ll be off the water in no time.
Instead, opt for thermal socks with a high percentage of wool along with some nylon and other synthetic fabrics like lycra spandex. That way, you’ll be wooly-warmed by a sock that holds up, hugs your foot, provides arch and calf support and isn’t itchy.
Also, don’t fall for the common notion that “thicker is better.” Opt for a thermal sock that isn’t so thick that it results in a too-tight boot fit. That will only restrict blood flow to your feet and toes and, thus, increase the likelihood of a really uncomfortable, even dangerous, day on the water.
Several brands of thermal socks fit the bill, but our favorite thermal sock for winter fly fishing is the Simms Guide Thermal OTC.
3. A Good Base Layer
Now that you’ve base layered the lower extremities, it’s time to attend to your core/torso. Please bear with me. This next section might get a little weird.
About six thousand years ago, I was a spry, middle-school aged kid getting ready to go on his first true backpacking trip. It was an annual school-sponsored outing, back when schools used to do such things. The first step was to make sure we had all the equipment and clothing we needed, as dictated by an essentials list they gave us. In addition to some really cool stuff — frame packs, hiking boots, compasses, signaling mirrors, snake bite kits, and other slick camping gadgets — I’ll never forget one particularly odd item they recommended: a fishnet shirt.
Since we adolescent boys had as much insulating body hair as one of my mom’s crystal vases, the mesh shirt was a perfect way to create a thin layer of air between our skin and the next layer. Wearing what amounted to a mesh shirt as a way to stay warm in the wilderness didn’t make sense to me at the time, that is, until I experienced how well it worked!
To this day, whenever I’m dressing for a day in the unpredictable wild, I start with some form of perforated base shirt. This often makes me the object of peer ridicule, but I swear by it, nevertheless. The mesh layer helps keep me cool when it’s hot and hot when it’s cool. And, yes, it’s easy to find a fishnet shirt, but unless you have the body of an underwear model, please, for the sake of the rest of humanity, only wear it as your base layer, hidden deep underneath.
Of course, there are now many other core/torso base layer alternatives that are excellent options as well, but, for the money, try starting your base layering with an inexpensive fishnet shirt. Believe me, if you start with mesh and add another good base layer or two on top of it, you’ll be way ahead of the stay-warm game.
One more note on this, I’m not a fan of the skin-tight base layer shirts on the market these days. You know, the ones all the NFL linebackers wear? When layering for a winter fly fishing excursion, I recommend that you keep things on the looser side. Overly tight clothing restricts blood flow and movement, which only makes you more vulnerable to cold weather conditions.
4. A Proper Sweater
Didn’t your mother always tell you to put on a sweater? My layering starts with a synthetic perforated or mesh shirt (you can stop laughing now). From there, a (say it with me) non-cotton mock turtleneck shirt, then a good sweater. The old favorite wool sweater your mother knitted for you works great, but we swear by Spyder or Duluth Trading Company’s Alaskan Hardgear ski sweaters as our go-tos.
5. Fleece Or Nano-Fiber Pants
You know you’ve nailed down a winter fly fishing clothing winner when, on a particularly cold winter day, you meet your guide in the lobby of your motel and he nearly applauds your selection of under-wader pants.
What? That’s never happened to you?
Well, it’s happened to me. Around last year’s Christmas season, a buddy of mine and I made the trek to Saratoga, Wyoming for a bitterly cold day fly fishing the Miracle Mile. Just before the trip, on the fawning and jealousy-laden advice of the guy on the sales floor that day, I had scored a new pair of Patagonia Nano Puff Pants at my favorite Denver area fly shop. When our guide arrived to pick us up for the day, he was both blue from the outdoor temperature and green with envy about my high-tech under-wader pants.
And they didn’t disappoint! Layered over my long underwear, my new puff nanos kept me as toasty as the warmed tart I’d had for breakfast that morning. And this after wading in my breathable waders for several hours in icy tailwater, while the surrounding temperature didn’t exceed twenty degrees all day. (Additional note: These babies double as great winter pants and awesome lounge-around-the-house-binge-watching-Netflix-all-day wear.)
Of course, most winter fly fishing outings don’t take place in such a deep freeze, so you would do yourself well to invest in a pair of Simms Fjord Fleece Pants too. Over a pair of long underwear, fleece pants will help keep you nice and warm on less frigid winter days.
6. Neoprene Waders
Because under-layer and breathable wader technology has come so far, I almost hesitate to list neoprene waders as a cold weather fly fishing necessity. But in certain conditions, neoprenes might be a better option than your trusty breathable waders, and some fly fishers prefer them for cold situations anyway.
As an adult, my first pair of chest waders were neoprenes, and I still own that same pair today. If I’m headed out to do a little winter fly fishing, I always bring them along as a backup to my reliable Simms G3 breathables.
Neoprenes not only provide a warm shield against deeply cold environments, they present an inexpensive alternative to higher-priced breathables. Modern neoprenes are well constructed and versatile but, fair warning, if you plan to use them on a hot summer day, be prepared to sweat off about sixty-two pounds of precious body-cooling fluids. In other words, loosen up the wallet and spring for a nice pair of breathables for your summer outings. (They’ll probably fit the bill for most of your winter outings too.)
7. Thin Down Jacket Or Parka
Just like my nano puff pants, modern jacket and parka technology makes it easy to insulate your torso rather well without making you feel like an Oompa Loompa. Since nobody wants to relive that feeling of wearing a bulky parka underneath your Halloween costume, this is a particularly desirable thing while wading, casting and netting fish.
Available from several reputable outdoor gear manufacturers, and offered in a wide range of styles and prices, look for thin, down jackets and parkas that include stretch technology.
Our personal favorites are:
8. Fingerless Or Half-Finger Gloves
Considering the need to keep your hands warm while still maintaining the dexterity to handle small flies, tie knots in angel-hair tippets, and remove hooks from fish mouths, no- or half-finger gloves are a winter fly fishing must. Although handling a fly rod with gloves on always feels weird and awkward, a good pair of well-designed finger-freeing gloves (like these from Simms) can mean the difference between a memorable winter day and a miserable dance with frostbite.
For my money, the comparatively inexpensive wool half-finger gloves are a great option. Wool is known for its warmth and moisture-wicking principles, which, on many cold and wet occasions, I have found to keep my hands strangely comfortable and warmer than I ever expect.
Like everything in the captivating world of fly fishing, no- or half-finger gloves come in a variety of other materials and configurations, including options that provide a mitten cap that can be pulled over and off of your outer digits, as needed, for either greater warmth or dexterity.
9. Head Sock and Wool Hat
My dad always used to say that very dad-like thing, “If you want to keep your toes warm, put on a hat.” This is especially true for us gents who lack natural dome protection and, therefore, lose about 99.9% of our body warmth through our exposed crania.
Again, it seems rather obvious that, when venturing out for a winter day in a wilderness environment, you’d be inclined to consider warm head coverings, but we see enough exposed noggins to know that this logic doesn’t always hold. So, take our advice or, if you’re really trying to impress someone by being (stupidly) tough, don’t.
Nevertheless, we recommend, (drumroll please) wearing a warm hat. And, if it’s particularly cold, pull on a good fleece head sock and then top it off with another wool hat. Yeah, with that combo, you may think you look goofy, but in the words of Forest Gump, “Stupid is as stupid does.”
Okay, enough with the dissertation on winter clothing. Let’s get into essential winter fly fishing gear.
10. Guide De-icer
When a wet line and leader passes through a series of small metal fly rod guides in the depths of a cold winter day, they tend to ice up rather quickly. As they do, line and leader stop doing their thing and a whole slew of annoying problems results.
Since we anglers enjoy trouble-free fly fishing, we think it’s a good idea to keep this guide ice-up problem from happening in the first place. How did ol’ Ben Franklin put it? “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” (I still maintain that Benny F. had to have been a fly fisherman.)
Anyhoo, one of the least expensive and proven guide ice-preventers is good ol’ Chap-stick. Heck, you probably have a faded stick or two in your vest already. And all you have to do is get some on your fingers and apply a thin layer to each guide on your rod. This won’t prevent guide ice-up from happening again as the day goes on, but just reapply periodically and fish problem free in-between.
Though similar, another great option that is especially formulated for the task, is Loon Outdoor’s Stanley’s Ice-Off Paste. We also hear that Pam cooking spray works pretty well too, but not only does that big spray can not fit in an angler’s vest or pack very well, stealing stuff from the pantry will get you in a whole heap o’ trouble with that special someone.
If you don’t have any of those things, and you want to get the ice out of your guides, you can use your warm fingers to de-ice each of them. But since that is cumbersome, slow, and makes your fingers cold, you can, in a pinch, melt the ice in your guides by dipping your rod in the water. The water will be warmer than the air, so it will melt the ice in your guides; it just won’t last very long. Also, this method increases the likelihood of perpetually wet fingers and an ice-impaired reel.
11. Instant Warmers
Air-activated, non-toxic, long-lasting and disposable, instant warming packets have been around a long time, and, side note, I really wish I’d invented them. You can get these in multi-packs at most any sporting goods store but we prefer TheWarmingStore.com for all kinds of high-tech warming clothing and gear.
Tuck a few of these packets in your vest or wader pockets before you head out and apply them to just about any part of your body that needs some heat love. Be careful though, they get really hot after a while and, thus, can leave a mark. Best not to apply them directly to sensitive skin. Read and follow the advice on the label.
12. Small Nymphs & Egg Patterns
Although various insect hatches take place throughout the year, cold weather fishing favors small nymph rigs, invisible fluorocarbon leader and tippet, small weights, and subtle strike indicators.
As cold-blooded beings, fish tend to get more lethargic and selective the colder the water and weather gets. And, since river flows usually run skinny and clear through the winter months, fish also spook easily. Stealthy approaches, gentle casts, and small nymph rigs will improve your chances.
Leave your big fuzzys at home, go tiny, and come equipped with a few egg patterns to throw on if your nymphs aren’t pulling.
13. Fresh Leaders & Tippet
Speaking of leaders and tippet, don’t hesitate to buy a few new leaders and a new tippet spool or two before your next cold weather outing. The older leader and tippet gets, the more likely it is to become brittle. Add a little cold, some encounters with icy overhangs, and old tippet will break the second a trout takes your fly. Take it from someone who’s first cold weather fly fishing excursion featured only one solid take all day, which, shortly thereafter, snapped me off without so much as a decent wriggle.
As always, we recommend keeping a well-stocked supply of Rio Leader and Fluoroflex Tippet.
14. Seine
A seine, in particular, the Quick-Seine™, which comes in a little pouch that you connect to your net handle and, when needed, stretch over your net’s opening, is a fly fishing necessity you’ll come to love in any weather situation.
The ability to quickly sweep the water to see the population of critters on which your gilled targets are likely feasting is, clearly, a tremendous advantage; one that can transform an otherwise slow day into something memorable. This is especially beneficial when the weather and water are super cold. These seines might seem a little steep at $30, but, as soon as you start using it, you’ll think it a bargain at twice the price.
15. Thermos
No matter how well you prepare for a winter day of fly fishing, the cold will eventually win out. Unless you find yourself in the middle of a chilly day’s fish-catching hot streak, your body will let you know when it’s just time to get off the water and warm the heck up. At this moment — and there may be several throughout your day — a hearty dose of piping hot chicken noodle soup with a warm beverage alongside is heaven-sent.
Today’s thermos technology makes your dad’s old, plaid, plastic-capped, coffee-stanked thermos — yeah, that one he used to take to football games — look and perform like a styrofoam cup.
The original Thermos brand is a great place to start, but your hunt for a good thermos doesn’t have to be extensive. They’re everywhere. From Yeti to Hydroflask, and seemingly hundreds of other manufacturers, they come in a variety of sizes, colors and styles. Often referred to as tumblers or growlers, we recommend at least one in the 36 oz. plus category and another smaller one. Fill the big one with your favorite soup, stew, chili, gruel or porridge — does anyone eat gruel or porridge anymore? — and use the smaller one for coffee, hot chocolate, hot cider, or some other steaming hot beverage of choice.
Side note for the adults in the audience: While we at Fly Fishing Fix enjoy an adult beverage as much as the next guy, we don’t recommend imbibing during your cold weather fly fishing day. Alcohol lowers body temperature and dulls the senses, two things you want to avoid while trying to keep warm and, in a hook-setting quick-reaction sense, frosty. Do what you will, of course, but don’t be stupid when it comes to fending off hypothermia. I don’t know many who have had a run in with this potentially deadly condition, but those I know who have will vouch for how frightening it is.
16. Jet Flame Lighter
My son-in-law gave me a jet flame lighter for Christmas one year. And though, aside from an occasional wimpy cigar to fend off mosquitos, I don’t smoke, it’s among the best gifts I’ve ever received.
Another thing I wish I’d invented, my jet flame lighter looks really space-agey, feels solid and cool in my hands, employs a sexy lighting mechanism, and puts off one badass three-pronged, wind-resistant jet flame. As a potential survival necessity — just ask Tom Hanks in Castaway — I never venture into even the mildest of wilderness situations without it.
Early on, jet flame lighters were fairly expensive. Now you can find them in a wide variety of styles, powers, configurations and price ranges. They even make storm-proof lighters (like this one from Sportsman’s Warehouse), which, in a survival emergency, could make this one of the most important purchases you ever make.
Ditch the five-and-dime disposables, and gift yourself a jet flame lighter. While you’re at it, pickup an extra can of butane to make sure it stays well-fueled.
17. Hair Dryer With Car Socket Adapter
I saved this little gem for last.
Several years ago, my son, a bunch of buddies, and I were actually duck hunting on the Colorado River one rather cold winter evening. Wadered-up just as he would have been if fly fishing, Zach went into the river after a duck he’d shot, then trudged back to the snowbank where we were hunkered down. While we waited for another flyover opportunity, his boots were quickly becoming two blocks of solid ice, which he only truly realized after we’d made our way back to our vehicle.
Since his feet were properly insulated, they weren’t in much danger of frostbite. However, even with our truck’s heater on full blast while driving back to the hotel, his boots remained completely iced-over. If I remember correctly, he finally had to run hot bath water over them to melt it all off.
It occurred to me that a hot blow dryer with a car socket adapter would have solved this problem a lot faster.
Now, you may never find yourself in this situation, but we didn’t think my son would have either that day. Nevertheless, a hot jet blow dryer stashed in your vehicle would have all kinds of other beneficial uses. I’m thinking: hand warmer, quick windshield defroster, frozen food thaw-er, a great way to impress your girlfriend when her hair got wet in that rainstorm you just ran through… stuff like that.
Related Posts:
- How To Organize Your Fly Box (6 Great Ways)
- Top 10 Wading Tips To Keep You Safe (And Dry)
- How To Cast In The Wind: 7 Simple Tips
- How To Take Care Of Your Waders (10 Simple Tips)
- How To Set The Hook When Fly Fishing
The Warmdown
One of the sayings we at Fly Fishing Fix have adopted as a mantra is, “buy it nice or buy it twice.” When it comes to properly preparing and, thus, enjoying your first (or next) winter fly fishing outing, this is especially true.
Try to resist the impulse to go cheap. While we realize and agree that expensive does not necessarily mean good, spending the extra bucks for the clothing or gear with the more and better ratings will rarely result in disappointment. And the last thing you want to be while enjoying some fly fishing on a beautiful winter afternoon is disappointed.
Lastly, if this post didn’t leave you out in the cold, we encourage you to sign up to receive Fly Fishing Fix in your inbox. We have big plans ahead, so don’t hesitate to join the movement! We’d love to have you along for the ride.
Tight Lines!
