The cold water of the season slows everything down. Steelhead will search out deep, slow pools or the softest inside seams. And while fish will continue their migration upstream, there will also be longer periods of rest while steelhead park in preferred winter lies.
While Great Lakes steelhead will still move well to a swung fly in the winter, it won’t be with the same aggressive attitude as months earlier when optimum water temperatures persisted. But some rivers that receive fresh runs throughout the winter can infuse some energy into the water. Fresh winter fish can be surprisingly active.
Making the fly accessible to the fish will be key to success. Winter fishing generally entails heavier tips that take the fly near the bottom. While I prefer not to scrape the river’s floor, a fly consistently fished within a foot or two above the rocks will bring the most interest. Tips or T-14 or T-17 will be useful on the region’s bigger rivers while T-10
any river, I can cover the water effectively and to the best of my ability, giving me the chance of catching that elusive Atlantic Salmon.
Today I feel very lucky, as over the last 30 years I have been on waiting lists and moved up the ladder and have accessed the finest fly fishing at the peak times in Scotland. I now work full time in the industry and have my own fishing tackle company producing the finest fly fishing equipment, known as Gaelforce Flyfishing which is the culmination of 35 years hands on experience in the industry, with my Scottish and Irish connections over the years this was a fitting name. First and foremost, I am a fisherman!! With a passion for distance casting, I design my own fishing rods and fly lines for anglers who have no interest in anything other than catching fish, this is the toughest audience to please as they require top quality perfectly balanced easy to use and effective tackle, I feel I have this base covered. Then there is the distance casting and competition scene, which I play in big part in, this is the formula one of fly casting, where innovation of new equipment, line design and perfect techniques yield huge distances. It is this part of the business that pushes the envelope and many of the designs are scaled down and used in the modern day fishing equipment and design today, so it plays a very important role in my tackle design.