Trout fishing in winter is one of the most interesting and difficult fishing. In winter, you need to be patient in order to lure trout. The most difficult thing is to catch a trophy specimen. Speaking from my own experience, the trophy does not give a second chance. If there was an exit, it becomes very difficult and usually impossible to ask him out of his hiding place a second time. I divide trout fishing into three seasons.
- Winter
- Spring Summer
- Autumn (before spawning in September)
So let's start with the hardest season of the year - winter. Trout in winter it moves much more slowly and quite often you can observe it standing on the bottom of the river or slowly moving to another bank or shelter. In winter, the water in the rivers is cleaner, there is much less of it, and the trout can clearly see everything that is happening on the coast. Therefore, all movements of the angler must be very careful, otherwise you can scare the fish.
In which sections of the river does the trout spend the winter
Trout in winter he can't swim much - if he spends too long in the current, he will lose his strength, and there will be no way to regain it, because there is no food. Besides, there is no purpose to swim - he will not find anything in his poor river. Just like pike in the cold season, trout are pressed to the bottom and waiting for their bite. During the cold season, trout prefer calmer sections of the river. When in summer-autumn trout stand on river bends, falls, near a large current, in winter everything is completely different. In winter, you should look for straighter sections of the river with a small current. The most ideal places for fishing – deeper sections of the river in the meadows. There, in my opinion, they can get not only passing fish, but also hatched worms, leeches and other good things with which they can strengthen themselves during the poor winter days.
However trout winter moves much more slowly and quite often it can be seen standing at the bottom of the river or slowly moving to another bank or shelter. In winter, the water in the rivers is cleaner, there is much less of it, and the trout can clearly see everything that is happening on the coast. Therefore, all movements of the angler must be very careful, otherwise you can scare the fish.
Diet of trout
In winter, trout feed on insect larvae that live in the water under stones, insects and amphipods. Large individuals can hunt small fish. Trout fishing in winter is quite different from summer. Now she is not so active, because due to the low water temperature, all metabolic processes in the body slow down, she eats less often, and she needs much less food. Trout in winter is very difficult or almost impossible to see even in clear water. It hides under stones, fallen trees and other shelters, and when frightened, runs away so quickly that only a very skilled eye can see the fish flashing in the water.
Baits
Considering such conditions of the trout, we choose the bait accordingly. Cranks and other active wobblers will definitely not be relevant and suitable for this period. The most suitable lures for this period - minnow type wobblers, 5-7 centimeters in size, which will swim lazily against the current and lure a trout that is perched somewhere. Colors. You can find the full article on wobblers here. Given the fact that trout have really good vision in winter, you should think carefully about what to wear. My initial choice is determined by several factors. River water, cloudy or sunny and what kind of river section is it a meadow where the bottom is muddy or a stretch of forest/woodland where the river bottom is sandy. And further on, I start improvising based on the results. It is also possible to use micro cookers (you can find my article on trout fishing by clicking here). I use them when I want to get a second chance at a trout. Casting directly into his habitat, I let it fall and often the trout will attack on the fall.
