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Tips For Trout Fishing When The Mercury Drops

Tips For Trout Fishing When The Mercury Drops
By Trevor Kugler

Trout fishing in cold weather can present some unique challenges and in this article I'm going to offer some solutions to these problems.

Trout are a cold water fish, but as the weather really cools off, and subsequently makes the water temperature drop, the trouts' metabolism slows and they become much less active.

When this happens, trout obviously become more difficult to catch.

The first tip is to downsize your baits, lures, or flies as much as possible. The normal rule of thumb in cold weather is the smaller the better.

Is this a hard and fast rule?

No, but it's a good idea. You want to go really small or quite large.

The bottom line is that in cold-water temperatures, trout want to expend as little energy as possible to get a meal, therefore you want to go really small or quite large with your bait, lures, or flies.

In cold weather, a great tip is to make sure you are fishing when the fish are the most active. This can be accomplished by simply paying attention to the weather and moon.

These two factors of Mother Nature have an amazing affect on the activity level of trout, and the more active the trout are, the more apt they are to bite your offering. In cold weather, make sure you're fishing when the fish are the most active by learning how the weather and moon affect the behavior of fish.

In cold weather, one of the worst things that can happen is your hands becoming so cold they feel as if they might fall off. This is not a good thing, and obviously something that I've experienced more than once.

My personal favorite trout fishing technique requires my fingers to be unfettered and available to "feel" my line.

This can be a HUGE problem in cold weather.

That's why I wear a pair of quality fingerless gloves. This way my fingers can be unfettered, but my hands are still warm. These types of gloves are a "must have" for any angler when trout fishing in cold weather.

The bottom line is that trout fishing when the mercury really drops can become quite difficult, but these simple yet effective tips will help you be more comfortable and successful.

Now, layer up, put on your beanie, and get out there and fish for some trout. Just because it's cold outside, it doesn't mean that we should stop trout fishing.

Trevor Kugler is an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country ..... Montana!