I grew up fishing from late April, until September. September squirrel season would come in and from then until mid April I was in the woods stalking whitetail thru Archery, Shotgun, muzzleloader, and back into Archery. Thru the fall and winter I would also hunt rabbit, quail, and trap fox, coyote, raccoon, and muskrats then onto turkey hunting in the spring. So I only really fished from May until September. When moved to Tennessee, my traps were long gone, my bow hangs in the garage, and guns are all put away besides the pistols which we regularly take to the range.
Winter time fishing is tough, but man does it pay off, not usually in numbers, but in size. I’m not talking monsters, but good quality fish. In the winter it’s mentally and physically preparing yourself. You have to be willing to go out and know you might not catch a fish, you have to wear the proper gear, have plenty of water, and food.
When the leaves start to turn and before they drop the fish start feeding heavily to prepare themselves for their metabolism to slow for the winter, and head to their wintering holes. Usually these holes are in slower water if you are on a river, or creek, the back side of the bend of a river, behind boulders, deeper holes, and many other places that protect the fish from current. They try to stay out of the current to consume energy, but stay close to current because it acts as a conveyor belt delivering food to their doorstep. There are also power plants that use water to cool their turbines that generate electricity and the warm water they discharge draws in baitfish which the larger predator and scavenger fish follow for their next meal.
I like to use soft plastics drug across the bottom, jigs worked slowly, jerk baits with long pauses, slow rolled spinner baits, and cranks. I’m not opposed to throwing on a circle hook, and using live bait neither. Match the hatch if there is a lot of baitfish in the area then use what matches the kind of baitfish in your area, or if there are crawfish in the area use what color best matches the crawfish in your waters. Take time to look into the water, watch the surface, flip over some rocks, and pay attention. My favorite times to fish during the winter are pre-frontal conditions, warming trends, and overcast days. I don’t have the pleasure of deciding when to fish I have to take whatever opportunity is available to me due to a full-time job.
When I was younger I grew up near a hot water discharge. We would drive by on our way to pick up lunch after 6 hrs sitting in a tree stand. I would ask my dad what were they doing he said cat fishing, that was over 20 years ago. If I had known then what I know now I would have sneaked in a kayak at night and probed around.
Now 20 year later no longer in a stand for 10hrs a day, now I’m in a kayak on the water in near freezing temperatures, and sometimes below waiting for that one bite. Sometimes at a warm water discharge about 200 miles away from the one where I grew up.
Before you go out and think you are going to catch that next big fish ask yourself if you are ready. Make sure you have proper clothing (cotton kills), and PFD. Dress to be in the water, expect to fall in. Have a partner, a float plan and give it to others, call someone before, getting on the water, and just after getting off the water to let them know where you are, and are safe. Be sure to have an extra set of clothes, including hats, and gloves, have plenty of water and food, including something to start a fire. Make sure you are able to get in and out of your kayak if the worse happens, remember it will be cold and you will have a lot more clothing on then in the summer time so your movements may be restricted, and added weight of the additional clothing.
Please practice catch and release save the waters for our future.