# Fall/Winter fly fishing recommendations



## IGbullshark (Aug 10, 2012)

Hello all, i am new to fly fishing and have only been at it for about 3 weeks. that being said, i have had the great fortune of having a lot of free time on my hands and have put in over 40 hours of fly fishing over that 3 week period. i am by no means talented but i have become fairly proficient with casting accurately, retrieving, and setting the hook. so far i have had no issues catching fish with my fly setup this summer, and actually i just passed up the number of fish caught on my spincast setup.

i am now starting to set my sights on the fall season. at about this time last year, i hit a wall in fishing. i was exclusively a spin cast fisherman and once the temps just barely started to dip, i didn't catch a single fish. i had a streak of 14 consecutive outings between the beginning of september and the beginning of october where i didnt catch a thing, at which point i gave up until spring. 

with all that in mind, fly fishing has opened a new door with new potentials for me. i have always thought of fly fishing as a cold water thing, with a majority of the pictures i have seen being taken during the fall and winter months. 

This leads me to my first question. is fly fishing more successful during the cold months than spin cast fishing? i realize that using a fly rod is not like waving a magic wand and POOF you are automatically going to catch more fish during the cold months than with spin casting. however, the very nature of fly fishing is completely different. the flies that i use are much smaller than lures used with spincasting (i have always heard that fish prefer smaller baits during the cold months). the flies have more of a hovering effect than other lures. you can retrieve much slower with the fly still operating properly.

my second question is, what sort of fish should i target, and what kind of flies can i use to target them? i live just south of Dayton, specifically Miamisburg and we dont have much access to cold water rivers. the only exception is the Mad River but that is pretty far away for me. my usual stomping grounds are the mid Little Miami and Twin Creek. so far i pretty much only catch smallmouth, rock bass, and sunfish but im always willing to branch out! im not looking for spots, just fly and species recommendations for those bodies of water.

thank you all for your time reading this and thanks for any advice you are willing to share!


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## toobnoob (Jun 1, 2010)

The fish are still feeding when the temps start to drop in the fall/winter, they're just not as active. They are much less inclined to chase something for a meal and will prefer to sit just outside of the main current and eat things that drift past them. Also warm water fish become inactive much sooner than trout/salmon or even pike.

So basically you need to keep this in mind when you're presenting your fly to them. Drifting nymph patterns (or egg patterns) under a strike indicator or dead drifted is probably going to be more successful as the water cools down. Also perhaps targeting a different species will produce better results. In my case I have almost zero luck targeting small mouth in the winter months so I target steelhead in fall, winter and spring. I think the closest steelhead river to Dayton is the Vermillion but since you mentioned the Mad, you could always fish for trout in the cold months. Another option would be going for suckers. I catch plenty of suckers fishing for steelhead and a good size sucker will put a bent in the rod.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I guess it depends on the species and water you're fishing. I think it can be really effective in cold months and I catch fish in tough months when the conditions allow it. I fish mostly ponds and lakes, so extreme cold means ice ends my fly fishing. Every year I have a goal to catch a fish on the fly in Ohio every month of the year and this will be my best chance to make it happen. I caught fish in Jan and Feb, so as long as December cooperates I'll get there. I usually am fishing for panfish in colder weather. Small weighted nymph patterns usually work well. Bluegills will eat any time if you get the fly in front of them. I caught a Fish Ohio gill in Feb literally fishing the edge of an ice shelf on a pond with a weighted nymph pattern. As for larger species like bass, if you can get a fly to their level you have a chance. Most streamer patterns will be slower dropping than a conventional lure, even moved at really slow speeds. I say if there's no ice, give it a shot. You can't catch fish from the couch.


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## Yakphisher (Jul 9, 2013)

Weather has a lot to do with it when water temps are down. Presentation does become paramount so fly selections become more critical and slowing down will be much more productive. Learning to key on the spots is the goal which is quite easily to understand...... deeper holes. 

Not sure where you located but teaming up with a seasoned fly fisher can really help you.


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## anglerNpurgatory (Jun 17, 2010)

As far as still waters go, fall conditions can often put fish within easy reach of the shore angler. On sunny fall days fish are often right up by the bank trying to warm up a little. In reservoirs with big schools of shad you can often get feeding frenzies of white bass and other species in the fall.


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## IGbullshark (Aug 10, 2012)

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm in the Dayton area so trout are kinda off my list. I know that saugeye/sauger like cold water so I thought about trying to target them. Are there any good flies to use for them? 


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## Yakphisher (Jul 9, 2013)

Small Clousers in 2-3" range are really good. Woolybuggers in olive and black is a sure bet.


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## ARReflections (Jan 7, 2011)

Small mouth action is great in the fall. They fatten up before the winter season. Wooly buggers, closures, cats whiskers... The little Miami may be a good area for you as we'll as the great Miami. Used to catch a lot when i was growing up in the Dayton area.


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