Sometimes You Just Need Patience

A few days ago, I had the privilege of taking some folks trout fishing who were visiting from Nebraska . We fished at one of my favorite local lakes and although the weather was a beautiful sunny day, the water was still quite cold (39 degrees Fahrenheit) and there was snow on much of the shoreline. Needless to say, these conditions made for a slow fishing day.

But like me, these folks just enjoyed being out on a beautiful lake with good friends and family. We could have come home empty handed and everybody would have still been happy. It was just one of those great days to be on the lake!

Fishing was slow - and we tried different rigs, baits and locations on the lake until we figured out where the trout were feeding and what they wanted. As is often the case, location and time of day turned out to be key factors in catching trout this day.

There is one spot on this particular lake where I've historically had the best luck catching trout, so as usual, we headed there first. But after coming up dry there, we moved to a new location. I've often avoided this other location the lake because it's so rocky and I get tired of losing tackle in it. However, on this particular day, if we wanted to catch trout, this is where we needed to be.

Trout were actively feeding on submerged bugs on and around those rocks. And so tossing our lines there made our offerings more likely to be seen by trout. Trout strikes are often more subtle in winter and so we had to be careful to set the hook, keep our lines tight, and the tip of the rods up to increase our chances of landing fish.

It's a well known fact that many insects and bugs are nocturnal and start emerging around dusk. This is why trout fishing during dusk and night hours can be so productive. And so it was with us. As soon as dusk set in, fishing really started heating up. We were pulling trout one after the other within minutes of casting our lines. And I'm happy to report that we were able to take home a nice stringer full of rainbow trout along with some good fishing memories.

Understanding trout feeding habits and lies can help you catch more trout - even when fishing appears slow and challenging. Good anglers are constantly monitoring the fishing environment throughout the day so they can adjust their tactics as needed. Trout fishing in winter may be challenging in some areas, but it can still be productive if you understand a little bit about trout and their needs.