| As the year comes screeching to a halt, it means | | | | should be slowed down when the trout are |
| one thing to most of us who enjoy fishing for | | | | sluggish due to cold water as well. The bottom line |
| trout. It means that the weather is colder and the | | | | is this: When water temperatures plummet, trout |
| trout are much more sluggish and hard to catch | | | | want to expend as little energy as they can |
| than they are in warmer weather. Does this | | | | getting food. Keep this in mind when fishing for |
| mean that we can't catch trout when the | | | | trout in cold weather. |
| weather gets cold? No, not at all, it simply means | | | | When the trout are sluggish, it's that much more |
| that we need to keep certain things in mind when | | | | important to make sure you're fishing at the |
| fishing in these types of conditions. | | | | most opportune times. This is where paying |
| Fish, and this obviously includes trout, are cold | | | | attention to the weather and/or moon come into |
| blooded and as the water temperature drops, the | | | | play. These two natural occurrences have a |
| fishes metabolism slows down. When a fishes | | | | remarkable affect on the behavior of fish, and |
| metabolism slows down, they don't eat as much. | | | | understanding how and why is important. |
| And we as anglers know what it means when fish | | | | Maximize your fishing time by learning how the |
| don't eat as much, right? Yep, they are much less | | | | weather and moon affect the behavior of the fish |
| apt to bite whatever we as anglers are offering. | | | | you're trying to catch. |
| Keeping in mind that trout aren't going to be as | | | | Finally, you have to keep your hands warm while |
| willing to eat as they will when water | | | | you're fishing, or you're in trouble. The methods I |
| temperatures are higher, we as anglers need to | | | | use to catch trout require me to have the |
| vary our approach a little bit. This means using | | | | unfettered use of my fingers, which means that I |
| baits/lures that are smaller than we normally | | | | need fingerless gloves to help keep my hands |
| might. For example when the weather is cold, | | | | warm. Keeping your hands warm while trout |
| using a whole night crawler isn't going to be as | | | | fishing is cold weather is of the utmost |
| productive as it might be in July. When the | | | | importance. Nothing can ruin a perfectly good |
| weather (and subsequently the water | | | | fishing excursion like having your hands feel like |
| temperature) gets cold, try using small baits like | | | | they might fall off at any moment, I promise you |
| meal worms and maggots. Or maybe just a piece | | | | that. |
| of night crawler? | | | | Follow these simple tips for trout fishing is cold |
| The same principle holds true for baits. Where a | | | | weather and you'll be much more comfortable |
| ¼ ounce Rooster Tail might be employed in | | | | and successful. Remember, just because the |
| July, in January downsize to an 1/8 ounce version | | | | weather temperatures change it doesn't mean |
| of the same lure. The speed of your retrieve | | | | that you have to stop fishing for trout. |