We have had a lot of snow and colder temperatures recently. This has dropped the lake surface temps from near 50 degrees down to the mid 40’s. This can sometimes shock the fish or make them a little more sluggish. I know a change of 4-5 degrees may not seem like a lot, but for trout this is enough of a change to alter their behavior. The indicator bite will usually fish best when temperatures drop, but the midge bite may slow as the insects also feel the change in temperature and likewise become more sluggish. This is the perfect time to experiment with balanced leeches again until we get a few warmer days to bring those water temps back up near 50 degrees. We have been targeting fish from 6-9 feet with most of the bites occurring in 7.5 feet of water.

This may also cause the fish to react less to stripped flies. Retrieving slowly can mitigate some of the fishes reluctance to eat by making the meal easier to eat. We do have some warmer weather in the forecast towards the end of next week that I believe will get the fish back on the Midge and retrieve bite that we experienced before the cold weather. 

We were seeing some pre-spawn behavior (shallow cruising LCT) before the cool down, but that has all but stopped. It will pick up again soon as the water warms. I like to focus in water a little further out and a little deeper when we start to see cruising fish. It is not uncommon when we are seeing the shallow fish that more fish, and hungrier fish, are just past the shallow cruisers. I’m targeting a lot of those fish in 3-6 feet of water. The retrieve bite should pick up too as the fish become more aggressive and active. 

Pyramid flies we suggest:  TB Balanced Leech, Coned Balanced Leech, Balanced Chub, Mini Jig Leech, Holographic Midge, Micro Holographic Midge, Mopcorn Beetle, Booby Fly, Pyramid Lake Beetle, Pyramid Lake Bugger