We made it! Another frigid winter is behind us here in Yellowstone country. The end of winter doesn’t mean the snow stops falling, but it does mean spring hatches are soon to come. I am beyond excited for spring fishing, with many trips to plan and not enough time.
Before we jump into spring, I briefly recap what this winter of fishing looked like and highlight how I found success, what I learned, and what left me curious. I hope you had a terrific winter fishing season and enjoy the read.
Cabin Fever
It took a while for winter to show itself. The fall fishing season lasted longer than usual, with mild temperatures and little snow in December. It all changed as the calendar turned to 2025, and winter reminded us why so many people go south. We had a few weeks of blistery cold weather accompanied by snow and wind. Unless you were in an ice shanty, fishing conditions were just about unbearable. Because of this, I did not get out and do much fishing this winter.
Cabin fever is real. It is difficult for me to stay inside for multiple weekends, especially when cramped in a small apartment with three other roommates (it costs to live in prime trout country). These few weeks are some of the most depressing of the year as the days are short, the sun is limited, and fishing is poor. I am happy to have it behind us.
Snowpack
While the winter weather was tough, our snowpack numbers look promising as I write this article. With the poor snowpack over the past few winters, an above-average year would greatly help our fisheries. March, April, and May are some of our wettest months, so I pray our snowpack numbers stay in the green. We all know how much we need it, and I hope to have more fishable water this August than in years prior.
Winter Fishing Recap
With the blistery weather, I did not make it out fishing as much as the past few winters. I went into the winter feeling rather satisfied with my 2024 fishing season and how much I got out on the water, so the drive to go fishing in sub-freezing temperatures was not there. I spent time on the many things I sacrificed during the summer fishing season, such as time with my wife, hitting the gym, working on the blog, and tying flies. It felt good to focus my attention elsewhere for a few weeks, but that only lasted so long before the fishing bug crept back.
The days I got out fishing were productive for winter fishing standards. Tailwaters are king in winter due to their consistent water temperatures and heightened trout numbers. I spent most of my days on these fisheries looking for rising trout.
A few notable days included fishing the midge hatches on the Henry’s Fork, nymphing for hot winter rainbows on the Missouri, and snowshoeing into less pressured winter fisheries.
We are lucky to have stellar dry fly fishing in the Yellowstone Region throughout the winter. You must be willing to look for it, but midge hatches make for dry fly opportunities all winter long. This winter’s hatches were good if you were lucky to be out there on a calm, overcast day. I had a few solid days of dry fly fishing that were more than satisfying, though I did not accomplish my goal of catching an 18+ inch fish on the midge dry fly this winter. Many days were just too windy, or the hatch was not strong enough to bring the bigger fish up. Though a dry fly fish is a dry fly fish, and I still had plenty of fun winter dry fly fishing.
My Setup
I was fishing a bobber when not dry fly fishing this winter. I mixed it up from standard split shot nymphing to short leash techniques, both proving effective. Check out my recent article on short-leash nymphing for more information on this fun technique. If you have questions on how I rig for different scenarios, I would love to field your email or message.
Nymphing
Rod: Sage Pulse 9 foot 6 weight
Reel: Lamson Liquid 5
Line: Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Trout 6wt
Leader: Standard 7.5 foot 3x leader with 2-3ft of 3x fluorocarbon tippet attached to fly.
Dry Fly
Rod: Orvis Helios 3f 9 foot 5 weight
Reel: Orvis Hydros 5
Line: Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Trout 5wt
Leader: Standard 9ft 3x leader with 2-4 feet of 5x fluorocarbon attached.
Midges, worms, and scuds dominated my fly selection this winter. Here are a few of my most used flies this winter fishing season.
What I Learned
What stood out to me this winter was how effective of a tool snowshoes are when fishing in the Yellowstone region in the winter. With all the snow we got, the banks of many fisheries had feet of snow making them difficult to access.
Using snowshoes opened up a world of fishing options that many anglers do not consider this time of year. The snowshoes made it easy to escape and access water that isn’t fished often in the winter. It also resulted in a few adventures I never thought I would do—most notably a 5.5-mile trek into a backcountry lake to ice fish with some good friends. We came home sore, exhausted, and with an adventure we will forever remember.
I highly recommend a pair of snowshoes if you like incorporating a little adventure into your fishing and avoiding the “crowds” when winter fishing.
What Left Me Curious?
As I sat down to plan summer fishing trips, listing the many new rivers and lakes I would like to explore, I came across many fisheries with lower trout densities that are not heavily fished compared to our blue-ribbon trout streams. Does our standard for a trout fishery ruin us to a degree as Western anglers, making anything with less or smaller trout feel like a waste of time?
It is hard to work up the courage to fish something a little different than the norm, at least it is for me. Why fish the no-name creek with low fish populations when you can catch many big trout on the Missouri River, full of thousands of trout every mile?
But just because these fisheries have lower fish counts (than other famous, heavily guided rivers) does not mean they don’t have incredible fishing opportunities.
This thought came to me as I was planning a trip to New Zealand and reading about the rivers there. New Zealand is considered one of the top fly fishing destinations in the world. But so many rivers in New Zealand have just a few hundred, if not fewer, fish per mile. Compared to our famous streams here (which have 2-6 thousand fish per mile), New Zealand streams have just a small percentage of trout per mile than we are used to.
Yes, New Zealand has some of the biggest trout in the world that you can catch in crystal-clear water with stunning scenery. However, many lesser-known streams in the Yellowstone region host trout populations similar (as well as fish size) to New Zealand streams that practically go unfished.
I have caught myself and other anglers doing this as I plan for another fishing season. Downgrading many trout streams because they have lower fish populations, smaller fish, or are less written about than our popular fisheries. We are so spoiled here in the West; it sometimes gets the best of us. I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone this year and explore something new.
Now, only if some of these streams were easier to access.
Thanks for reading, and I wish you an adventurous spring fishing season.
Stay curious out there.
Nick
2 thoughts on “Winter Fishing Recap 2025”
Excellent winter recap! So, so good. I really appreciate your reflection at the end about exploring less known rivers. I started actively doing that this winter and was surprised to find some truly incredible water (and fish) that I hadn’t really heard anyone talk about. Got skunked a few times too, but that’s just part of the process. Just being outside is the reward, fish are the bonus!
BTW, your photography is stunning. 👏🏻
Thanks Derrick! It is so true. There is so much out there that may not be heavilty written about, but offers a unique fishing experience. Glad to hear other anglers seeking out these fisheries as it helps spread the angler pressure.
Haha thanks! It’s easy to do when the scenery is so beautiful.
I appreciate your comment.