Fishing in the depths of winter in t-shirts is uniquely a California coastal phenomenon. I feel for the poor buggers bundled up in Montana with only trout to fish for. However, California’s weather patterns and geography ensure not every day and locale is t-shirts and dry fly weather.
Winter fishing is a game of unpredictability, requiring outside-the-box thinking and a healthy dose of caution. On a memorable New Year’s Day, my truck skidded on a sheet of ice, one side a sheer cliff and the other a ditch. I steered my truck toward the ditch and slammed to a stop. After several failed attempts to free myself, I realized I needed a tow truck amid a New Year’s Day snowstorm. When the tow truck finally arrived a day later, the driver’s first question was what could drive a man to venture down that treacherous road. My simple answer? “Fishing.”
So whether you trek to Pyramid Lake or wrap yourself in Goretex to fish the North Coast, it is essential to be prepared. Warm clothes, a sleeping bag, food, chains, and a shovel are all good things to have in your vehicle if you get stranded.
My favorite winter destinations include Hat Creek, Eagle Lake, Owens River, Trinity River, Eel River, and surf perch fishing between the storms. If you’re like me, you will be glued to the weather forecasts, hoping for snow and keeping an eye on openings to wet a line. Otherwise, there is always tying flies and getting your gear ready for the predictability of summer.
Stay Fishy, California.
