Week of January 25, 2026: Blizzard 2026
Winter fishing has been really productive this year as the temperatures, while frigid, had not quite reached freezing. There were several periods when the air temperature was nearly fifty degrees and it felt like early Spring. The pendulum has swung back bringing with it Arctic air that is going to sit with us for a while and keep all this snow above ground.
The biggest threat to winter fishing in rivers is when the ice not only covers the surface, but freezes from the surface to the bed along the banks and around rocks. Eventually, this anchor ice pushes living organisms out or freezes and kills them. From a selfish, human perspective, anchor ice makes it hard to reach moving water where fish can be found!
Can fish be found where anchor ice has taken hold? You betcha! In fact, another type of ice, shelf ice, is used by wise and wary trout at cover, much like an overhanging bank or half sunken limb. The danger for us fishing around shelf ice lies in cutting our lines if a trout heads back under the ice. Additionally our fly line, leader, or tippett becomes ensconced in the ice while teasing a fish back into open water. Still, ten yards of open riffle is too enticing when Bubba or a TU brown is happily feeding on midges in the middle of a frozen stream.
Speaking of chironomids, here is a little more on the subject, as these non-biting flies remain a staple food source for trout and other fish in rivers and lakes. Phil Rowley, in this video, points out one of the coolest features of the actual insect and an important fact to remember when tying a midge: the pupae use gas to rise to the surface when they are ready to take to the wing. This is significant because when the pupae are young and gathering along the river bed, essentially staging their ascent, they have not accumulated the gas under their exoskeleton. Thus, they remain rather dull in color; apply a light wrap or coat of varnish without much flash. I go bare thread to mimic them and leave my wire or tinsel wraps exposed.
Once these tiny worm-like insects are ready to rise, they inflate their bodies, so to speak, with gas. As they rise up, their body takes on a translucent quality we can imitate with clear or pearl krystal flash or thin mylar wrapped over the thread and wire thorax of a zebra, rainbow, or other midge. Resin or head cement can create the same effect. The gas brings the midge towards the surface and also helps the naturals lay flat under the surface in order to expedite the adult emerging from the shuck.
Early devotees to chironomid and midge fishing noticed fish taking an imperceptible alternative to a dry fly and investigated what was happening just beneath the surface. Dr. H A Bell cracked the code while fishing Blagdon Lake, a reservoir in Britain, in the 1920’s. Midges, called “buzzers” across the pond, are the staple food source in lakes and lochs around Great Britain and Ireland. Dr. Bell examined the natural chironomids in their various cycles. For the pupa, he added a white “tuft of wool” to a midge comprised of black wool and gold tinsel, assembling the “Blagdon Buzzer,” which has inspired midge patterns including the zebra midge and Ice-Cream Cone (The History of Fly Fishing in Fifty Flies). The white head of the midge, which represents the gills, has been recreated with materials like foam balls and white or clear glass beads. Like Dr. Bell’s early chironomid patterns, the distinction seems to be the gills and iridescent sheen (or not) depending on the midge activity at the time.
If you head out to find some soft water, stop by and get proper gear; we carry Patagonia and I can personally attest to the efficacy of their cold weather gear. I got my first Patagonia jacket for snowboarding in 2005 and still wear it. This weather is not to be trifled with and there’s a cold weather advisory for most of the week. Layering is key to staying safe and warm in prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures. Base layers are thin and worn directly against the skin. Long underwear can help regulate sweat and create the first barrier to trap body heat. I appreciate the thumb-loop in Patagonia’s base layer to keep the sleeve from bunching up with each layer. Next, a thicker layer is there to insulate and create a mid-layer before a Goretex or water and windproof final shell. I see folks sporting sweatpants and hoodies as these underlayers, which obviously work, but I trust fleece or flannel pants to lock in heat more efficiently than just sweats. If you’re planning to be out there for more than an hour it may be wise to remember Batman’s words in the first Nolan film: “I’m not wearing hockey pads.” In other words, be careful and bring the right gear for the situation at hand. South Branch Outfitters can set you up with whichever layer you need from head to toe.
Above all, be careful out there. I’m excited to see what the TCAs look like, but I’m going to stay in, tie flies and let the road crews do their work. Give them a big smile and wave as they drive by - they deserve our gratitude for keeping us moving, even if they rebury the driveway and knock the mailbox off the post once in a while.
See you out there,
Roy B.