The following was written by James M. Piotrowski.

Since there's been lots of questions about winter fishing, and since I've been down that road many times, I share with you "Pio's Winter Fishing Thesis." Take it for what it's worth, if you don't like it, keep your criticisms to yourself.

1. When to fish. Other times of year you hope for overcast or even rainy weather to improve the fishing, things are a little different in winter. For me, the best witner fishing occurs on warm days when midges hatch and you might actually get a chance to take fish on dry flies. Warm days happen in two ways in the Rockies in winter. (1) Clear sunny days when the sun actually causes the water temp to rise a few degrees, (2) when it snows (snow is usually a sign that the temp is just a few degrees below freezing, it usually won't snow on really cold days, and obviously won't on warmer days). Let's just be honest and say that the fishing usually sucks when it's 4 degrees outside.

2. Techniques. All the usual techniques will work in the winter (except that using attractors is usually a waste of time IMHO), but winter fishing forces us to deal with the fact that we are in an environment of extreme cold and water. Any technique that requires you to constantly strip line back into the guides leads to iced up guides (more on that later). Any technique that allows you to consistently use the same amount of line outside the guides will keep your guides and your hands a lot drier. Short-line or high-stick nymphing, and swinging streamers or soft hackles fit the bill. In my experience an active fly is a better choice than a dead drifted fly in the winter, so I usually opt for swinging streamers or soft hackles.

3. Seasonal fishing gear and supplies. Bring two rods and reels, the first one is going to get dropped in the river and the reel will freeze up. Leaders should be short and stout unless the fish absolutely demand a finer presentation. If swinging a large streamer or a weighted soft hackle, the leader should be no finer than 2x and 0x will usually do. A short section of tapered leader, with 18 inches of 0x tippet will usually do. Ice-off Paste from loon is a good product, buy it, use lots of it on your guides, apply more every time you take a break. If you forget to bring it, use silicone floatant instead. Some folks say to use vaseline, I say if you've got vaseline in your fishing rig, you've got bigger problems. Winter fishing requires ONE flybox. That flybox should contain a fair number of wet and dry midges, 4 different streamers, a half dozen standard issue nymphs, and your favorite selection of soft hackles. If you really need anything else, you can go back to the truck and get it (OK, you can throw in some size 20 beatis patterns if you want, but usually the soft hackles will cover that hatch). You'll need forceps, nippers, split shot, floatant, dessicant powder, and that's about it. Put all that stuff on a lanyard and leave the vest in the truck.

4. Clothing. You're going to get cold. Some people will tell you that if you wear the right combination of clothing you won't get cold. Those people are lying. You will get cold. The question is how could will you get, and how will it affect you. YOU MUST MAINTAIN BODY CORE TEMPERATURE. If you don't do this, you will die. Winter fishing can be a lot of fun, it is not worth dying for. Wool sucks. Okay, it doesn't suck, but it can't hold a handle to the new high-tech winter clothing. If you have a traditionalist side to your personality, kick that side in the arse, and go get some capilene. You want a fine baselayer, followed by a heavy insulation layer. If it's really cold, you go with heavier layers. Adding additional layers often causes more problems. Think about it, you've got a base layer on (capilene light weight, for instance) then an insulation layer, Polartec 200 or 300 then you've got waders on over that. On top you've got a wading jacket, followed by a vest. That's a lot of layers, trying to add more will usually fail. Instead, make the layers heavier. This is why I own capilene tops and bottoms in both lightweight and expedition weight. If you put on expedition weight capilene pants, followed by Polartec300 pants, topped by waders, and your legs or crotch are still cold, you should not be out there for something as silly as catching a trout, go home, have an Irish Coffee and congratulate yourself for not being a moron. You can get away with more layers on the top part of your body, but keep in mind that it gets hard to cast when you can't move your arms. Recognize the early stages of hypothermia: your legs go completely numb, you get clumsy, you shiver then stop shivering, your mind becomes clouded and you can't remember your wife's name, etc. At any of these signs, get the hell out of the water and warm up.

5. Food. The body needs fuel to stay warm. Pack good snacks that you will actually want to eat. A hot lunch is a great idea, I always pack my campstove in my rig in the winter, along with an assortment of hot drinks, and some instant soup. Also, stay hydrated. You loose lots of mositure just by breathing dry winter air. You won't feel like drinking ice water, hence, the warm drinks. Alcohol is fun and I encourage its use, just keep in mind that it interferes with proper fucntioning of the body and enhances your risk of hypothermia and/or frostbite.

6. Attitude. Always remember that any day you are out fihsing in the winter is a day when you are about a gazillion times luckier than the poor slobs who are sitting on their couch watching a football game. Be thankful for that, and don't be greedy for fish. Walk the banks, enjoy the sights, get to know your favorite river in a season most people don't see. Believe it or not, on the Boise River inside Boise City Limits, I can see bald eagles, blue heron, and an incredible diversity of ducks on a winter day. Most folks don't even know they are there, because they only see the river in summer. On a more remote river in southern Idaho that is packed with anglers all summer long, I've had days where I saw mule deer, wild turkeys, elk, chuckar, grouse, pheasant, muskrats, otters, and, yes, even a beaver. Knowing/seeing that sort of thing makes you a hero, well, okay, not a hero, but definitely cool. And knowing and seeing that sort of thing is reward enough for braving the elements to get out and fish.

7. Pio's final rule for winter fishing: If it ain't fun, don't do it. Remember, those of us who are out there don't give a rat's arse if you make it out or not. So if you're not having a blast go home, the rest of us won't mind at all.