My Favorite Six Flies for Winter Time Trout Fishing Bill Cooper for 1-4-23 Winter is by far my favorite time to fish for trout. The crowds of summer are gone from our Ozark Streams, biting insects are non-existent, the air is cooling and fresh and the water cold and clear. To take a breath of cold, fresh air while wading a free flowing stream is an exercise in sensory overload. River smells are like no other. It’s trout that attract me to this spectacular environ. The metabolism of trout slows with colder weather. What this means for anglers is a flip from summertime fishing when trout are far more active. Cold weather anglers will need to slow down and work the slower, deeper hides. Trout become lazy this time of year in their natural efforts to conserve energy. You’d be wise to do the same. Get the weight right for your flies to get down deep. It becomes necessary to place your fly offering as near to the nose of a trout as possible. They are far less likely to chase a fly during the cold weather months. Get the depth right, then it is a matter of offering the right fly. Trout during the colder months concentrate on aquatic insects, primarily midges. Midges, baetis nymphs and micro worms are my favorites. There are a million fly patterns on the market, but these six flies are common in my winter time fly box. Rainbow Warrior Midge Ok. Perhaps it is in the name. I have known any number of warriors who crossed the rainbow bridge. I never fish the Rainbow Warrior without htignmkling about those who made sacrifices in far away places. This brightly colored midge pattern will defiantly stand out in your mindset and in the water. I like to fish this flashy nymph on very bright days. Lots of light penetrating the clear water of a trout stream will light up the blues, reds and silvers of the Rainbow Warrior like a neon sign. Winter time trout feed heavily on the tiny nymph stages of aquatic insects. Use size #18-to-#22 Rainbow Warriors and enjoy the hits. I once caught dozens of chunky rainbows on a 300-yard stretch of pea gravel bank on Taneycomo Lake. The takes were so slight, it took me 10 minutes to figure it all out. Trout were spitting the fly out before I good set the hook. I thought some of the pauses were the fly ticking the bottom. Wrong. Every one was a trout taking the fly…on virtually every cast. Wooly Bugger The Wooly Bugger is one of the most universal of fishing flies. They come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. I prefer a bead-head Wooly Bugger in sizes #6-to-#12 in brown, black, olive, or yellow. The larger flies represent anything from crayfish, sculpins and minnows. I use this common fly on dark, dreary days for Brown trout. They often come out of the deeper runs to feed in shallow riffles on these dark days. Numerous times I’ve caught dozens of Brown trout from the Meramec River on Wooly Buggers on the nastiest of days. An added bonus is that I never encounter other anglers on these grayest of days. San Juan Worm This small worm pattern works great as a bottom drop fly, with another fly pattern 12-to-18-inches above it. I prefer San Juans with a gold bead-head to add a little flash. Red and pink in #12-to-#18 are my favorites, but I have had good days fishing tan and white worms as well. Although plastic worms per se are prohibited in some areas of Missouri trout streams, San Juans and Cerise worms are legal. Hot Head Soft Hackle Sow Bug Equipped with a hot pink bead-head and a a pink soft hackle body, this is one of my favorite nymphs to fish in murky water. Sow Bugs are often called Cress Bugs and are vital in many trout streams, especially so in the famous White River of Arkansas. I catch both Brown and rainbow trout on the Hot Head and prefer to fish sizes #14-to-#16 in deep pockets with moderate current. This scud, shrimp, and sow bug imitator has long held a top place in my winter time fly box. Hare’s Ear Nymph The Hare’s Ear is a classic nymph that is one of the most common flies found in angler fly boxes. This attractor fly is not a replica of any aquatic insect. However, its wooly yarn body and scraggly legged looking appendages and slight deer hair tail, with a thin orange collar make it one of the buggiest looking fly creations of all time. I generally add a tiny spit shot to my leader to get the Hare’s Ear to the bottom. I high stick the drift to keep in contact with the fly. If I feel the slightest tick, I lift the rod high to set the hook. It takes a good deal of on the water experience to differentiate between the fly merely bumping bottom, or becoming picked up by a trout. Soft Hackle Sulphur This mayfly imitation has been a good producer for me every month of the year. Its buggy appearance and the swimming action of the soft hackle make it virtually irresistible to trout. Although the hackle and body material generally consists of mottled tan, brown and black material, I like to downsize this offering in the winter time to a #22 or smaller in all back. The pattern then resembles a tiny, black swimming midge. At times it has proven deadly, eliciting strikes on almost every cast. Winter time trout fishing is a grand affair that can often be enjoyed in total solitude. As a bonus, the air is fresh, cold and clean. You can’t go wrong in these pristine settings. Pack a lunch, a small, hot thermos, and plenty of your favorite winter time flies.

Fly Fishing the Niangua River

Fly Fishing the Niangua River Bill Cooper for 12-`13-23 The Missouri Ozarks are famous for cold, clear, spring-fed rivers and the 125-mile long Niangua, a tributary of the Osage, is no exception. Recently I spent the day on the river with Michael Collins of Misty Mountains Guiding Service. I had not been on the Niangua for over 30 years. I worked as the naturalist at Bennett Spring in the late 1970s and still have found memories of catching both scrappy smallmouth bass and trout on the stretch of water just below Bennett Spring. Collins and I had previously fished the Meramec River together. His abilities to catch big smallmouth bass on huge streamers, which he personally tied, was northing short of amazing. I made a mental note of his skills and yearned to fish with him again the following season. Collins reached out, after he discovered he had an open date in early December. He quizzed me immediately to find out if I preferred a raft trip or a wade and fish trip. I do love wade fishing, but little compares in the world of fly fishing to drifting down an Ozark stream with an experienced guide at the helm. We soon agreed that the Niangua would be a rewarding trip for both rainbow and Brown trout. We met In Bennett Spring State Park, near the confluence of the spring branch and the Niangua River at 7 a.m. First light had just begun to push away the darkness. I could see trout feeding on the surface as Collins readied several fly rods for the short 4-mile float. The short float would allow us the time to thoroughly work the many runs, riffles and pools that we would encounter throughout the day. After we shuttled Collins’ truck to the downriver take out point, we discussed the day’s plans as we enjoyed the drive back to the put-in in my pick-up. We jabbered like two kids going to the playground. Excitement cracked in our voices as we talked about expectations and more importantly, possibilities. Collins manned the oars after handing me a high end Sage rod setup with a tandem fly rig. An egg pattern graced the end of the tippet, while a small pink jig adorned the line 16-inches above the terminal fly. “Great minds think alike,” I said. “I love pink flies and often use them on pumpkinhead setups.
 “Trout do love pink,” Collins echoed. Minutes into the float my indicator dipped below the surface and my first rainbow of the day fought hard in the steady current. It had taken the pink jig true to our expectations. The Sage rod felt swell in my hands. The 6-weight rod handled like a 4-weight in other brands. It stood strong and allowed me to work the scrappy rainbow to Collins’ net with ease. Once we drifted out of sight of the park, we beached the raft to try our hands at drifting our tandem fly rigs through a promising looking run and resulting drop-off into a deeper hole. Collins scored first with another feisty rainbow. Its brilliant colors flashed in the gin-clear water as he worked it to hand. We admired the grand fish and both sensed a feeling of adoration as the trout sped back to its hide, from which it had chased the egg pattern and ate it. Pumped by our good fortune, both of us attempted to set hooks when our indicators bobbed. Often the bobs were a result of the bottom fly ticking the rocky substrate. “If you aren’t feeling the bottom while nymph fishing for trout, you are not fishing deep enough,” Collins instructed. “Trout very often relate to the bottom, because that is where the majority of their food sources live. Aquatic insects and invertebrates invariably live in the rocks and vegetation associated with the bed of the river.” As we crawled back into the raft and shoved off into the current, a Bald eagle soared high overhead, flashing the brilliant white feathers of its head and tail. It proved a fitting episode in the drama of our day on the river, far away from noisy crowds and a busy world. Connors steered the raft towards a deep hole to get me into position for the first cast. As soon as my double fly rig hit the water, several rainbows investigated my offerings. The indicator went down. I missed the strike. I hooked up on the next cast, only to have the hard fighting fish get off half way back to the raft. The excitement of the moment hurried my next few casts, the most of which resulted in solid strikes. I hooked three more rainbows in that hole, all of which escaped before reaching the net. Regardless, the strikes and hookups provided brief moments of exhilaration. Connors and I each reflected on the joys of fly fishing in such a wild setting. A high Ozark ridge towered over us, covered in the standard oak-hickory forest. Boulders and rock rubble lined the banks, providing superb cover for trout and bass alike. As a bonus, we had not encountered another boat or fisherman all day. We felt as if we were fishing at the end of he earth. Collins handed me an 8-foot rod rigged with one of his fabulous streamers, which he ties himself, out of nightmare musky material. He instructed me to cast the fly as close to shore as possible in hopes of turning a hit from a Brown trout. A bit further down stream, Collins cast the big streamer far up under an overhanging limb. “Chaser,” he yelled. The beautifully colored Brown trout clobbered the big fly, which Collins stripped as rapidly as possible. Once netted, we took numerous photos before releasing the splendid fish to fight another day. The release became the perfect end to a perfect day. To book a fly fishing trip with Michael Colins Google @mistymountainsguidingservice. Photo cutline: Michael Collins, of Misty Mountains Guiding Service, shows off a Niangua River Brown trout he caught on a recent rip with Bill Cooper.