you guys west of the rockies are cute... come to the GL and see real cold

Patagonia waders with the fleece grid lined booties
capiline full suit
cold weather tights - Simms extreme pants for the really cold
R1 hoody
thin puff jacket
wading jacket shell
Fleece fold back mittens

 

you guys west of the rockies are cute... come to the GL and see real cold

Hmm. Nah, I think I'll stick with the sea runs. 😜

 

Having never fished in the Great Lakes area, let alone during winter, I’d love to know the average fishing conditions there in winter. Average air temperature? Average water temperature? Is there a point where you don’t fish?

Jake

 

Regarding liner socks, I've worn very thin liner socks under a thin wool blend ski sock and have eliminated my cold feet issue. Feet will sweat and unless it is drawn away from the feet will dampen your socks and keep your feet cold. Also keep my wading boots medium tight as to keep the blood circulation flowing down there. Has worked for me for years. One example...

Wigwam Gobi Liner Socks

 

In my area the season closes December 31. Until then you can see anything from well below freezing to a high of 70deg. One minute the snow could be blowing hard and 10 minutes later your stripping of layers. You just never know. When it gets cold though it's really cold. This is a shot from a few years ago on the last day of the season. Snow squalls blowing through one after the other. There were times I couldn't see the tip of the rod. No fish that day but it's all worth it.

 

What works best for me is to replace anadromous fish with saltwater flats fish. No waders here. Sunscreen is more important. Besides, unlike steelhead, you can actually catch bonefish because they are present. You even see them before you cast. None of this lunacy of getting hypothermia in the hopes of the last unicorn swimming your direction.

 

Down here in Georgia, it can get brutally cold believe it or not…sometimes it even dips into the low 40’s. When this happens, I carry an extra loaf of bread to stuff into my jacket pockets for warmth. The bread helps keeps my finger tips from freezing and gives me the ability to make a nice warm sandwich for lunch. A warm meal on the river is a godsend when it feels like you just can’t take another minute in that brutally cold water.

 

I find it hard to believe that some guys fish in as cold conditions as they claim. At some point around 30ºF, not only do your rod guides start plugging up, but your reel freezes and isn't even fully functional. I'm sure some reels handle it better than others, but there's a point where any gear just simply doesn't work anymore, and it's not that far below 32ºF.

 

Bootfoot waders!

 

Great post and advice here.

FEET:
I don’t love bootfoot waders or bulky socks so I use “ewool” heated socks.
Expensive and worth every penny.
With any sock of choice and oversize wading boots tied loosely for a nice warm air pocket.

HANDS:
“Grabber Toe Warmers”.
With the adhesive stuck to the palm of each hand. The toe ones are thinner than the hand version.
After 5 minutes I’m barely aware of them.
Cheap fleece gloves from the dollar store with the tips trimmed.
Extra hotshot or a zippo in the pocket for extra hand relief during the swing/dangle.

😬

 

I just returned from 8 days at a lodge in Northern British Columbia… the temperature was pretty much 10 - 15 degrees all day long for 8 straight days… plug ice in the guides every second to third cast
Meanwhile, I was completely comfortable and fished dawn till dark …. Wow, How could you stand the temps asked the lodge owner…. We’ve never seen anybody as brave and hearty as that … what’s your secret????

Errr…. Ahhh… ummm… Neoprene boot foot waders?

 

I find it hard to believe that some guys fish in as cold conditions as they claim. At some point around 30ºF, not only do your rod guides start plugging up, but your reel freezes and isn't even fully functional. I'm sure some reels handle it better than others, but there's a point where any gear just simply doesn't work anymore, and it's not that far below 32ºF.

Some Great Lakes fishers fishers go all winter long. Best part of the run. It's brutal.

 

Boot foots with a thick merino wool sock. a down jacket with hood and north face or Patagonia sleeping bag puffer pants. My go to base layers are icebreaker 260 wt wool legging and an ibex mid wt hoodie that always stays on. Add an old school monster thick Patagonia wool sweater if you dare.
Problem is my fingers can’t manage line for long whenit gets frosty

 

The guides and reels freezing is definitely the worst part of cold weather. I’ve never tried it but apparently spraying the guides with Pam cooking spray will help with the freezing issue. I wonder if it will work on vintage Hardy perfects?

Jake

 

Loon "Stanley's Ice Off" buys a little time with the rod guides, but, ultimately, it all freezes.

 

keep reels out of the water and fish/cast a fixed length so there is no stripping or touching wet line
at the start of each swing give the reel a pull of line and wind it back in to free up any ice

The feeling (or lack of) having 2 cinder blocks attached to your ankles is just something you have to accept

take off gloves before landing fish to keep them dry... even better if you can release without getting hands wet
having a back up pair of gloves is also clutch

 

I had a reel freeze up this spring on 15 degree day. Instead of stopping the reel it was in free spool like a center pin and I still managed to land a fish. Lots of short breaks and a short day overall. The final leg of the float to the take out was pretty rough.

 

I've only ever had trouble with one reel in the cold and that was a Loop Classic. Locked up tight on me twice. I fish gear and pawl usually and never have an issue with them. I spoke to guy on the river last year that used Hardy DD reels and they would freeze up at the first sign of cold weather.

 

I've outgrown the desire to put my body through what some of you are describing. I don't need to fish that bad anymore. I don't mind getting a little cold, but the days of frozen waders and iced guides is over for me. I'd still love some bootfoots, but they don't come in my size.

 

1. Long lines, but I do strip.
2. 5 pairs of gloves, so if necessary I can change to a dry pair. Spare hat and a hand muffler.
3. Large carry-on backpack with a change of clothes, so if I take a swim, I change over quickly. (And yesm I taken a swim (twice), and still landed the steelhead)

4. Once thermos soup, stop, relax to enjoy the air and have a little soup with a t)oasted sandwich (which is cold).

....

5. My first reel g&p froze up, so I went to Nautilus sealed drags (20 years ago , 12DD and 12S)

 

As I gotten order, a nice scarf has become important

I still, enjoy, the peace of a cold winter day by the water. I am happy to sit on the bank and fishing makes it better.

 

For me, Steelheading on the Salmon river (NY) in January taught me two things: How to cast between flows of ice, and keeping my hands warm. For the hands I followed the below (mutilated) Old Eskimo proverb:
“Cold hands?... put on a good hat!”

Part of the mammalian-reflex works by diverting blood flow away from the extremities to the torso when it is threatened with killing cold. That threat is determined and triggered by an area on the back of your head.
I put a hand-warmer there under my warmest fur-hat, and my hands will start sweating.

 

Part of the mammalian-reflex works by diverting blood flow away from the extremities to the torso when it is threatened with killing cold. That threat is determined and triggered by an area on the back of your head.
I put a hand-warmer there under my warmest fur-hat, and my hands will start sweating.

Oh I gotta try this!
Thanks!

 

Personally, I’ve found that the best thing for keeping myself warm was to have an ez-p zipper installed. I can leave all of my layers intact and don’t have to rewarm them because I don’t have to take them off.

 

Insulated bootfoot waders keep me comfy. In an icy river or a cold duck blind. Once winter starts, the lighter stuff gets out away.

 

I've been winter steelhead fishing for over half a century. When it comes to braving frigid waters, I'm a pussy*. River temps here on the west side of the mountains are usually above freezing - but that might mean that your agonizing death will be protracted. I stay comfortable by not settling for half-measures. I want a quilted coat under a gore-tex parka, an Iditerod-quality winter cap, long john top and bottom, and 5-mil neoprene bootfoot waders. (3.5 mil is for the shoulder seasons, and breathables are for summer only.) Insulated fingerless gloves work for me.

*an archaic term, missapplied to fisherwomen as I know them.