Insights and experiences that will improve your success.

Cutting right to the chase. The first thing you need to be concerned with is staying warm. It will make your experience much more enjoyable and in turn will keep you focused. Focus that you will need to succeed in catching some fish. Chances are you will not do good or go back if you're fretting over the cold. You can read my blog from last week where I have tips on clothing and staying warm on the stream. One thing I would like to add is to bring hand warmers. They are great in a pocket or mitten to warm up your hands which are wet most of the time from handling the line and hopefully fish. I'm fortunate to be able to dress warm enough these days to keep my hands warm and with some fingerless wool gloves I can skip the hand warmers. Everyone will be different.

Where and when to fish. Southern Minnesota and Wisconsin are blessed with numerous spring creeks that do not freeze over in the winter due to the influx of warm ground water. You'll find ice around the edges, especially during cold snaps, but for the most part you'll find plenty of open water to fish. Check the regulations for Minnesota streams that open in early January and Wisconsin streams in early March.

Keep you gear to a minimum. You will be so layered up with clothes that any extra gear will be a burden. You don't need a lot of things. Rod & reel, tippet and an extra leader, a small box of flies and some split shot if their not weighted. Maybe some floatant for your dry flies. Keep things simple and your vest light and things will go better. If you have enough pockets you can leave the vest behind also. When you're hiking through the snow to get to a good spot you'll be glad you packed light.

What to bring for flies? This can seem like a daunting decision which leads you to bring everything you have. In reality all you need is a small selection of nymphs and dry flies. The fish pick off nymphs drifting in the current year round. In the winter you'll find midges and tiny black stoneflies about size 20. Later in February and March you will find bigger black stoneflies size 16 and blue winged olive mayflies size 18. These hatches will vary by region and latitude so find out ahead of time what's going on.

The water temps will be pretty cold, even for the fish. Their metabolism slows and they will concentrate more in slower runs and pools. Probing these areas with a nymph can sometimes produce a lot of fish. Sunny afternoons are usually best. The rays will warm the water up through the day and fish activity will peak with the water temp. The bite will shut down again in late afternoon to early evening as the sun gets lower and the shadows longer. Late morning to late afternoon would be your best bet. The theory that you should fish the most pleasant time of day works well in this case. One exception is the blue winged olive hatch. These mayflies will emerge on sunny days but seem to prefer the more inclement days in late winter and early spring. If you have a chance to get out, good luck and good fishing.