# Winter flies for small creek fish



## wallace1 (Dec 8, 2010)

Curious if popping bugs still work well during winter or if you guys have other go tos when it gets cold? Been enjoying wading streams so probably gonna give another one a shot Saturday unless the water comes up or it's calm enough to get offshore


----------



## mrl0004 (May 7, 2015)

wallace1 said:


> Curious if popping bugs still work well during winter or if you guys have other go tos when it gets cold? Been enjoying wading streams so probably gonna give another one a shot Saturday unless the water comes up or it's calm enough to get offshore


I personally don't have much luck using poppers during cooler months. Primarily the fish slow their metabolism considerably, so they don't feel the need to go after something making a lot of commotion. That's just my experience, it might be possible.


----------



## wallace1 (Dec 8, 2010)

What do you like to throw instead? I've got some size 10 wooly buggers and some small nymphs.


----------



## Boboe (Feb 4, 2013)

I throw Chernobyl ants, Morrish mice, beetles, etc all through the winter. The action is much slower than in warmer months, but bass and bluegills will come up and eat, especially on warm days.

If targeting bluegills, I use a bead headed spider with rubber legs. They eat these like crack cocaine. Wooly buggers are good flies for any species in any water. They're so versatile and everything eats them. Size them depending on fish and fish mouth size, and secondarily based on forage available.


----------



## mrl0004 (May 7, 2015)

I wish I could answer. I'm too busy hunting in the winter or I'm fishing trout streams, which are way different.


----------



## lsucole (May 7, 2009)

Go get some of the smallest oblong Styrofoam perch floats you can find and cut them in half. On each " fatter" end, get a small cone shaped dremel sanding tool and create a convcave face in the float. Attach this to your leader about 24" above a beadhead wooly bugger, spider, or ultra small jig type of fly. You have just created a fly rodder's popping cork! It is deadly on all types of panfish including Crappie! In salt water we use a larger float with a beaded Clouser for specks and reds.


----------



## mrl0004 (May 7, 2015)

lsucole said:


> Go get some of the smallest oblong Styrofoam perch floats you can find and cut them in half. On each " fatter" end, get a small cone shaped dremel sanding tool and create a convcave face in the float. Attach this to your leader about 24" above a beadhead wooly bugger, spider, or ultra small jig type of fly. You have just created a fly rodder's popping cork! It is deadly on all types of panfish including Crappie! In salt water we use a larger float with a beaded Clouser for specks and reds.


True. And even better, if you're going to do that, you might as well just tie the wooly bugger onto the bend of a popper hook. That way you're fishing two flies at once and you're still getting the same effect.


----------



## NKlamerus (Jan 4, 2016)

Sounds like a bass fishermans float and fly. 

Lately I've been rigging a sinking bugger about a foot in front of a small worm. I like to fish below the surface, atleast a few inches. 

I try to focus a lot more on letting current do the work. (Letting the bait sit for as long as possible before recasting)


----------

