# Cold Weather = Cold Water



## yellowleaf (Sep 8, 2012)

Not sure if this is the best place for this thread, but it's fly fishing.

Each winter a few friends and I make our way up to Smokey Mountain National Park for our kicks on some good cold water fishing. We love fishing up there in the cold weather. We usually have the streams to ourselves is the main reason, but we have figured out through the last few years that snow on the ground seems to turn the trout on like crazy. We have also been really concentrating on the Trophy Section of the Raven Fork in Cherokee. That water is awesome if there is snow on the ground. If you are stupid enough to brave the cold, it will pay off. It was 5 the first morning we were there and we had to wait until it got up to about 16 before the water thawed enough to fish. Plenty of clothes, plenty of stupidity and more alcohol than either of them and you will be rewarded.


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## panhandleslim (Jan 11, 2013)

Wow, some very good quality fish there. Way to go.


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Pretty little fatties! Nice pics


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## sling2ling (Nov 14, 2013)

excellent rainbows, Im going to north Georgia, over memorial day and hope to get a few myself


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## yellowleaf (Sep 8, 2012)

I love North Georgia


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Beautiful fish and great photos. :thumbsup:


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## Pilar (Oct 28, 2014)

Looks like the freezing cold was well worth it. These are some great photos!


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## sureicanfish (Sep 30, 2007)

I'll speak for the fair-weathered folks and say that looks absolutely miserable lol, but awesome job and beautiful fish!


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

nice, great pics!


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## nathan70 (Jul 12, 2011)

Is that a catch and release area?


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## yellowleaf (Sep 8, 2012)

Yes, that's fly fishing only catch and release.


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## FlyLipps (Oct 3, 2007)

The only thing more beautiful than those photos are the fish themselves. Excellent job on some very nice trout. Do you find the colors to be more intense in the cold weather, or that just coincidence? And how do you keep from your line icing up in single digit weather? I fished upper 20's once and couldn't cast for five minutes without having to de-ice the guides.


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## yellowleaf (Sep 8, 2012)

As for the color, I'm sure the cold plays a factor in the color. It's natural oxygen rich water when it colder. Those waters always seem to be very rich in oxygen just due to their nature, so from that aspect I wouldn't expect a change in their color except maybe after a heavy rain with the water very dingy. I've never fished it in the summer though.

The trick to the guides and line is Pam Cooking Spray or Chapstick. More on the guides than the line. It only last about 15 minutes but it definitely helps. You're not standing in that water more than 15-20 minutes anyway before you need a break.


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## fishmagician (Jun 4, 2014)

That's a nice change, good going. I hope your luck continues.


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