All the stuff you need for your winter excursion.
Whether you be fishing at your local pond or here on the Missouri you need to be prepared in a different way than you would be for a summer outing.
In the summer months you can forget a bunch of shit and still hammer out a comfortable fishing trip. In the winter it is much different as you need a much larger list of fishing accouterments.
Summertime: Rod, 6 pack, wide brimmed hat, cool shades, flip flops.
I love the short summer list. No better time to fish than the summer in my book. Early sun, late sun, 18hrs of fishing, dry fly all day long. Cold beers and Ribs at Izaak’s. Get to bed late, get out of bed early, and repeat.
But alas, the winter program is about 180 degrees from the EZ summer routine.
Missouri River Winter Fishing Checklist
You may have to dig out a bigger bag for all your winter shit. I have a large NRS waterproof bag that I shove all that I may need in clothing for any given day on the river.
The giant NRS Duffel includes…
- Down Jacket
- Lighter puffball
- Skwala Wool Pants! 3/2 Puffy!
- Lots of gloves. Leather Mitts that I stuff hand warmers into are key!
- Handwarmers
- Flask. Full.
- A couple hats. The SIMMS Elmer Fudd. Some sort of beanie, and a windproof hat too.
- A BUFF!
- Xtra Socks
- Hidden batches of Chocolate. A must.
On the terminal tackle and rod checklist we have it seems even more stuff in the winter months. We have added rod with our two handed option, actually a couple.
Rods and terminal tackle…
- A couple nymph rods, a streamer rod, a dry fly rod, and a 2 handed rod for swinging.
- All the streamers you own. A box full of pink nymphs. A couple dry flies like midge clusters and soft hackles.
- A few add on leaders. VersiLeaders with differing sink rates for streamer and swinging success.
- A pair of Dr. Slick Mitten Clamps. If you have not tried them, you oughtta.
Relatively short list but the right tools for the job at hand. In the summer you can get away with a dry fly rod only. But the winter, albeit generally colder fishing, can introduce you to moments of brilliance. Short, quick moments.
Now all the comfort items that I love to stuff the truck with…
- Any number of Thermoses. 1 w/ hot chicken broth. Another w/ hot water. Yet another with coffee/Bailey’s combo. And yes, that is the plural of Thermos. Check it.
- Random snacks that always includes jerky. I like peppered the most. Some sort of hard candy like Zotz. Maybe a half bag of Cheeto’s too.
- More gloves.
- A Mr. Heater. Good for standing around at the back of the car. Works in the boat as well.
- More handwarmers.
- And another flask, in case the 1st one has a hole in it.
That pretty much covers it. You can add or subtract any number of items to this list. Car fishing and boat fishing are certainly two different operations. Choose accordingly.
The weather has changed for the better and you should be clear for take-off any day this week. Call us at the shop for an up to the minute fishing report. Remember we have a bundle of Trout Spey Rods for you play with this winter. The cool new LOOMIS rod is worth a try! Your Missouri River winter resource.