Who needs skiing when there’s still fly fishing?

True anglers know that even when temperatures are cool enough to stiffen your fingers, and snow creates beautiful patterns along rivers’ edges, it’s still prime time to land a fish with a fly rod.

“Fly fishing Grand County during the winter months takes on a whole new dimension,” says Diane Ehlert, owner of Winter Park Flyfisher in Fraser. “You’ll find more solitude along the snow-covered banks of the Colorado River, and trout feed on midge pupas and sometimes adult midges on the surface during the warmer, midday hours.”

Guide Riley Strickland shared some locations and tips for catching a beauty during winter on the company’s website, writing that the tailwaters of the Williams Fork, Wolford and Willow Creek reservoirs offer pristine winter fishing.

Although winter puts a halt on bug activity and hatches, he writes, it doesn’t put a halt on trout feeding habits. He says the cold weather will slow down a trout’s metabolism, though, “which means they become a lot lazier.” They may not be as willing to move for a fly like they would in warmer months, but this doesn’t slow the fishing, since they tend to gather together in deeper pools with slower currents.

“This means it’s easier to spot where the fish are feeding, and your success rate of pulling out multiple fish, and bigger fish, is multiplied,” writes Strickland. “Those nocturnal pigs have now begun to feed during the warmest part of the day, usually between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.”

Get more tips on winter fishing at the shop, located at 76981 U.S. Highway 40, Unit 3, in downtown Fraser. They’re open year-round.