Guide Tips

Layering for Winter Fishing

I have fished Colorado rivers extensively over the past 30+ years and a significant amount of that fishing has occurred during the winter. Colorado, with its many tailwaters, offers some of the finest winter fishing anywhere and if dressed properly, one can be quite comfortable on even the coldest of days.

I learned early on that the two parts of my body that succumbed to the cold the most were my feet and my hands. I solved the foot problem by going to bootfoot waders. Years ago it was with neoprene uppers, but now GORE-TEX® uppers are even more comfortable. By layering with long underwear and fleece pants my lower body and feet never get cold. I definitely recommend bootfoot waders for the winter fisherman. In fact, we provide GORE-TEX® bootfoot waders for all of our clients that fish with Taylor Creek during the winter.

The next part is my hands, which I have dealt with by wearing WINDSTOPPER® Foldover Mitts. On the coldest days I flip the mitt over my rod hand while using just the fingerless glove on my other hand. This allows me to control my line with my other hand and still keep my rod hand warm. These techniques allow me to fish most any day of the winter, when most people are sitting in front of a warm fire, missing all of the action!

Tim Heng, General Manager of the Taylor Creek Fly Shop in Basalt, CO, has been guiding on Colorado waters for the past 22 years. He mostly guides on the Roaring Fork, Frying Pan, and Colorado Rivers, but also leads trips to many saltwater locations. He has been manager of Taylor Creek for the past 14 years.