I've often looked at photos of folks steelhead fishing in "cold" weather. They're usually standing under overcast skies, soaked with rain, and generally looking chilled. Having never fished for steelhead (yet!), I've often wondered if it would be worth it, and how I'd hold up to the colder temps, versus the warm summer days I'm usually fishing.
A window opened for me to finally try winter flyfishing this past weekend. The 2.5 kids and their mom all had plans on Saturday. The daily highs in most of Minnesota had ranged from below zero (Fahrenheit) to the mid-teens for most of Januray. They'd finally break into the 20's F on Saturday. "Warm enough to scratch the itch," I said to myself, thinking back to how jealous I was of fisherfolk I'd seen on the Missouri River in Montana the previous weekend.
In a true expression of my ambition, I overslept an hour Saturday morning. Coffee was brewed, gear tossed into the all-wheel drive SUV, and I made the 3 hour drive from my home in central Minnesota to the southeastern "Driftless Region." A quick stop in Chatfield, then a short drive to Trout Run Creek. Another SUV was already parked, but the only thing moving was the water. I'd been concerned about ice, given the somewhat prolonged period of temperatures near zero F. Yet I found this spring-fed creek with only a little "shelf-ice" on each side in most places. Definitely fishable, and not too dangerous.
