Winter is in full swing here in central Virginia. So far it hasn't been to bad, had one week with snow and cold temps keeping the ground covered but now its gone with temps in the high 40's and 50's. January is my slowest month of the year far as fishing and guiding but no complaints because the body does need the rest from the grind. Theres no reason to quit fishing this time of year, fish still eat you just have to work a little harder to catch them since their more lethargic.
I ran a couple "Winter Trout Tactics" schools this Winter on private water. This focuses on the difference of the trouts behavior during the cold months, feeding habits, and best presentation during the Winter months. If this something that interest you and your looking for a school on the water versus a guided trip sign up for my newsletter on the website to find out when I will be offering them next year. The first school I ran the high was 19 degrees at Escatawba Farms on Dunlap Creek ( private water) but all my anglers caught fish and truly had a Winter trout fishing experience. The following Saturday took another group to Tomahawk Farms on the Jackson River and we had highs near 60. The water was still cold so fishing was the same but way less layers on the body for this school.
Things to look forward to is of course Spring! I will be back running shad trips at Weldon, NC this March. I have a couple spots left for the shad run, March 20 and 23. We also have pre spawn smallmouth fishing to look forward to come March. Great time to catch a big smallie at its heaviest weight of the year. Also I can't leave out trout fishing as the temps rise that becomes better as we approach Spring. More and more insect hatches will start as the water temps rise.
