December wrapped up the year with some really solid conditions on the water. Air temperatures stayed between 50 and 70°F, while water temperatures ranged between 57 and 63°F. Overall, the weather was about as good as it gets for winter fishing. There were mostly sunny days with light winds throughout the month, which made getting out and staying comfortable a lot easier.
As the colder weather set in, fish behavior started to change. On colder days, the fish grouped up into larger schools. When afternoons warmed up, they would spread out more. How we targeted fish depended on both air temperature and the tide. For example, on mornings in the 40s with a low tide around 8 am, we focused on big schools of fish. On the other hand, if it were a 10 am high tide with temperatures in the mid-60s, we were looking for more spread-out single fish.
Fly and light tackle fishing were both productive, but presentation and color mattered more as the water continued to clear. White or mostly white patterns with chartreuse stood out as the most consistent producers. In clearer, cooler water, those colors were simply easier for fish to see and react to.
December was a solid month of fishing and a good way to finish out the year with conditions changing day to day and requiring adjustments based on weather and tides.
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