Photo by David Williams.

There was a time when trout anglers spent February’s short days and long nights tying flies, repairing gear, and oiling reels, all the while yearning for Opening Day.

Been there, done that, didn’t like it!

Now, fishing regulations have changed. Many trout waters, both still and moving, are open year ’round.

In Washington, the biggest resident rainbows -- we’re talking big, fat 20-pound fish -- are caught in February and March. Neoprene waders, polypropylene underwear, fleece jackets and rain gear tame raw late-winter weather. Aside from an odd late-season steelheader, you’ll have the water all to yourself. All you need for a successful day on the cold winter water is to understand how rainbow and cutthroat trout tick.

THE AMERICAN TROUT
I still believe that the rainbow is the true American trout, even if biologists have reclassified it into the salmon family. Rainbows, indigenous along the Pacific Coast from Baja California to the Gulf of Alaska, can be caught in streams, rivers, lowland ponds and glacier lakes in 47 of the 50 states.

The most adaptable of all trout, they’re capable of living from sea level to 11,000-foot-high alpine lakes. They tolerate the widest variation of water temperatures, from just above freezing to a warmer-than-bathwater 83 degrees. Optimal temperatures range from 50 to 70 degrees.

THE WESTERN TROUT
Cutthroat trout have been part of fishing narratives since Coronado’s army searched for the golden city of Cibola in 1541. Lewis and Clark both mentioned cutthroats in their famous expedition journals. Today, cutthroat trout don’t get the attention they deserve, most likely due to their limited geographical range and the bad rap that they’re too easy to catch. Don’t believe it! They can be as persnickety as the most sophisticated brown trout.

The cutthroat’s most distinguishing features are the slashes of reddish-pink color on the underside of the jaw and the tiny basibranchial teeth on the back of the tongue that prick your finger when releasing a fish. Rainbows don’t have these teeth.

Though biologists recognize 14 subspecies of cutthroat, Pacific Coast anglers will encounter only the coastal and Lahontan varieties.

The coastal variety includes homebodies that never leave the stream where they were hatched, as well as the sea-run fish. Born in fresh water, the sea-runs spend most of their lives in salt water, returning to sweet water only to spawn before returning to the sea.

The Lahontan cutthroat is able to thrive in highly alkaline waters of the Washington, Oregon and California deserts and can be found in a few California streams. Studies show that cutthroats are less tolerant of temperature variations than other trout. However, that may also allow them to out-compete their cousins in cold, relatively sterile headwaters.