That Time of Year...

The days are shortening, the evenings are coming quicker and the air feels a little more crisp, truly fall is in the air. That's when I start to get excited about streamer fishing. Regardless of what's going on in my life, this is a time of the year that I look forward to with anticipation. It's not that September is the greatest month for streamer fishing, far from it, but it does mean that October and November will soon be here, it means that soon enough those brown trout will be changing color and shedding their summer buttery yellows for fall crimson and pumpkin oranges. And they'll be chasing...

Some might argue with you that streamer fishing is only done in the fall, I'll politely tell you that you are full of $#!+, but what is for sure is that streamer fishing in the fall is much different than in the spring time. Instead of waiting for the temperatures to warm up like you do in April, you are simply waiting for the browns to get aggressive, flip their light switch, and start chasing stuff because they're pissed, not because they desperately need a big meal. It's the chance to get fish when they are healthy, when they are fat and sloppy from a summer of feeding, before they go through the stresses of spawning, winter and other things that make them much less appealing to the camera lense. If you truly want a fat sloppy brown trout, there is no better time than the fall.



But you'd better be bringing along some angling skills, because the fall isn't for the novice fisherman to go out and blindly flail away at the water - reading water, knowing where the fish are going to lie when they are getting ready to dig out their spawn beds, and knowing what colors to use etc are all a little more significant in the fall. So I advise you if you haven't done much "trout hunting" in the fall, you find a good buddy who has, or stop by some place where the locals know what they are talking about and get some advice... Then grab a few things that might break your 5 weight, and give in and get a 7 weight (or bigger) and head to the water with some tippet that looks more like cable than monofilament and give it a go. Afterwards there's always a nice beer and a football game on, relax and bask in the glow of a TV for the evening, god I love fall.