We’re deep into the heart of fall fishing now! With hard frosts in the morning and snow starting to linger longer on the ground, we can feel winter just around the corner. The October caddis and mahoganies are mostly done with the recent cold snap, blue-winged olives and the midges being the most focal hatches at the moment. The BWOs will be small dries in the 16-20 size range. Midges are a hair smaller and will mostly be in the size 20 or smaller range. Small generalist dry patterns work well for both hatches, and the trico patterns we fish earlier in summer have great utility in this period.

The browns are mostly done spawning, so assume any fish up a side channel or tributary is most likely spawning and leave it alone. A lot of big fish have returned to the main river, so there are more than enough trophy fish out there to catch with your ethics intact. As we slide into colder weather, it’s the perfect time to break out the heavier rod and experiment with some bigger patterns you’ve been meaning to try. Big pike in the main river are feeding heavily, and it’s a great time to swing some truly giant streamers. Post-spawn browns feeding up to recover from the spawn and hungry fat bows will be feeding as well. Fun as a BWO hatch can be, I can’t put the 8wt down til it freezes to my hand. This time of year, a Sparkle Yummy in JJ’s Magic or a bright yellow bugger can be just the ticket for targeting big trout, but giant articulates are well worth the grind if you’ve the patience. Jigged streamers also shine when probing deeper pools or larger, faster runs. Expect the streamer bite to only get stronger as the days grow shorter and the nights longer.

Nymphing is always a solid move if all else falls flat—Frenchies, PTs, and Pats rubber legs are out bread and butter when it comes to nymph fishing. no matter running hopper-dropper, indicator, tightlining, its all very reliable.