Fall fishing is approaching and offers some of the best fishing of the season

So when is fall?  From our perspective in the northern Rockies, at an elevation of around 6,200 feet, fall arrives around Labor Day, September 2 this year.  It’s the time when kids are back in school, Yellowstone tourists have mostly gone home and the rivers are far less busy.  It’s also the time when fishing takes a noticeable upswing for a number of reasons.

 First is the drop in fishing pressure and numbers of anglers for the reasons above.

 Another is the weather and light conditions.  With milder autumn temperatures, the difference between lower midday temps and cool evenings is much smaller than in summer.  That means noticeably less wind and easier casting, always a boon for the flyfisher.  Combined with the lower autumn light levels, conditions are more favorable for both fish and fisher.

Along with the cooler weather come the late season hatches like the baetis or blue-winged olive mayflies and the mahogany duns.  Both of those mayflies are quite small, but hatch regularly and in big numbers, especially the baetis, which is the mainstay of the fall dry fly fishing.  On an overcast and calm fall day we’ll have epic hatches that can bring more rising fish than we imagined inhabiting a stretch of the river.

Finally, the spawning urge that makes the fall-spawning browns and brookies move upstream toward their spawning areas concentrates them in areas below dams, river mouths and gravelly runs.  Find some of those places and you can fish over more large fish than at any other time of the season.  The guides know where those places are, and take their clients to some of the best fishing and biggest fish of the season. 

On top of all the favorable fishing conditions are the glorious colors of the aspens and other fall foliage, the sights and sounds of migrating waterfowl, and the lighter pace of human activity.

We always look forward to some of the best fishing of the season - coming up soon!