St. Vrain Angler

Presents:

Fall Fly Fishing

by Dale A. Darling

Fall is beautiful. Colors and air are crisp and streams and lakes are cool and clear. Skies are blue or full of clouds, with rain, sleet and snow just around the corner.

Any given day can be warm and cold, dry and wet. The fish don't care, though, as they are already cold and wet. It's time to go fishing!

Fall portends dryness after what are normally dry days in August and early September.

There may be snow involved with some of your fishing days, but fish will be bright and healthy.  We're likely to hook lovely rainbows like the one Larry has at the left, or colorful browns and brookies that are preparing to spawn. The fish are in the best shape of the year after feeding all summer, and still want to add weight to survive the harsh winter that follows.

Carry a few along and be ready to use them as searching patterns or as a top fly when fishing with smaller nymphs along seams.

Never be surprised when a trout eats a terrestrial imitation!

Hope for a cool, dark, slightly moist day. That's when maximum glare brings major emergences and what is often referred to as "blanket hatches" of mayflies that will stay on the water for a long time as their wings dry. Oh yes, the trout will be eating them, too.

Choose wisely when you plan an outing. Here's a suggestion: be sure the spot takes less time to drive to and back home than you will have time to fish. Windshield time is just fine, but it is fishing time we're after!

In addition to Delaney Buttes in North Park, Dillon near Silverthorn and Spinney Mountain Reservoir in South Park, there are Honholtz in N. Central Colorado, Lake John in North Park, Twin Buttes and Wheatland #3 in Wyoming and 11-Mile in South Park.

One of the reasons we keep going, keep trying, keep learning and so on is that we just might hook and release a lovely fish like this cutthroat. Todd invests lots of hiking and hunting time in the high country and on occasion finds a trout like this beauty. They're out there. You want one, don't you?

Don't overlook beaver ponds. They can grow large, wild trout. High lakes offer beauty and solitude that are unequalled in the angler's experience. Build memories that last by going to a high lake - or stream - before the snow shuts them off until next summer.

Why not visit streams where you can paint lovely scenes and build memories that will last a lifetime?

A sage of not once said that time spent fishing would not be subtracted from the span of a person's life. Making regular deposits of fly fishing trips in one's memory bank is a way to prolong life.

To do so, you must go!

Go soon. Then, go again.

Colorado Front Range streams team with wild trout and offer plenty of access for anglers. From north to south, they are listed at left.

On the Western slope, there are many other streams and rivers that flow out of the state. Many fish very well during the fall, and several areas are the best during fall conditions.

From the Yampa in the north, near Steamboat Springs, to the Rio Grande in the south, near Creede, west slope rivers teem with bugs and trout.

Again, check  FishingReports and select the spot that interests you

.In South West Colorado, there are lots of spots to fish. Rivers include the Animas, San Juan, Piedra, Florida, Conejos and many more. Be sure you know how water conditions are before heading that way as many streams are very low during fall fishing. There's always going to be something down there that fishes well, though, so don't hesitate to check it out.

Neighboring states also have famous, healthy rivers that must be fished. From the San Juan in New Mexico, to the Green in Utah; from the North Platte system in Wyoming to the Madison or the Ruby in Montana, there are plenty of places to explore and enjoy. Go soon, and then go again.

The San Juan in New Mexico below Navajo Dam  (above, left) offers wonderful fishing for large rainbow and brown trout. Be sure you know what the flows are before you go.

To understand what flies to use has much to do with understanding the insects our fly patterns imitate. Please remember that trout do not speak Latin, but they do know what they are eating. They see bugs in or on the water and know that they represent nourishment and food. Trout want to get fat, so they eat as much as they can hold, plus several bites. That is an encouraging thing for the angler as it means that trout want to eat. In conjunction with the eating however, goes the fear factor: scared fish do not eat! They run away and hide.

As days become shorter and often darker, bugs that are most active become smaller, abundant and dark. While summer days might see size #10 Golden Stoneflies or size #16 Pale Morning Duns, Fall will see size #18 Blue-Winged Olives being one of the largest bugs on the water. That is quite a difference.

Water levels are lower, though, and the water that is there is usually very clear, so seeing the bugs is not at issue for the fish.

Let's speak specifically about certain insect families and how the trout will respond to them.

Up until there is a hard freeze, it will be important to carry and fish terrestrials, including hoppers (shown at left) ants, flying ants, beetles and other bugs you see on the waters you fish.

During Fall fly fishing, many summer bugs are done for the season. However, the abundant and diverse caddis family continues to be active through much of September.

Adults will tend to be small and dark, often reaching sizes of #22-24! Many anglers may confuse these small insects as midges, but closer examination will reveal their tent-shaped wing and short body, which is in contrast to the flat, short wings of a midge adult.

Turn over a few rocks and see if you find any free-roaming caddis larva such as the one at the right. If they are still there, they are going to emerge at some point. Many are significantly large bugs, so keep your eyes peeled for the occasional large caddis buzzing the surface of the water. My take on this is when I see them, the fish see them, and if the fish see them they'll eat them if they can. Lots of them and then, huh? Observe what's happening out there, and try fishing what you see. If it does not work, change.

A dark partridge caddis adult such as the one at the left will work well during Fall fly fishing. Low water conditions warrant a pattern that floats low on the water. The hackle has been trimmed from the bottom of this pattern, allowing it to float flush in the water. A good choice.

A small, dubbed caddis larva such as this pattern to the right of the Partridge Caddis Adult, tied with or without a bead, is often a good searching pattern when fishing is slow. Fish at the bottom of riffles as they enter runs and get the fly on the bottom. I've used this pattern lots in low water and it has been very effective.

This wire bodied caddis emerger also has CDC over the back to imitate an emerging caddis. The peacock is always useful and effective, and legs could be added as well. If a soft hackle collar was added to this fly it could be fished as a traditional wet fly and would work well.

Beatis nymphs are slender and live in moderately fast - or moderately slow, depending on your point of view - water. You will find them under rocks. When they are mature they look like the bug above, with a very dark wing case. The wing is growing within the exoskeleton of the bug and it is getting ready to pop!

Empty shucks will be all over the surface of the water as small mayflies emerge. This slight handful came from a swirl of scum behind a rock on the Big Thompson. While there did not seem to be many bugs emerging, this changed our minds!

When the nymphs get to the surface of the stream, their shuck splits and the bug climbs out, as shows at left. In this condition the insects are very vulnerable to being eaten as they have no way of escape.

When mayflies are on the water they will be apparent by the sailboat shape of their wings. At times, small flotillas of beatis float along on the water, and fish line up in feeding lanes awaiting the arrival of lunch and an afternoon snack.

The elegant, lovely beatis - or Blue-Winged Olive - adult emerges, floats along the surface of the river drying its wings, then flies off to the bushes to molt. Soon it will return to the river to mate, lay eggs and die.

When spinners are on the water you'll have to look down to see them. Note how flush the bugs are on the water, below. Also, see the shuck along side the two spinners? Notice the clarity of the wings on the bug below, which is definitely a spinner. The other bug, who's wings appear more opaque - or, it could be the glare of the photo, I'm not sure - might mean it is an adult dun that did not get off the water.

Now, we turn our attention to fly patterns. There's lots of info here, so take your time and learn what will help you understand the flies and how to fish with them. There are tying links that should be useful.

Nymphs

Here are but a few suggestions for nymph patterns. There are links to a tying page, and we'll send you instructions and materials to tie these patterns. All you have to do is call, and ask!

Beatis nymphs are slim, from dark olive to brown on top, and sometimes creamy or lighter olive on the bottom. The wing case is going to be dark when the fish are active, so tie accordingly. Here we go.

The Pheasant Tail Nymph (left, below) is arguably one of the finest small mayfly imitations we have. It is easy to tie and identify, and when properly presented simply catches trout in streams!

Tie and fish the fly with or without a bead, and with or without a wrap or two of weight on the hook shank.

At right is the One-Feather Fly. A friend of mine came up with this on years ago, and there are times when it fishes better than a PT. Who knows why?

We have many other suggestions and information on tying and fishing emergers, and we'd like to help!

This is an RS2, developed by a Denver area fly tier who fishes the tailwaters of the South Platte River. This has become an excellent pattern to fish when beatis are emerging, and should be in our fly box.

An easy fly to tie, the RS2 ought to be tied in olive, black - as shown above - and gray. Many anglers enjoy a chocolate brown color as well.

A Loop-Wing BWO emerger is a fine pattern to tie on, too. In low light the fly is visible and fishes well as bugs emerge.

This one's tied with a micro fibbet tail and thread body, but you could use hackle fibers for the tail and a biot, stripped quill or dubbing for the body.

It is difficult to talk about emerging flies without including a soft hackle, which this is. Note the brown shuck and peacock behind the dyed olive soft hackle. The fly can be fished wet or dry, with or without movement.

We have many other suggestions and information on tying and fishing adult mayflies, and we'd like to help!

Parachute dry flies are very popular. This is a BWO parachute, and is tied using dyed olive grizzly hackle, a dubbed body and a poly post. Pretty basic.

There are plenty of options, including varying colors of hackle and wing material, as well as stripped quill, biot quill and thread bodies. Try tying a few with a stripped peacock quill. I'm not sure anything is quite as lovely.

This fly - which is sort of an Overley's Emerger - will function as both an emerger or an adult. The antron shuck and wing are visible an easy to tie in, and the thorax style of hackle, which is trimmed on the bottom, allows the fly to float flush on the water.

I hope this helps you enjoy fishing with beatis - small blue winged olive - patterns.

When you want the fishing day to last a little longer, be sure to carry a few spinner patterns. This fly is difficult to see on the water, but the fish will enjoy eating it as a late afternoon snack.

There are lots of methods of tying this fly! Be creative, and have some fun.

Here is a Copper John without a bead. The fly is made heavier by virtue of the wire body, so it will sink. In shallow riffles where fish line up to eat drifting nymphs, it can work well. Vary the body color, but give this guy a try!

This fly is a blend of patterns, a sort of CDC Hair wing BWO Adult - in a way. The split tail and upright wing will float the fly. This one has a collar of hackle that has been trimmed flush on the bottom. The fly will imitate an adult, an emerger or a spinner, and can be tied with a variety of tailing, body and winging materials. Give one a try!

In review: we'll carry a few terrestrials, including hoppers, beetles, ants and flying ants; a few caddis larva, pupa and adults, a few golden stone imitations and a full array of beatis patterns.

Please read on for more information about flies, and then move ahead to the section that covers rigging and fishing techniques. Enjoy!

Streamers are a class of flies that are not fished often enough. And I'm not sure why. In many ways, since many folks come to fly fishing from spin fishing, there is a similarity to casting a spinner and retrieving it when fishing with a streamer pattern. AT times, streamer fishing can be one of the most productive methods of fly fishing, yet it is largely ignored in many areas.

Begin by reading the following information and adding one or two patterns to your collection of flies. When fishing is either very slow or very fast, tie on a streamer and give it a go to see what happens. Maybe you'll be hooked, as well as the trout you pester!

Streamers imitate minnows, crawdads and other food organisms that live in lakes and streams. The western slope of Colorado has a critter called a sculpin, and fish eat lots of them. Streamers imitate sculpins very well.

Streamers can be large and gaudy, such as this Autumn Splendor or more realistic, such as the smaller Bucktail pattern. In general, as a minnow imitation, keep in mind that the fly will be dark on the top, light on the bottom and shiny in the middle! That's how minnows look.

The Zonker, at left, is a wonderful streamer pattern that is easy to tie and effective to fish. The rabbit strip "wing" pulsates in the water, and the flashy body, red throat and dark head with painted eyes looks pretty realistic. Tie the fly weighted and with or without a bead or cone head to get it down deep.

A streamer box will eventually be full of marabou muddler minnows, muddler minnows, woolly buggers and Zonkers, like the box shown at the left.

Flies should be dark and light, and most of them ought to be weighted and/or have bead heads or cone heads.

Fishing streamers is fun. Read on for more information about how to rig and fish with streamer flies!

We'll begin to concentrate our attention on small flies to imitate the beatis, or Blue Winged Olives, that will be emerging consistently as the Fall moves on to winter. Our box will include small nymphs, emergers, adults and spinners, as well as a few attractor patterns that will probably work from time to time, and will be easier to see, as well.

Now we get to move on to the fun stuff: fishing! There are several things that we'll discuss during this session, and they should be helpful as you prepare and approach fall waters. Please enjoy the process, and get out there and try this stuff.

We're going to discuss line control, the position we'll be in on the stream and so on. Getting ourselves into position goes a long ways to getting the fly in the right spot.

Presentation is very important when fishing during Fall. The water will be low and clear, and the healthy trout will be in a fine fettle, wanting to stay alive. Remember: scared trout don't eat!

A fly put in the right spot at the right time will hook fish.

Once the fly is in the right spot, we'll have to control the position and float of our line, leader and tippet in order to get the fly to the fish.

Always take an inventory of the water. Notice the seams, the current lanes, where the fish are feeding and where they are holding. Observe and study this stuff and you'll become a better angler.

Fly combinations, for fishing with two flies, and basic rigging techniques are important to us, as well. What length leader will we use? What size of tippet? What knots to attach one thing to another? An what fly combinations will work best during specific fishing situations. We'll discuss all of them.

Hang in there my angling friend. Get a cup of hot tea, and relax and enjoy the next section of our adventure in Fall Fly Fishing Fun!

Our first section of tips will cover rigging. There are multiple options. Please study them to know how to prepare for the fishing conditions you expect to find when you arrive at the water. Be sure your fly box is properly supplied with fakes, and that you have the leader, tippet, floatant, lead, strike detectors and so on that you'll need to meet the challenge that lies ahead. Here we go.

1. Begin with either a 7.5 or 9' leader. Decide on the taper based on how you will fish. For streamers and terrestrials, begin with a shorter, heavier leader that tapers to either 3- or 4X. When fishing smaller dries and nymphs, begin with a longer leader that tapers to either 4- or 5X. Add tippet from there based on #2.

2. To determine tippet diameter, as a general rule, divide the size of the fly by 3 and use the result as the tippet size. When using a size #12 fly, for example, try 4X tippet; when fishing a #20, try 6X. Note: use common sense with flies and tippet! Always use the heaviest material possible in order to land fish quickly; it's good for their health. Try using a longer length of 5X - up to six feet or so! - for example, before tying on 6X.

3. The diameter of the tippet is about turning the fly over without twisting the tippet and leader, and making the proper drift of the fly. Again, use common sense; use what works.

4. Use a Triple Surgeon's Knot to attach tippet to the leader, or tippet to the bend of the hook of the top fly, and the Improved Clinch Knot to attach the fly to the tippet. Be sure knots are smooth and tight!
    

Rigging to fish small mayflies. When fishing with small BWO's we'll normally use either a 7.5 or 9' leader that tapers to either 4-or 5X material. To this we will attach a length of 5X tippet that will extend the length - and the life - of the leader. Attach the tippet with a triple surgeon's knot, which is shown above. If you are going to fish with one fly and 5X tippet, attach as long a length as you need to get the job done. If you are going to fish with two flies, see the chart below for tips.

Fish with one nymph, deep, such as a Pheasant Tail, or bead head pheasant tail.

Rig with leader, add 14-20" of 5X tippet; add proper amount of lead/sinker above the knot that attaches the tippet to the leader, and strike detector - if you use one - two times the depth of the water being fished above the sinker.

Fishing tip: control the line; do not allow the sinker to hit the tip of your rod, which can fracture the rod; cast with a slightly open loop; get as close to the fishing spot as possible; stay in contact with the fly at all times to be aware of subtle takes.

Fish with two nymphs, deep.

Rig as above; add 12-18" of tippet to bend of hook on the top fly; tie on smaller fly to this piece of tippet.

Fishing Tip: Similar to above. Be more careful with casting. Allow the fly line to drift all the way through the area being fished so it straightens out below. Turn to look at the target, lift the rod tip slightly and make the cast to the target. No false casting allowed with all this stuff on the line!

Fish one emerger, wet.

Rig: Try 2-3' of 5X tippet. Fish upstream to feeding fish and control the line as it drifts back, or swing a wet fly into the fish's feeding lane from above.

Fishing Tip: Stay in control of the line, and in contact with the fly. Mend the line according to the current so the fly either drifts or swing in a natural manner.

Fish a dry and a wet as emergers.

Rig: Tie on 2-3' of 5X tippet and then the Loop Winged Emerger. Tie 2' or so of 5-6X tippet to bend of that hook, then tie on the nymph. Treat the dry emerger with Dry Shake, and wet the nymph by soaking it in the water so it will sink.

Fishing Tip: This will be one of the most effective fish-catching rigs you will use. Vary the flies, but use this as fish begin to rise. Make slightly open loops when you cast, but control them so you can place the fly in the right spot.

Fish one dry fly.

Rig: To the leader tie either a short section of 5X, then plenty of 6X, or just try lots of 6X. Lots? As much as you can control when casting. Treat the dry fly with floatant.

Fishing Tip: This is the traditional way to fish dries but might be the least used method of fishing these days. Pick one rising fish and present one fly to it. Challenging and fun.

Fish with two dry flies.

Rig: Tie 2-3' of 5X tippet to the leader and then the top fly of choice. Add a length of tippet that will work and the second fly. Treat both with floatant.

Fishing Tip: When lots of fish are rising and you are not sure which pattern will work, this is a good way to fish. Often, one fly will drift very well as the other fly takes out the drag.

Fish a spinner.

Rig similar to fishing with two dries. In order to see where the spinner is, tie the CDC fly on first, then the spinner. Apply floatant to both flies.

Fishing Tip: This is the rig to use at day's end. There will be a few left over feeding fish along scum lines and so on, and they are likely sipping spinners. The take will be confident if the fly is presented without any movement.

Fishing. Upon arriving streamside, approach with stealth to see if there are fish on the bank. If they are there, see if they are feeding near the surface, or under the surface. If you do not see fish here, look into riffles and the tails of riffles or runs to see if trout are "flashing" as they take bugs near the streambed.

If the fish are feeding near the bottom of the river, rig up with a Copper John and a Pheasant tail or One-Feather fly. Add enough weight to get both flies on the bottom. This obviously will depend on the depth of the water, so you will have to make adjustments as you change positions. The difference between a nymph angler who hooks fish and one that does not is usually one more hunk of lead. The fly has to be on the bottom. If the fly or sinker is not getting hung up once every few casts, chances are you do not have enough weight to get the fly to the fish. Of course if you hook a fish, everything is perfect; just perfect. So, do it again.

Watch the water. As the bugs begin to emerge and move toward the surface, the fish will follow. At first you are likely to see a few dimples on the surface. At this point the time might be right to remove the lead and the bead headed fly, and fish with one nymph, or with the loop wing emerger and a PT dropper. When you see fish rising, fish to one fish. Make several drifts over one spot.

When the fishing is slow and not much is happening, move fast. Moving fast means making changes. Move to new spots, change your approach, make adjustments in the flies you use, tie on longer or lighter tippet material, adjust how much weight you use and so on.

At some point during a good beatis hatch, there will be fish all over the surface. It is time to fish a dry and an emerger, one dry, or two dries. Make adjustments to meet the conditions. Use common sense. Be flexible. When lots of fish are rising, select one fish. Observe where the fish is rising, and where it is lying. They are not always the same spot. Cast two times the depth of the water up the current from where the fish is lying so the fly drifts into and through its feeding lane. Make several casts, as long as the fish continues to feed. If it will not take your fly, make adjustments in the pattern. The fly may be too large, or sitting to high or low on the water. Change flies. Keep trying. Never give up, and don't be sidetracked by other rising fish until you are ready to give up on the one you are focusing on. Then, move to another fish. Study its position and start again.

1. The X is the spot to stand, which is below where we think the fish will hold and feed.

   The current is moving from the upper left hand corner towards the bottom right hand corner of the picture - that has to be clear. We're standing below the fish, and they are facing into the current.

2. Cast 1/2 a box length above the first set of boxes. The fly would theoretically land on the dorsal fin of the upper fish, which would probably not frighten a feeding fish.

3. Keep leader and tippet in the current lane so the fly drifts with the current and into the fish's feeding lie.

4. Keep the rod tip low to the water and strip line in at the same speed the current is carrying the fly back to your position so you are in contact with the fly or flies.

5. When a fish takes a fly, the leader/tippet/strike detector - something will jump or hesitate, announcing that a fish is on - or you are hooked on the bottom, which is not a bad thing and will get the adrenaline going!

6. Set the hook by lifting the rod tip in proportion to the take. If the fish takes the fly quickly, set the hook quickly; if the fish takes the fly slowly, set the hook more slowly. Remember to set the hook according to the strength of the tippet material so the fish does not break off on the hook set!

That covers the basics of fishing an area when fish are not rising. Now, we'll focus our attention on rising trout, and how to approach, rig, present the fly and hook them. Here we go.

As the day progresses bugs move to the surface and the fish follow them.

I don't know about you, but this is what I'm looking for: flat water, slow current and rising trout!

Notice the glare. Notice the ring of the rise. Notice the leaves on the surface of the water. Notice the challenge and fun this all portends.

Let's learn how to fish to this fish.

Here are a few tips for fishing flat water to rising fish.

1. Find one fish

2. Concentrate on that fish

3. Study the rise form to determine what the fish is eating: emerger, adult or spinner.

4. Get into the position that will allow you to make the best cast and placement of the fly, tippet, leader and line.

5. Make several casts to that fish until it is hooked, spooked, or you give up.

Here are a few more helpful hints:

Problem Beware the glare

Solution Use good polarized sunglasses to cut glare and help you see fish.

Problem Get into the proper position to see and cast

Solution This may mean being above, below or beside the fish's feeding position.

Problem Use flies you can see, or a small dot of Bio-Strike

Solution Often, dark winged fly patterns are easier to see in low light and glare conditions. Look for an absence of glare: that's your fly.

See the beatis on the water in this shot? Within the circle there are a dozen or so floating adults. On this day - this was on the South Platte below the town of Deckers - there were lots of bugs floating along on the water. They stayed on the water for some time as it was overcast and moist. There was lots of glare on the water, as you can see, but the bugs were very active. Curiously enough, very few trout were rising to them at this time. Interesting, that.

By observing the feeding habit of a fish on the feed, the angler may be able to watch the fish come off the bottom and to the surface, often veering off at the last minute for another morsel. Other times, the fish will move to the surface and intercept several bites before returning to its holding lie. Watch to see if you can find a pattern to the feeding, then put the fly in the right spot to fool your prey.

One of the easiest ways is to stand below and off to the side of the fish. Cast the fly so it goes above the fish, then move the rod tip to the left, in this case. The line will go where you tell it too. More on this on the casting page, and in Presentation 101.

And remember this: sloppy, splashy pickups will frighten fish and often put them off their feed. We want happy, feeding fish, so do all you can to keep them in that state until you hook them.

When everything goes properly, the fish will take the fly. Remember to set the hook in the same manner as the fish takes the fly. When fish feed on small mayflies and midges, they usually take the fly slowly, so you are going to want to set the hook slowly. Lift the rod tip to tighten the line, then set the hook with a quick twitch of your wrist. This may take some practice. When fishing has been tough and a fish finally takes the fly, sometimes anglers - I say this from experience - who finally trick a fish will set the hook so quickly they spook every fish in the pool. Oh well. Try again.

Of course when everything works and fish are hooked, happy anglers result. See these smiling faces?

We like seeing folks hook fish after using all of their skills and savvy on the stream. With each trip, each cast, each fish a lesson is learned that prepares us for the next trip and cast. In the process we learn that this is fun, even if it isn't all that important.

One more bit of advise when fishing small flies:

When fishing with small flies, please consider learning and using the Ketchum Release Tool. This is a handy, inexpensive gadget that allows the angler to release a fish and retrieve a fly without harm or handling of either.

And that's a good thing.

Often, anglers tend to squeeze trout hooked with small flies in order to find and get their fly back. Squeezing trout is not a good idea for the trout. Hold them gently, if at all.

The Ketchum Release allows the fish to stay in the water and will not tear up mandibles and other pieces of mouth anatomy, allowing the fish to recover and continue to eat and thrive.

On To Fall Streamer Fishing!

We've discussed finding trout, the bugs they eat and how to present nymphs and dries/emergers and so on. All of this is great fun, but there's more available to creative, curious anglers. Ever notice all of the small minnows in a trout stream or around the edges of a lake or pond? Ever wonder how some trout get real big and fat? Ever think that there was a connection? There is. Big trout eat big bites. Imagine how many size #22 mayflies it take to equal the nutrition - and fatness - received from one minnow. Hmmm. Let's talk streamers!

Not enough anglers try fishing with streamer patterns. It's worth the time and effort to do so, though, and we're going to demystify some of the techniques so you can give it a go.

Streamer flies generally imitate minnows of one sort or another. Most of the time, minnows are dark on top, shiny on the sides and have red gills. Flies are designed to be dark or light, bright or dull - and I don't think that has anything to do with their intellect. Flies do only what they are told to do, and nothing more. Go figure.

During Fall, many flies take on duller coloration. In fact, certain flies almost look like Halloween decorations with brown, yellow, burnt orange and so on. The Zonker/Muddlers at left are an example.

Other, more traditional flies, such as the Bucktail at right, are also useful and elegant. You simply must give them a try.

When rigging to fish a streamer, cut a standard leader back so it tapers to about 2X - or heavier! The leader can be long or short, depending on how it will be fished. In shallow water, use a longer leader so the fly does not get snagged. When fishing with a sink tip, which is a good idea for streamer fishing, use a very short leader so it will get down with the fly and fly line. A tippet of 0-3X is will be about right.

Vary the weight of the flies you use from none, as the Bucktail above shows, to lots, as the lead headed heavily weighted upside down Zonker - try saying that in one breath - shows above. This fly is going to sink!

Try fishing with two streamers: a heavy and light one; a bright and dark one; a big and small one. Vary how you rig them, but always use at least 3X tippet. The takes of the fly are going to be violent.

Rig: for most of the streamer fishing we will do around here, tie on a 7' 2X leader. Attach 2' or 3X tippet and a weighted fly. To the bend of the hook attach 2-3' of 3X tippet with an improved clinch knot, then tie on an unweighted fly that contrasts the top fly in color, shape and size. Often, a black and olive, or black and white, or natural and black Zonker will work great in tandem. Be sure knots are tight. Lubricate them with saliva or water before tightening, and be sure they are tight all the way. Often, knots are not completely tight when they are fished, and the final tug of a fish that does the tightening actually weakens the tippet material because that final jerk generates heat. Then, the flies break off. Sad day.

Be sure knots are tight!

If fish don't take the fly, change flies, drifts, speed of the swings and so on.

Always stay in touch with the fly so you control how it swims in the water.

Enjoy the process. There is lots of casting involved in this, and lots of fun in hooking surprised trout on streamer patterns.

Thanks for reading. If you have additional questions, please drop me a line or stop by the shop.

Go fishing soon!

Dale Darling

angler@peakpeak.com