Fall is my favourite time of year to fly-fish.
I enjoy spending time on the lower Bow River or small brown trout streams north of town. Catching large trout on a simple dry fly is what I look for.
The rivers are quiet and fishing peaks during the months of September and October.
During the hot and dry days of September is a classic time to cast grasshopper patterns close to the banks. Brown trout feed late at night and into the early-morning hours of the day.
I like to fish when the sun comes up and work my way upstream to unsuspecting trout. Fish aren’t entirely stupid, and a certain amount of stealth and wit comes in handy.
Another option to try is a setup called a hopper-dropper. I will take an arm’s length of 4X tippet and tie it to the hook shank of the grasshopper. After that, I will tie on either a #14 or #16 black prince nymph. A small theo nymph is also a deadly fly to try. With the hopper-dropper the fish will eat the hopper or take your nymph.
Make sure to watch the hopper close because it will act as a strike indicator. If the hopper goes down, you know that a trout just took your nymph, and lift your rod to set the hook.
One hatch in particular to fly fish in the fall is tricos, especially the trico spinners during a calm day on the lower Bow. Consider yourself a happy angler if you can find a pod of big rainbows slurping these tiny mayflies from the surface.
Have you ever heard of the 20/20 club? The idea is to catch a trout of 20 inches or more on a size #20 or smaller dry fly. If you can catch and net a big rainbow using 6X tippet on a #20 or #22 trico parachute, kudos to you.
October is another rocking month for fly-fishing. There is still some dry fly action with large October caddis on the water, but I concentrate on fishing water boatmen and backswimmers.
Take a look around the shallows of the river and you would see thousands of them swimming around rocks and weeds.
Trout are opportunistic feeders and will gorge themselves on these bugs. I will try to find small riffles or a deep and long run to fish. My fly of choice is a tan-coloured bead-head prince nymph in a size #12 or #14.
The way I fish this fly is swinging it across the river at a 45-degree angle back towards the shore. Just let the current do all the work for you and wait for the hit. It is a very exciting way to fish because the trout smack it hard on the swing.
It is a good thing to have a small loop of fly line out because the pulls can be quite violent.
If your line is too tight, the trout might break your line. I fish with six or eight-pound monofilament. If you choose, you can also tie off another prince nymph to the existing one in a different size.
