Fall Fishing

Looks like we made it! Fall is creeping in. Kiddos are heading back to school, hunting seasons are opening up, and folks are thinning out on the river. Not nearly the traffic out there like there was a few weeks ago. The weather forecast is starting to show some nights dipping into the 40s south of town bringing water temps down on the Clark Fork and Blackfoot. The Lower Clark Fork escaped Hoot Owl this year and the Blackfoot should have restrictions lifted soon.

Cool crisp mornings and warm afternoons are in the future. Fall mayflies should intensify in the next couple weeks with hecuba and mahogany patterns becoming more relevant.  Hoppers, ants, and terrestrial patterns will remain in play for another month on the warm sunny afternoons. Parachute and cripple mayflies are a solid choice in place of ants/beetles and certainly worthy of mixing into your program. Streamers are also worth a toss as some of the bigger critters in the river will start to feel the fall shift and hit the feed bag a bit harder as they start migrating and finding their mates.

Fall is an enjoyable time to float the rivers – get out there and enjoy it before the snow flies…