It’s hard to beat fall fishing in the Greater Yellowstone Region. Many anglers love it for the beautiful colors, abundant wildlife, and aggressive trout. This fall had it all and reminded me why I love fishing this time of year. I spent many moments this fall in gratitude. Sitting on the bank, admiring the scenery, and doing my best to be present. I feel so lucky to live and fish in this region, and it hits me hard in the fall. I hope you were able to spend many days out on the water and enjoy everything fall has to offer.
In this article, I share my perspective on this fall’s fishing season in my usual season recap. I’d love to hear how your fall fishing has been and if you have any questions or comments. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know a few of my readers this year, as it is a big reason I started this blog. So I’d really love to hear from you!
Fall Fishing Recap in Yellowstone Region
A Long Fall
We’ve had perfect fall fishing weather this year, and it has continued through mid-November. We often get a major snowstorm in October that slows the fishing with unbearably cold temperatures. This fall, we have been very fortunate with mild temperatures and leaves still clinging to the trees. Add in a few sciffs of snow on the mountain peaks, and the views have been breathtaking. It has been challenging to sit in the office each week, given the consistently good weather we’ve been having.
We also have got a variety of weather patterns, which have been perfect for fall fishing. While we had a warm/hot September, October turned around and gave us the scuzzy weather that we dream of as anglers. Every weekend offered up some variation of scuzz. If you were lucky to be out on the river during these low-light periods, you probably found some good fishing.
As I write this in mid-November, the weather remains great for this time of year. High temperatures have been in the 50s and 60s, and we have yet to have much snow. It has been a long, beautiful fall fishing season. We couldn’t ask for anything more, and I’m sure you’re as grateful for it as I am.
Fall Fishing Is Hit Or Miss
While the weather was perfect this fall, the fishing was hit-or-miss, as it is every fall season. Fall can be an odd time of year, with varying temperatures, low flows, and trout migrating to spawn. Due to the varying conditions, it’s best to be flexible as an angler and enter the day with a few options in mind. If the sun is out and temperatures are warm, it may be worth trying a cutthroat stream and fishing terrestrials. In contrast, a cold, cloudy day is best for swinging streamers for fall brown trout. Getting this right and knowing where to be at the right time is difficult and makes for inconsistent fishing. I had many tough days this fall when I thought the conditions would be perfect. That’s just fall fishing.
The low flows this fall contributed significantly to the inconsistent fishing. We experienced very little precipitation, resulting in many rivers across the state being near record lows. Low flows make trout even more skittish than they already are, and much tougher to catch. The little snow we got in October bumped flows and improved the fishing for a few days, but overall, it was a little tough out there with low flows.
Lastly, the spawn makes fall fishing a little messy and inconsistent. With many fish congregating near the spawning areas, the rest of the river is left with fewer fish feeding than usual. Many anglers put fall on a pedestal and talk about the epic streamer and nymph fishing, but I’d argue a lot of this is concentrated in spawning areas or tributaries known for heavy spawning activity. With brown trout, whitefish, and some rainbow trout spawning, the fall fishing is heavily reliant on the spawn. As you get into late October, fish are either laying eggs or eating eggs. They are rather vulnerable and easy to catch if you know where the spawning beds are and have a few egg patterns. If you are not one who cares to fish the spawning runs, the fishing may be slow as you hunt for fish not taking part in the spawn. This is especially true after October 15th-ish. That’s not to say I don’t take advantage of the spawn and fish those streams, but the lines quickly get blurry when determining if you’re fishing spawning fish or not.
Dipping My Toe Into Trout Spey
I have been enamored by trout spey flies over the past few seasons, but I rarely tied them. I told myself I couldn’t fish them without a trout spey rod. This fall season, I stopped with the excuses and tied some swing flies to use on my single-hand rod. It has been a blast learning something new on the vise and on the river. And to feel a trout eat a swung fly, wow…
To make it work on my single-hand rod, I bought a variety of poly leaders in different weights and lengths. This gives me some flexibility as I try different flies and water types throughout the day. While the casts are shorter, I have been satisfied with the single-hand flexibility and effectiveness when swinging flies. It gives me an opportunity to learn the swing techniques without having to struggle with the two-handed cast, and I hope it gives me a head start when I start swinging with a two-handed rod.
I was able to catch a few of my first trout on the swing this fall, and it was a bunch of fun. It makes me feel like a beginner again, and overall, it has been a humbling experience. With the fun I’ve had tying the flies and learning a new technique, I see myself delving deeper into the trout spey rabbit hole in the years to come. Shout out to Josh Hampton for putting a trout spey rod in my hands and setting me on the path of becoming a trout spey bro.
Late Season Baetis
As the calendar turned to November and many trout moved onto the beds, I did my best to give them a break and target rising fish. With the mild weather as of late, the baetis fishing has remained good throughout the month. Fall baetis fishing can be tough. The bugs are small, and the trout are wary after heavy angler pressure all season. It takes a lot of patience, but the challenge is worth it.
Late-season baetis fishing is some of my favorite, as it is easy to find some solitude. Many anglers are out chasing the big brown trout, leaving many rising fish to the few that chase them. It is also a great time to catch some of the last fish of the year on a dry fly and reflect on another memorable season in Yellowstone country.
My Setup
Below are the three setups I used most this fall.
Dry Fly:
Rod: Orvis Helios 3f 5wt 9-foot
Reel: Orvis Hydros III
Line: Scientific Anglers Mastery Trout Smooth Floating 5wt
Leader: 9 Foot 3x Nylon Leader with 2-5 ft of tippet added (4x-6x)
Streamer
Rod: Echo Trout X 6wt 9-foot
Reel: Lamson Liquid 5
Line: Scientific Anglers Full Sink Sonar Titan 3D SINK I/3/5
Leader: 6ft of 12lb Maxima Ultragreen, sometimes adding 2x Flurocarbon to make a 9-foot leader.
Swing
Rod: Echo Trout X 6wt 9-foot
Reel: Lamson Liquid 5
Line: Scientific Anglers Smooth Infinity Taper Floating 6wt
Leader: Varying lengths and weights of polyleaders. 10-foot 3ips and 5ips seemed to work best.
A few new flies (to me) came off my vise this fall and proved to be productive. For swinging, I tied a few Lucky Bucky’s, Pheasant Tail Soft Hackles, and Montana Intruders. While I didn’t have a ton of success swinging, it was not a surprise that the MT Intruder was my most productive fly. It’s hard to beat lots of flash. The Denny Rickards Stillwater Minnow showed out again this fall, fooling some epic fish on a variety of fisheries. And as far as dry flies go, a sparkle dun or EP comparadun in size 18 or 20 got the job done. Check out the best flies from this fall fishing season below.
What I Learned
As I mentioned above, this fall I started learning everything there is to know about trout spey. Fly fishing is unique in that there are many ways to fish a fly, each requiring its own skill set. Diving into the trout spey world is overwhelming. There is a lot to learn, terms I don’t understand, gear I don’t have, and skills I’ve yet to practice. While humbling, it has opened up a whole new world of potential and given me another reason to be excited about fly fishing.
I have learned a little about spey casting and the difference between skandi and skagit, had a conversation about tube flies, and have caught a few fish on spey flies I tied. A few fishing buddies have been more than willing to answer my questions, and I look forward to learning from them as I go along.
That being said, I still have no clue what I am doing. All I have done is put a poly leader on and swung some flies through a few runs. But I am learning, and I know that with some time and practice, I’ll figure something out. Success or not, it is a new challenge in the pursuit I love, which is fulfilling in itself. I highly recommend you try a new technique and challenge yourself. It keeps the passion going and makes fly fishing a lifelong pursuit.
What Left Me Curious?
Every fall, my mind wanders to fishing during the spawn. It’s inevitable, given that all the big brown trout we search for throughout the year become vulnerable as they migrate to spawn.
This fall, I wonder about the pride taken when catching a fall brown trout. With many big brown trout with their guard down, anglers of all skill levels have the opportunity to catch these big trout. While I don’t want to say they are easy, the big brown trout are more susceptible to a fly this time of year compared to any other season. This leads to everyone and their mom posting pictures on Instagram of big, colored up brown trout. Yes, that includes me, too.
At least for myself, I can’t help but be less proud of a big brown trout I catch in October compared to one caught in June, or even September, for that matter. Did I catch it on a bed? No. But was it likely to be on a bed within a week or two? Probably. And the fish had its guard down, making it easier to catch than at any other time of year. Maybe it took my fly out of aggression rather than a natural feeding response, which doesn’t always do it for me.
I’m not saying that catching a brown trout in October/November is wrong, and that I won’t target them again; they are incredibly beautiful and still fun to target. But I just wasn’t as proud of the brown trout I caught in the latter part of fall as I was of some other browns throughout the season.
As always, this is just my opinion on how I feel at this moment in my fishing journey. I know you may have a different opinion, and I respect that. I may change mine over time too.
I hope you had a wonderful fall of fishing and were able to get out a lot. Again, I would love to hear what you learned this fall and how the fishing was for you. We now go into the holidays and winter fishing. I am excited to spend some time with family, go on a few more dates with my wife, watch some college football, and tie a lot of flies. And of course, sneak in some fishing when the weather lines up.
Thanks for reading, it means more than you know.
Stay curious,
Nick
