Fall is a magical time of year for fly fishing in the Greater Yellowstone Region. Fall’s changing colors, migratory trout, and the onset of hatches make it many anglers’ favorite time of year to cast a fly.
My mindset on the water shifts as we sift through the seasons. In the winter months, I am grateful to get out on a “warm” day and catch some fish. I enjoy fishing the lakes in the spring and appreciating the green amongst the hillsides. In the summer, I prefer to chase hatches and fish dry flies or explore a small cutthroat stream. When fly fishing in the fall, I chase big trout as migratory fish move into our rivers and the chance of a fish of a lifetime increases. I switch to streamers and hunt for the one fish that I have yet to see all year long.
Brown trout (and some rainbow trout) move around in the fall to spawn. Their movement can start early September and last through December in some fisheries. During these months, large lake fish fill the river systems, providing a once-a-year opportunity for fly fishermen. These fish are aggressive and can often be fooled into eating an oversized streamer. Fall streamer days rival the best dry fly days of the year as big trout move feet to inhale our flies.
September and October are the last few months of mild weather before six months of winter, so the trout put on the feed bags. Whether you’re chasing migratory brown trout or fishing in one of the region’s lakes, big fish are on the hunt for their last meals of the warm months. If you put your time in, you may get lucky and cross paths with a true giant.
Not only do you have the chance at a large fish, but the region is in its most beautiful state during the fall months. Aspens fade from green to yellow, bull elk come down from the mountains, and the sunrises make for breathtaking views. The trout also change color and show their incredible orange, red, or yellow hues.
For these reasons, I consider fall the season of one. On any given fall day, you could hook into the fish of a lifetime, and you never know when that may be. I fish with this mindset in the fall, knowing my fishing journey could change forever at any given moment. It motivates me each morning when I wake early to fish and keeps me on edge all day, knowing any cast could be the one that leads to a lifetime memory.
All it takes is one day, one hole, one fly, one cast, and one fish to make all the time and effort spent chasing fish worth it.
Go find your one this fall.
2 thoughts on “The Season Of One”
Fall is my 2nd favorite time to fly fish our rivers. I do not target Browns though. Its there time to spawn. If I do catch one, it was not on purpose. I’m mostly targeting rainbows and cutbows.
And I’m not a Streamer thrower. Fall is for Dry Flies for me. Tiny and large. October caddis along with purple chubs! Its hopper season till the sun is no longer putting off enough heat.
It is a beautiful time of year. Awesome to hear. The fall around here can be spotty regarding hatches compared to what I hear about in Colorado. We have some good blue-wing fishing and leftover terrestrials. Thanks for all the support Dan!
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