Masterclass: Five Secrets of Fall Stillwaters

By mid-summer my mind is already fast-forwarding to the fall season on the local trout lakes. Don’t get me wrong, I love wet-wading rivers for dry-fly-eating rainbows and cutthroats. But fall stillwaters with foggy, quiet, chilly mornings and hungry trout are something I anxiously anticipate each year. The fall feeding frenzy occurs in hundreds if not thousands of small trout lakes scattered throughout the western states and provinces and beyond. One of the toughest decisions can be where to go.

The often hot and prolonged summer weather forces many trout to seek the cooler water deeper in the water column. They can be much more difficult to catch as they hunker down and ride out the annual period of warm water. But everything changes when fall arrives. Cooler water and its higher oxygen content bring the trout and char back to the dining-room table, which is often set in very shallow water. This is the final feast for the trout, and the fly fishers hoping to land their biggest fish of the year. So here are five tips to help up your stillwater game and reap the rewards of fall fishing.

1. Pay Attention to Water Temperature

One of the most common questions I field is, “When is the water cold enough for the really good fall fishing to begin?” From many years of keeping a fishing diary I always look forward to the surface temperatures dropping below 50°F or 10°C. That seems to be a trigger point for getting fish – and often the biggest fish – into serious fall feeding mode. The prime temperature range seems to be between 42°F and 46°F. In general, as the water continues to cool the trout respond by becoming more and more aggressive in their feeding behaviour. However once surface temperatures get below 40°F there is the risk of the lake “turning over,” which puts the fish off the bite for several days or longer. Once water chemistry settles and visibility returns, the fish resume feeding but their metabolism is starting to slow down with this now cooler water. The best fall fishing period is a relatively short window whose length is dictated by Mother Nature. A prolonged cool but not super-cold stretch of weather in the late fall can provide a couple months of prime water temperatures and willing trout.

2. Fish Shallow and Shallower

By far the majority of good fall fishing occurs in shallow water, in the shoal or littoral zone of the lake, because this is where the highest concentration of food is. This means fishing water from 3 to 15-feet deep. Fish move into shallower and shallower water as the temperatures continue to drop. By late fall I often spend much of the day in water less than eight-feet deep. Because the vast majority of aquatic insect emergences occur between spring and midsummer, in fall trout and char target food sources that are going to overwinter in shallow water. Immature damselfly and dragonfly nymphs, scuds, leeches, chironomid larvae, forage fish, water boatman and backswimmers are all on the fall menu. The best fall-fishing lakes are often those that have extensive shoal or shallow areas.

3. Go-To Fall Food Sources

If I only had two patterns to fish an entire fall season, they would be leeches and scuds. These are consistent fish catchers in many trout lakes. Scuds or freshwater shrimp are a very abundant crustacean found in many lakes. They are prolific breeders and in some lakes the most important food source for the entire year. Scuds hide amongst the vegetation or in patches of marl that cover the bottom in the shoal areas of the lake. My motto for shrimp fishing is “fish them fast and on the bottom.”

Leeches – particularly small or micro-leech patterns – are extremely effective in the fall months. We don’t often see free-swimming leeches during daylight hours as they hide under the bottom debris or in vegetation and aren’t as active in daylight. Regardless, trout and char love to eat leeches and particularly small ones. My favourite leech patterns are tied on size 12, 2X-long nymph hooks. Trout’s fondness for very small leeches is regularly confirmed by throat samples, which often reveal many leeches less than an inch long.

4. Have Patience, and the Three-Fish Rule

Fall fishing requires patience, as there are generally no insect emergences for the fish to key on. A typical fall day will see three or four periods of feeding activity. These may be as short as 15 minutes or as long as an hour or more. They could all happen in the morning or not start until mid to late- afternoon. This is a big reason for being prepared to stay for the whole day. I often start my day by cruising around the entire lake and watching for signs of fish movement. It may be 30 minutes before I wet a line. I’m constantly on the lookout for active fish, ones that are jumping or splashing around. If I see three or more fish move over a say, a five-minute period, I pull anchors and get over there. Those fish that are jumping may not be interested in eating but more often than not there are other fish around that are.

5. Carry the Essential Fly Lines

Fall fishing tactics can be covered with three fly lines. A floater can be used with or without indicators to fish scuds, leeches and immature damselfly nymphs. An intermediate sinking line is ideal for retrieving patterns slowly along the shallow bottom areas, and a double density 1/3 sinking line is effective for fast-stripping scuds, leeches, water boatmen and backswimmers. Regardless of the depth, the trout will be hugging the bottom. Always keep that in mind when choosing the fly line. The bite may be short-lived so I always have these three setups rigged and ready to fish.

BONUS!

Fall weather can change in an instant so it’s essential to carry quality insulated clothing and rain gear along with fingerless gloves in the boat.