Fall'n Temps

Start looking for those fall coats and hats as the cooler temperatures of fall are arriving. We have yet to get that first frost, but as soon as the winds quiet down I'm sure a calm night will dip below 32 F. The days to come will be clean, clear and crisp with the moisture rising into the atmosphere crystallizing into beautiful cloud patterns that give the fall colors a gorgeous back drop of azure blue and white.
The weather man predicts a few 70's F to come but not many. Cold temperatures and shorter days stop the evaporation of our lakes and streams we experience during the hot summer months. The rivers water levels have started to rise and water temperatures are cooling off.  We can expect more rain with our usual wettest month, October, not far off. Fly fishing has been tough lately with the cold winds and storms this past week, but some calm, clear days are in the forecast.
The Pigeon, Sturgeon and Black rivers are high and muddied up, with higher water levels creating difficult wading. The Maple is clear and very fishable. All rivers have good temperatures in the 50's F and low 60's F.
Even with these Fall type conditions we still can have some surprising bug hatches. White & black caddis in the evening, flying ants in the afternoon, grass hoppers, and Slate Wing (14) or White Howdy mayfly (12) with a dash of stoneflies are on the menu. Trout can be very active during these afternoon hatches but picking the day and time is the trick for success. I look for clear calm days in the 65 F range with a warm sun raising the water temperatures around the 60 F mark. I have yet to hit it big this past week with large trout feeding openly, but I believe this will be a good fly fishing week on the river. So grab your warm socks, your warm zip up fleece...and your warm heart will come naturally.

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