After a month of warm and dry weather, it feels like real fall today. Snow blanketed the high country overnight, and the cooler, wet weather will surely get both the bugs and the fish moving today. Looking at the forecast, today and tomorrow seem to be the days to go fishing, with sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures arriving for the weekend. I’ve been saying for weeks that if you can fish on the next cloudy day, do it, and here I am in front of a computer. I do plan to fish tomorrow, and I’ll be packing a 7-weight for streamers, a 4-weight for Baetis, and as a backup plan, a 5 or 6-weight for a double nymph rig.
It looks like there was a very small water drop early this morning from 5,200 cfs to 5,100 cfs. With the first hard freeze of the season expected tonight, officially ending the growing season, I would expect to see more water drops this weekend. The next few weeks should be classic fall fishing on the South Fork, with trout aggressively chasing streamers and afternoon mayfly hatches.
Our fly shop in Swan Valley is open daily from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Stop by for up-to-the-minute fishing reports, flies, tackle, and a great selection of fall fishing clothing. See you on the water!