Time to pack away the fly rod and count down the days until spring, right? Think again.
The fall and winter seasons are the time to head out to your favorite river or stream and scout out runs for the following year. A time when you don’t even have to tie on a fly to have one of your most productive “fishing” days of the year.
Sure, catch rates are typically down along with the unpredictable fall and winter water levels, but if you do your homework in the offseason you’re bound to have a field day when winter steelhead runs or spring trout openers roll around.
Adept anglers take advantage of the fall season when rivers are still at their lowest, clearest flows – perfect for taking note of submerged logs, ledges, boulders or other underwater features that are more visible now than they are for much of the year.
This is a time when fewer anglers are on the water, so fishermen can use the quiet time to their advantage, working the banks of their favorite stretches in total anonymity, studying the flows and tendencies of its resident fish populations.
The key is to pay attention and take note of all the fine details of the river. Bring along a small notepad to help map out what you see. A good pair of waders and a wading staff will make getting from one side of the river to another a snap.
Look for anything that strikes you as different, providing habitat for Mr. Rainbow. Study everything from endless eddies and side channels of your favorite runs, to the foamy edges of the main currents you rarely consider.
Look for rising trout. If there’s a hatch coming off, but you don’t notice any fish, you might not be looking close enough. In the fall and winter, rises are so lazy they barely make a ring. So sit back, and let your eyes do the fishing. Scan for those telltale boils that will only appear today, and will surely hint to good fishing below when the water levels soar in coming months.
One good approach when trying to get a read on large or unfamiliar rivers is to break them up into a compilation of smaller, fishable sections rather than one overwhelming mass of water.
