After a long warm hot dry summer season here we are nearing the end of September. The last 10 days have been cool and moist to say the least. We’ve received a lot of rain and a good amount of snow especially for September. All things considered were in great shape for the October fishing frenzy. The Gallatin River has been off-color for almost 2 weeks now. With all the rain and the melting snow it’s running chalky green. The fish don’t seem to mind so much as they can still easily see in the off-color water. With drier weather in the forecast the Gallatin should clear within the next 6 to 10 days. The elk are starting to bugle and can be heard each morning as October grows nearer. The aspen trees are still holding their leaves and are starting to turn gold with snow-covered peaks in the background. Buggers, baetis, and browns are what it’s all about right now as we round the corner into October.

The cold, wet, and cloudy weather we’ve had over the past few days has turned the fishing on in a big way. Stream flows are up on all of our area rivers , and fish that migrate for fall spawning are on the move. We’ve had remarkable baetis hatches every afternoon over the past few days, along with incredible streamer fishing and dynamite nymphing. We get a lot of folks stopping by the shop asking for tips on streamer fishing, here are a few recommendations for the newbies and some general guidelines for success.

• Use a rod that is capable of casting a streamer all day. Sure, you might be able to get away with your 5-weight, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best choice. A 6, 7, or 8 weight rod has the backbone to handle larger, heavier streamers and sink-tip lines. Your shoulder will thank you after a long day of chucking and ducking.
• While there’s a time and a place for the giant, articulated streamers, don’t focus solely on them. Smaller sculpin and baitfish patterns can be highly effective – fish will often take them with greater confidence. Another benefit of smaller streamer patterns is that many of them can be effectively dead-drifted under an indicator… a great tactic when the fish aren’t as willing to chase.
• Yes, those streamers are expensive… and yes, we’re in the business of selling flies… but an effective streamer fisherman isn’t afraid to lose a few flies. Fall streamer fishing is all about big browns, and big browns love structure… get those flies tight to bank!
• Fish short, heavy leaders… those big-predatory trout aren’t leader shy. By heavy we’re talking 1x and 0x tippet, or 12-15 pound Maxima.
• Try a tandem streamer rig, we particularly like to fish two streamers on heavy (200 and 300-grain) sink-tip lines in big, deep water… some of the runs on the Yellowstone and Missouri come to mind. We’ll typically run a larger, attention-getting streamer up front, trailed by a smaller pattern.
• As for patterns, sure, we have a few favorites – but more important than having the hottest new patterns is to ensure that you have a variety of colors, sizes, and silhouettes (primarily sculpin and baitfish).