October is a time of change. Changing water levels, changing temperatures and of course changing seasons. Regardless of target species being versatile will serve you well this time of year.

The fall leaves were lit up today by the early morning sun. I made my way to the creek down a steep path bordered by head high undergrowth. As I broke through the thick cover, I got my first look at the water. Yes!…. a few risers!

I started out with my favorite combo of a dry dropper. In this case, a Elk Hair Caddis with a modified Pheasant Tail tie off the bend of the dry. My 7’6″  3 wt. fiberglass rod casts this deadly duo with exquisite perfection. I don’t know if there is a sweeter feel than the flex and power of a well made glass rod. It feels like fly fishing should feel.

The first trout, a beautiful fall colored brown, eagerly took the nymph dropper within the first few drifts along the edge of a large boulder. There was no mistaking when my dry fly sank quickly into the depths that it was a fish take. The brown put up a great fight supercharged by the cool fall creek water!

The dropper bite dropped off, no pun intended, late morning. It was time for a change. I put away the glass and assembled my 10ft nymphing rod. Again I relied on one of my favorite flies the Heavy Metal Prince as the point fly. A few inches above I tied in a dropper for the pheasant tailed nymph that was working well in the morning.

The bows really favored the Prince Nymph. I caught a couple Euro Nymphing pocket water. Most trout though came from deep runs near the top of pools. In those scenarios suspended the nymphs about 5 ft under a small float. Change… change… change.. yes, change is inevitable AND necessary.

I ended my excursion at about mid day. Satisfied with the fishing success but most of all thankful for the beautiful fall day I headed back to my Jeep. I stoped for a few minutes to talk to a fellow fly fisherman and offer some of my insights on the day. I actually felt like I learned more from the conversation as well… more to ponder before my next trip back to this flow.