Fly fishing in September | keep calm and carry a 2 or 3 weight fly rod
A little 6'9" 3 wt. Proves that stealth and patience prevail
In the closing months of the trout season, September can be the most challenging of all months. The water is low and clear. Algae blooms can be frustrating for wet fly and nymph fishermen. Leaf flotsam creates many obstacles for the dry fly enthusiast, much like a warped game of Where's Waldo; your tiny midges seem to disappear in the surface film, which is riddled with debris from fall breezes.
Take a deep breath and leave your results-oriented mindset back home because you're in for an ass whoopin. Often, fish will be rising for a few minutes, then everything goes silent for a few hours. I spend the majority of my time site fishing using a monocular. If you're fishing spring creeks, it's super spooky and stealth and patience prevails. If you have ever fished the Letort Spring Run or Big Spring Creek around Cumberland County, you will completely understand what I'm talking about. Moving slowly and watching the water for the slightest movement will serve you well. The above photo is a beautiful Brown from the Mad River here in Ohio that I caught on a #18 Japanese Beetle (see my entry on CB's Japanese Beetles) while waiting 45 minutes before actually getting in the water. I had only one cast, and it had to be very delicate. He was in 12" of crystal clear, slow water, only one shot. I used my “Little Mecoche” 3wt. with a shorty 50" furled leader with around 6 feet of 7x tippet. It was the ONLY fish I caught all day, but this was my goal the minute I stepped into the river. It's not a turkey shoot, it's a tactical sniper/reconnaissance session. The minute you get into the water, you're disturbing everything. So I have to think about where I'm stepping and what I'm achieving by even getting into the water.
Above photo: 6'9" 3wt. “Little Mecoche,” a popular little
stealth rod that is my favorite for September spooky trout.
September can test our patience and perceptions of what we can mentally and physically handle. Keep calm and carry a 2 or 3-weight rod with a dialed-in leader, most importantly. Results are in the eye of the beholder, so just enter the river with zero expectations and you may surprise yourself!
~Clint Bova
