October Season of the 2wt. Fly rod | Rio Premier LightLine DT
Often, in late September and into October, the trout become downright finicky. You will see them rise in gin-clear water, and eat something you cannot see. It's mind-numbing to say the least. To make matters worse, they are extremely skittish and bolt at the first signs of Muggle ineptitude. We are often too hard on ourselves, and when we make a wrong move on the chessboard, we berate ourselves for the entire drive home and for days, weeks, even months. We relive it for weeks to come while inventing new flies for different worst-case scenarios. A friend of mine calls this phenomenon “fall futility.” Alas, there is hope for those unwilling to put their midges and wet fly boxes into stasis for the winter.
There is a time in the fall when you will see a transition from actual rises to boils. You can float adult midges on the surface, beetles, crickets, ants, and hoppers, and you will get no interest. In fact, you will just spook them. But the boils continue. You're left standing there, wondering what's happening to the neighborhood. The trout have dialed in on typically midge emergers just under the surface. When this happens, you need emergers that you can either swing or sink just below the surface film. Usually, I use suspender midges in sizes #18 to #24. Again, this transition, depending on where you live, occurs around October and lasts through the rest of the fall and into the winter. Based on the type of water I fish, selective feeding typically starts mid-morning and continues intermittently throughout the day during these months.
Above photo: One of my favorite micropatterns in the fall months that I tie
is a midge that I combine an outside sheath of cream antron over a
CDC Loop Wing. I call this a “Net Head.” This is tied on a TMC 212Y #22 hook
and is a dangerous morsel for the “boil rising” browns.
Most of my 2 weight lines are Rio LightLine Double Tapers. This particular Rio line is the most stealthy line I've ever used. As stated above, it's freakishly quiet. It is perfectly designed for most of my clear, low-water, tiny-fly presentation situations in the fall in the western Alleghenies and on the Mad River, which is literally across the street from where I live in Urbana. Rio hit the nail on the head with this line. The front taper is 5', and the body taper is another 8'. I have found this combination to be a real winner in many of my small-creek situations. The line is very supple and “quiet,” and I cast it with confidence, which in my book means everything. Many of the big-name line manufacturers have mind-numbing product mixes and line logic, no pun intended. It can be frustrating to find a “quiet” and very supple line. So, give the Rio line's LightLine DT a try.
If I use my divining rod carefully, every decade or so, I come across a plastic line I absolutely fall in love with. As a warning: this is not a line for fast-action rods; it is designed for moderate- to slow-action rods. I do run it through bamboo and glass rods. It also works phenomenally on my old Sage LL rods of the 1990's. Once you have the line, leader, and tippet combinations lined up, you have solved part of the “fall futility” puzzle. Now it's up to your casting skills, fly knowledge, and most importantly, patience! Remember, your line and leader choices can often make or break a day of fishing in the late season.
“May the fall be with you!”
~cheers Clint Bova
