Fall Alternatives to Chasing Steelhead: Stillwater Trout
Once October rolls around, most people will be hunting, steelhead fishing, watching football or a combination of the three. Very few people are still chasing trout, which is fine by me. The hard part is always deciding where to go.
Do I head to a lake or a river? Washington, Idaho or Montana? Tough decisions I know, but those are the challenges we face in Coeur d’Alene and Spokane.
Looking at the constantly changing weather forecast is usually the ultimate deciding factor for me. 20-30 mph gusts and raining? Yeah, I probably won’t be inflating the float tube today. Calm and sunny? Time to hit one of my favorite eastern Washington lakes!
Fly Fishing in Fall on Lakes in Washington
The lakes of eastern Washington have a vast amount of aquatic life that provides protein to fast-growing trout. It’s not uncommon to catch fish over 20 inches and with cutthroat, rainbows, tigers, brook and brown trout inhabiting many of these lakes, you can add a little variety to your fly fishing game.
Growing up in Maine, I spent many hours of my youth trolling local lakes for landlocked salmon, brook trout, and togue (look that one up) with my family, which needless to say is a very boring endeavor when you’re a kid. It wasn’t until I moved to Washington in 2003 that I rediscovered stillwater trout fishing, and out west the techniques are very different.
Lake Tactics for Targeting Fall Trout
Like the weather, tactics can change by the minute, which is why I always go with a few rods rigged. Not to mention, you don’t have as much daylight to work with as you did in June, so it’s even more important to have your game plan ready!
Balanced micro-leeches or chironomids under a slip indicator are a great way to pick up fish cruising along the shoreline. If staring at a bobber isn’t your thing, try casting a damselfly nymph or water boatman on an intermediate line in the same area.
There is nothing quite like watching the water boil and feeling your line come tight when a trout attacks your fly!
Sub-Surface Tactics for Stillwater Trout
If fish aren’t cooperating on the surface or near the shoreline, then I’ll start plying drop-offs with a fast-sinking line. My retrieve will vary depending on what fly patterns I’m fishing, but I always keep it erratic. Don’t be afraid to try some of those big articulated patterns in your streamer box either.
As water temperatures drop, trout will focus most of their feeding along the shoreline, which means you don’t always need a pontoon or float tube to reach the fish. In fact, some of my favorite lakes in the area can be fished with a great deal of success from shore. Amber Lake to the south of Cheney, WA is one of these lakes that provides a great deal of after school fun for my son and me every year. Just make sure you have a Washington State Discover Pass before you go.
I encourage you to break away from tradition and try some new water this fall. You never know, you might just start a new tradition. As always, we’re here to assist you, so stop by the shop and let us guide you to your most successful season yet!
This article is from our freev October 2016 eMag.