Fall is in the air with cooler temps the past few weeks and a front headed our way today that will drop temps even more. I suspect the cooler temps will also bring even less of the very weak less than a unit of generation that we have been seeing. Unless of course the oxygen levels drop or stay low then this weak generation will continue. The frustration for the fisherman comes with the fluctuation of flows with CFS some days bouncing around every half hour. Which is a lot like the catching in that one day the catch rate is outstanding and then the next you have to work really hard for every fish you get. This fall in particular brings areas of the river that are barren or greatly lacking in fish and some areas that are loaded up with fish.
Shoal areas (riffles) are always popular with guides at this time of year with either no or low flows. Low flows at this time have fish pretty spooky in the slower flowing flat water areas between the shoals. We can see these fish mixed in with some pretty good sized brown trout (that are even more spooky) but they are wary and must be fooled with small flies such as blood midges, red midges, dash-2’s soft hackle flies as caddis flies like the Arkansas bead head hares ear ( sunday special) and san juan worms in wine on cloudy days or the WAPSI worm color and pink on sunny days. Rising or dropping water also brings more takes and stable or steady water seems to shut them down on some days which is not usually how this river works. Like the weather trying to make up it’s mind what to do so goes the fishing which IS normal for this time of year. The White unlike the Fork is a big river with a big impoundment of water that takes a bit more time for temps to change. Persistence, patience and some changing of flies will bring success on tough days. Working with flows and trying to figure them out isn’t always easy but getting on rising water if there is any has historically been the ticket to success. I’ve been spending a bit more time further down stream where the fluctuation of water flows is eased and flattened out and the catching is a bit more consistent.
November will bring some great fishing as it almost always does. Each moon phase at this time of year will bring fish into areas of shallow gravel with faster water for the spawn cycle. These fish will start spawning down stream and move upstream each month ending at the dam and finishing up in February and March.
Stay Fishy My Friends.
Jimmy T.