Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - Fly Fish America - September 2007 Issue - Index

Regional Editors
Bob Rifchin - Northeast
rmrifchin@comcast.net
King Montgomery - Mid-Atlantic
ffawriter@aol.com
Carl Warmouth - Southeast
cawarmo@callawaygardens.com
Robert Tomes - Upper Mid -America
rstomes@msn.com
Greg Berlocher - Lower Mid-America
bigredfish@aol.com
Paul B. Downing - Rocky Mountain
pbdfishreports@aol.com
Terry Sheely - Pacific
tsheely@reachone.com
start to find big king salmon and even brown
trout cruising tight along the Lake Michigan
lakefront in search of spawning sites. About
the same time, numerous tributaries in Wisconsin,
Indiana, and Michigan start to fill up
with salmon, brown trout, and steelhead. If
this isn't enough to keep you fishing, southern
Wisconsin also offers early fall trout fishing
and plenty of warmwater action on lakes and
rivers well into football season. Timing is everything
when it comes to the big fish runs, so
it's always best to check with the experts like
Jon, Andy, Will, and Nikki at Chicago Fly
Fishing Outfitters (312-944-3474; www.
chifly.com). After October 1, also check out
their new store at 1279 N. Clybourn-more
space, less congestion, better parking!
INDIANA
Based on recent rains and predictions, this fall
should find salmon and steelhead in good numbers
on Indiana's Lake Michigan tributaries, like
the St. Joe and Salt Creek. Depending on water
levels, good fishing should run from September
right through November. During the early runs,
try swinging large, brightly colored streamers in
tailouts and deeper pools. Steelhead in particular
like the cover of log jams and undercut banks
as they make their way upstream. As the runs
progress and the water cools, you'll do best fishing
deep with an egg-and-nymph combination
on an indicator. Smaller nymphs and mirco-eggs
42
can also mean the difference between fish and
getting skunked. For the latest info on Indiana's
late-season fishing and all your tackle needs,
see Chad at Wildcat Creek Outfitters in
Zionsville (317-733-3014).
IOWA
Iowa fly fishers know better than to hang up the
fly rod when the Hawkeye's start playing. With
no closed season and less angling pressure, late
fall trout fishing on Iowa's spring creeks is just
the thing to get into fish. While not known
for monster fish, Iowa still offers some pretty
good action. Spring Branch, Waterloo, and
Bear Creeks are just a few that await you in the
northeast corner of this state. In the early fall
look for dry-fly activity using terrestrials and
assorted mayflies, like the BWO. Later in the
year expect fish to hold deep, feeding on scuds,
nymphs, and the occasional baitfish. As always,
use fine tippets and a stealthy approach to catch
the most fish. For the latest on fishing conditions
and all your fishing needs, stop by or call 2nd
Ave Bait House & Fly Shop (515-282-4217;
www.iowaflyfishing.com).
KANSAS
Area lakes will start cooling down this month,
and when they do look for wiper action to pick
up. The team at Backwoods (316-267-0359)
in Wichita points fly fishermen to Marion
Reservoir, and also Marion County Park. Look
for marauding schools of wipers busting shad
on the surface. As the water cools, the bass will
push schools of shad into the shallows. Wheeling
and crashing gulls are a sure sign fish are feeding
below. Size-2 to -6 yellow/white Clousers,
coyotes, and bendback deceivers are deadly on
foraging wipers. Both lakes can be fished from
a kick boat.
KENTUCKY
Fall fishing in Kentucky is often the best of
the year. Summer crowds are thinning and the
brown trout are beginning to move into their
aggressive spawning activity. Copper Johns,
woolly buggers, hopper patterns, club sandwiches,
zoo cougars and muddler minnows are
all good patterns for both the Cumberland and
Dix River tailwaters. Beadhead pheasant tail
nymphs tied in olive are also a good choice at
this time of year. If the weather is overcast, fish
smaller pheasant tails in olive to imitate the
BWO hatches that are common. The Sporting
Tradition has all the details at (859) 255-8652.
LOUISIANA
The fall is the best time to tangle with jumbo
redfish in the marshes, says Richard Whitner,
owner of Gulf Coast Outfitters (225-
926-3597). The shop has relocated from
Baton Rouge and is now in Dulac at the Tall
Tales Marina. Redfish in the 20-pound class
have been taken by fly fishermen, with some
fish eclipsing the 30-pound mark. Nine- and
10-weight rods are needed for the big fish.
Clousers, deceivers, flexo-crabs, spoon flies, and
shrimp patterns are all good choices. Call Gulf
Coast Outfitters to book a trip if your travels
take you to Louisiana.
MAINE
If I have a favorite place in Maine, it is undoubtedly
the Grand Lake Stream Region. The area is
renowned for some of the best smallmouth bass
fishing in the world, and the landlocked salmon
and lake trout are every bit as exceptional. September
is a great and less crowded time to go fish
the Stream, and it has an extended fall fishing
season until October 20. There are lots of places
to fish, and I have done well with nymphs and
streamers, preferably large stoneflies and smelt
imitations tied in reduced sizes with marabou
wings instead of hackle. Don't forget your surface
flies and poppers in the fall, as salmon will
still come to a well fished dry under the right
circumstances. For more information contact
Jeff McEvoy at Weatherby's (207-796-5558;
info@weatherbys.com).
MARYLAND
The scenic Eastern Shore of Maryland usually
fishes well in the fall months. The folks at Winchester
Creek Outfitters in Grasonville
(410-827-7000; www.winchestercreekoutfitters.com)
say you can catch warmwater species
in the numerous freshwater ponds and small
lakes; they suggest the pond at nearby Tuckahoe
State Park for largemouths, chain pickerel, and
bluegills. Stripers are available on top (look for
birds working the water), or on sinking lines
tipped with Joe Bruce crab Clousers, Clousers
in chartreuse/white, various Lefty's deceivers,
or on some dynamite local patterns available
in the shop. Best bets are the eastern bay and
Kent Narrows areas. If you're in the Salisbury
area, check in with the Salisbury Fly Shop
(410-543-8FLY; www.salisburyflyshop.com)
on Maryland's Eastern Shore. They can put you
onto fresh- and saltwater hotspots.
MASSACHUSETTS
The Bay State has more angling opportunities
than you might imagine. On the North Shore
alone, striped bass are found in the Annisquam
River, the Essex River and Bay, the Gloucester
area, Plum Island Sound, Rockport, Salem,
Marblehead, and at least a half dozen other
prime locations. When the fish start migrating,
this is spectacular fishing. Bring flies to
imitate menhaden from an inch in length
on up. The lower portion of the Swift River
flowing out of the Quabbin Reservoir in the
central part of the state provides nearly every
kind of trout water, catch-and-release fishing,
and year 'round midge hatches. There is no
closed season in this state. For more informa-