It’s definitely Fall on the Cascade lakes and with the cooler weather we’ve seen water temperatures begin to drop pretty dramatically. As a result, fish are moving out of the channels, so covering water to find fish is often the first priority upon putting the boat on the water. Leech patterns and Wooly Buggers on an intermediate line are ideal for covering water, make sure to really slow down the retrieve as both the fish and their food sources are moving a little slower with the cooling water. We are still finding decent numbers of fish in the channels, but also seeing more and more action in the shallows and in the standing timber. The Kokanee are moving along in their spawn cycle and are forming large schools in certain areas of the lake. We’ve tried to stay away from them for now as they haven’t begun to drop eggs and trout are staying away from them for now. After finding a couple of fish stripping a fly, anchoring up and indicator fishing will likely produce the best numbers. We fish a lot of smaller nymphs this time of year, and shy away from some of the larger Chironomids that are productive throughout the summer.
Suggested Dries: Parachute BWO #16-18, Parawulff BWO #16-18, Black Flying Ant #16, CDC Flying Ant #16, Hi Vis Beetle #16, Chubby Chernobyl #14-16, Para-cricket #14-16, Rusty Spinner #14-16
Suggested Nymphs: Hare’s Ear Natural Depth Charge #16-18, Dark Assassin #16-18, Parallel Assassin #16, Black Zebra Midge #16-18, Juju Chironomid #16, WD-50 #16-18, Olive or Black Balanced Leech Leech #12-14, Ruby Balanced Leech #14-16