When the leaves start to turn and there is a crispness in the air fly fishermen are anxious to get to the rivers and search for hungry trout.  It is the time of year that brown trout start to spawn and become particularly vulnerable to a well-presented streamer, egg pattern or grass-hopper imitation.  Bigger fish that are extremely difficult to catch throughout the rest of the year seem to drop that guard and become easier prey.  Our local rivers like the Weber or the Provo, or the Duchesne in the Uintah basin can provide great fishing on surface flies all the way to the first hard frost.  I like to fish a hopper with a bead-head prince dropper through the heat of the day and then swing a streamer as the sun leaves the water.

Then there is steelhead fishing in British Columbia.  Every serious fly fisherman should give this kind of fishing a try. The thrill of hooking and fighting one of these legendary fish will stay in your mind forever.  They average 2-1/2 feet in length and test your skills to the limit every time.  I’ll be returning the Bulkley River for my 26th consecutive season in mid-September with a group of friends and customers for a week of  swing fishing for the challenging sea-run rainbow trout.  We stay at the Bulkley River Lodge, about a 45 minute drive from the airport at Smithers, and enjoy the great food, experienced guides, and friendly atmosphere of this charming lodge on the river.

 This year we are fortunate to have four women join us for the week of fishing.  Our table and camp manners will be carefully observed and evaluated. Good thing we’re all good friends.  Jan Massimino, a partner in the lodge, along with Caron Keim, Fran Meehan and Grace Geibel from Jans will all have a chance to tell tall tales about their day’s fishing as we gather around the fireplace with cocktails before dinner.  All of the guests this year have been to the lodge before so they can start out fishing seriously from the very first cast.