As of late, the weather has been beautiful. Bluebird skies, warm days…picture perfect in many respects. But it’s fall, late September. Rain, at least drizzle, clouds, even snow are often part of the deal and while not always the most comfortable it’s what we want, what drives our fishing at this time of year. Fall Baetis mayflies (blue winged olives) are a primary food source for trout at this time of year. But they frequently shy from the sun and the trout can follow suit. So, as we’ve been stuck with all this dreadful beautiful weather, our fall dry fly fishing has been limited. Non existent? No…it’s there…if you know where to look. This morning, in the bright sun and wind, we experienced some outstanding dry fly fishing for cutthroats on the upper Yellowstone.
They are looking, they are expecting a hatch. Just because it doesn’t occur doesn’t mean we’re out of luck. In fact it can work in our favor. Suddenly, our fly, our single #12 parachute Adams is the hatch. It’s the only one, for miles, maybe days. Under such circumstances it can become a highly sought after item. Go try, it could be worth it. Just watching a cutthroat rise from the depths in clear water and bright sun is worth the price of admission.