Autumn is upon us, and the creek fishing is becoming poor. But on the bright side, the silver

maples in my yard are finally starting to turn color, the cooler weather allows for more comfort for

myself and many others, and nature is breaking out in beauty altogether.

My last few trips up numerous creeks have only one little brook trout, but replacing it has been

the local woods showing their true colors. Reflections of the yellowed larch and quaking aspen, reds

from ninebark and hawthorne and other shrubbery, greens from the stagnant needles of the douglas fir

and the ponderosa pines ripple when my line laid out over the glassy waters. The forest wears the

transformation well as it awaits the inevitable blanket of snow when Old Man Winter blows his way

through the valley.

The question is not why have I not been catching a lot of fish, but rather how have I not been

catching fish? Well, one could argue that I was fishing poorly (more common than I would like to

admit). One could also argue that some days the fisherman wins and some days the fish win (but that is

boring). I will argue that it is due to me using my cursed rod.

It was not supposed to be a cursed rod. I found a dream rod of mine on eBay about a year and a

half back and I just had to have it. It is a gorgeous, translucent yellow Heddon Golden Mark 50 Pro

Weight #8540 6.5 foot fiberglass rod from the '70s that is as fun to fish as it is to look at. However,

every time that I take it out on a day on a creek without my wife, I am bound to miss every single strike

that a fish makes on the fly I am using. If I am with my wife, I will hit and land them. I don't know why

this is, but it is probably because I bought the rod behind her back once and never told her that I did.

Not that it was an expensive purchase, it was actually a rather good deal. But it is as good an excuse as

I can find due to it being the only fly rod in my quiver that it consistently happens with.

Yet, there are probably more reasonable reasons why the catching has been a bit worse as of

lately (even though the curse one is a bit more fun considering it is now spooky season).

With fall, the easy trout fishing in the creek of the summer turns into rather tough and technical

trout fishing as the trout make their way into deeper pools or faster waters to stay warm, eat harder to

find food, and slow their metabolism until the springs when the good tasting flying bugs are more

abundant. This means that a lot of the fishing in these creeks this time of year is best done under the

water, whether that means nymphing or swinging wet flies. Heck, if you got some smaller streamers,

the trout get a bit more aggressive towards their own kind this time of year. But in these streams, that

means really small streamers. I have a few woolly buggers in sizes #16 and #18 that I tied one night, a

bit too late at night, that look ridiculous but hey, if it works, it works.

But there are some things to look out for too. While it is not as big of a deal up here as it was a

few years back, the kokanee are spawning this time of year and it is best to just let those big red fish do

their thing so we can have more kokanee in years to come. While they are not native, the brook trout in

our streams and rivers spawn this time of year as well. But most importantly, the endangered native

bull trout spawn this time of year as well. During this spawning season, please for the love of God

refrain from fishing for, or snagging, the trout in their redds. If you end up doing it, just know that all

the good fisherman will be casting down from heaven with their Busch Light shaped lures in the fiery

pool you end up living eternity in. Also, if you are wading, avoid the redds as well.

Redds are pretty easy to spot if you know what to look for. Redds, or fish nests, are visibly

cleaner than the creek or river bed around them. Let us just take the Moyie River for example. Upriver

from Eileen to the Canadian border, the riverbed is full of stone. If there is a big oval of river bed that

has been cleared of said stone, that’s a redd for you. Trout enjoy spawning in highly oxygenated water,

so you will mostly find them in moving waters in the river. So if you are wading around, watch your

feet. And if you are fishing in that area, it might be better, and more ethical, to move on.

However, there is a caveat to this. Rainbow trout spawn during the spring. In the fall, these little

punks tend to hang out behind the redds of other fish and feed on their eggs when they can. These fish I

do not mind you targeting, and egg patterns can be quite a killer this time of year. But if you decide to

go down this route, please be very careful. I would love for us to have a healthy bull trout population,

kokanee population, and don’t tell anyone but I kind of like the brook trout in our creeks.

Now that I am done teaching and preaching, let me just give you all an update. The creeks are

tough fishing right now as I said. The Kootenai is still providing some good fishing especially if you

are in a drift boat. But if you can find some quick waters off the shore, a nice terrestrial pattern up top

and a nymph under it will produce some fish. Or, at least for me this year, swinging wet flies or pulling

streamers have both been very productive.

For some really good news, the Moyie is back to being cold, and while the waters are a bit low

(especially up towards Good Grief and the border), there are a good bit of active trout still feeding off

the top. I have seen a few small hatches around Eileen Dam and Meadow Creek campground, and it is

worth getting your feet wet before the snows come.

The lakes are the lakes. The panfish are still out and about, though most of them are feeding

under the surface as the weather turns towards the cold. I have seen some bass eats at Perkins lately but

haven’t managed to coax one out from the lilypads that are still up. I am sure there are still a few

stocked Rainbow ready to be caught up at Solomon, and this time of year, it is always a good idea to

head up there. That lake never looks better during the year as it does when the trees turn color.

Tight lines out there, friends.