For as long as I can remember the end of September has signaled the end of open water fishing in Maine. However, just when many local anglers have abandoned the water in favor of the woods, and the majority of non-resident anglers have called it quits for the year, I begin what just might be my favorite time to fish in Maine. Forced to choose only one month a year to fish (a choice I hope I never have to make!), October would be right at the top of my list.

While October fishing isn't exactly new in Maine (parts of the Kennebec River have been open during part of October as long as I can remember), the number of quality waters open to anglers has increased significantly over the years. As such, the number of anglers taking advantage of the extended seasons has also increased. With the addition of more open waters, I fully expect to see more and more anglers taking advantage of October fishing.

While many popular Maine salmonid waters see significant angling traffic in September, some of these same waters are virtually void of anglers in October. For example, while floating the middle Kennebec last October we saw few if any anglers. On one such occasion, I actually had a local outdoor writer half-jokingly question if I was sure the river was still open to fishing (imagine the buzz if a local Fly Shop owner and Sports Writer were caught fishing a closed water!)

In addition to the unmatched solitude of a river void of human traffic, the fall foliage offers some of the most beautiful scenery to be found anywhere in the country. In addition to the blaze of colors created by the changing leaves, in most years by October the waters are "Gin Clear" and running at comfortable fishing and wading levels. Lastly, even in the warmest years, by October the water temperatures have dropped to ideal salmonid conditions.

As for hatches, while the dramatic blizzard hatches of spring and early summer are long gone, fall does mark the return of mid-day hatches mostly in the form of Tiny Blue-Winged Olives (Baetidae vs. Ephemerellidae). In addition, the angler can expect the tail end of the Leadwing Coachman hatch (a.k.a. Slate Drake or "Isonychia") in the early part of the month along with Midges and the occasional caddis or stonefly.

Most importantly is that October is the month when the three most commonly found salmonids in Maine are in the middle of their annual spawning rituals. Specifically, brookies, landlocked salmon and browns are all in full spawn during even the warmest of October's (Rainbows spawn in April and Splake don't spawn at all!). As an added bonus, during the spawn the males of all three species noted above develop hooked jaws and exhibit their most brilliant colors of the year.

While I covered the best ways to catch fall brookies and salmon in my last article (Fall Fishing), brown trout should be approached a little differently due to their predatory nature and preference for large meals! When it comes to browns, think big and think bright. Specifically, large (#2-4) western style streamers in white, yellow and chartreuse are your best bet. While any sculpin imitation will do, those made from rabbit seem to work best for me.

During the spawn, browns become very territorial and while they may cut back on eating somewhat, they do not take kindly to anything invading their space. As a result, the hits you get can be fast and violent and are often "stunning blows" as opposed to actual takes. Often times large male browns will hit a minnow broadside, turn, and if it is still there and stunned, eat it! While this is a lot happening in a quick window of time, it can be addressed.

When I witness what I believe to be a stunning blow, I stop my strip, forward roll some line, and set the hook hard. While often I am left with nothing but slack line or worse a streamer buzzing by my ear, I occasionally hook a fish using this method that I would have otherwise missed. In addition, even if you miss the fish, dump the streamer right back into the general area and let it flutter and you may still get that return strike.

There is nothing like chasing large browns in late fall and while many are in the woods hunting small game or scouting for deer, I'll be on the rivers and streams in search of my biggest fish of the year. While the hunting window is short and as such hunters need to take advantage of it, even the hard-core hunting enthusiast should give late fall fishing a try at least once. But please don't give up hunting for fall fishing, I am having way too much fun out there alone!

Bob Mallard has been a flyfisherman and fly tyer for over 25 years and is the owner of Kennebec River Outfitters on Route 201 in Madison, ME. He can be reached at (207) 474-2500 or www.kennebecriveroutfitters.com.