In addition to the cold mornings, low and clear water, and floating leaves, what makes fall fishing different than that found any other time of year is that we are angling for spawning fish. As such, if an angler is to be successful they must learn to identify these changing conditions and alter their strategy to meet them. In addition to seasonal changes, spawning fish go through daily changes that unless understood can leave the uniformed angler frustrated and fishless.

When I first started fishing for salmonids in the fall, I did not fully understand what was going on. As such, I followed suit and did what everyone else did, i.e., threw streamers! While streamers worked, I was not enjoying the success that I would have liked to. After watching fish follow my offerings and refuse them at the last second, I began to wonder what I was doing wrong. If my streamer was interesting enough to follow, why was it not being taken?

What I learned was that many of the fish that followed my streamers were following out of anger more than hunger (they were protecting their redds). As a test, I began to use larger (#4) and brighter streamers such as a Cardinelle or Montreal Whore. With this change in strategy my catch rate went up as well as the size of the fish I caught. I also learned to dead drift a streamer through a run when traditional techniques moved, but not hooked fish - this really works!

Another important consideration is the fact that "fresh" fish (i.e., those that have recently entered the stream or river from a lake) behave much differently than those that have been in the river for a few days. As such, my tactics change as the day and/or season goes on. While I may throw streamers at first light in hopes of moving "fresh" fish, I rarely if ever throw streamers during the day. In addition, as the season progresses I use fewer and fewer streamers.

The key to successful mid-day fall fishing is to fish small and hunt fish! Although fish will be found in riffles and runs in the early morning and late evening (they are on the move), they move into the larger pools after the sun rises above the trees. More specifically, they drop to the tail-outs of these large pools. In fact, a piece of water that is baron of fish in the early morning may be stacked with fish by 9:00am (I have witnessed this countless times).

My standard strategy is to hit the stream at first light with large bright streamers and a sink tip line (10' Type V). When the sun brightens, I swap to a dry line and strike indicator nymph rig. After switching lines, I walk the banks and search the tail-outs using a long brim hat and a good pair of polarized glasses. Staying out of the water, I scan the pools looking for silhouettes, which are not always as easy to spot as you may think (I sometimes spot fish after staring for minutes).

Once I have located fish, I enter the water no deeper than I need to (this is key), and start probing the tail of the pool with tiny (#18-#22) nymphs. I am especially careful to target the downstream fish first when more then one fish is in the pool. This allows me to hook the fish and pull him away from the school (downstream) without spooking the remaining fish. Once found, I can often catch a dozen or so fish from the same pool - a rare feat when using streamers!

As for tackle, a medium/fast action 9' 5-weight rod is your best choice. In addition, while I have beat this to death in the past, I cannot overstate the importance of fluorocarbon tippet for both fishing both streamers (3-4x) and nymphs (5-6x). Add to that a pair of quality "copper" polarized glasses, a long-brim baseball hat with dark underside, and an ample supply of bright streamers and tiny nymphs, and you are armed and ready for some of the finest fishing of the season!

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.