I went out to my car yesterday morning and what did I find? Just imagine. Ice! Only three weeks into August and I already have ice on my windshield. My first thought was "oh no there goes my garden." But it was my second thought that really got me fired up – brown trout. I look forward to seeing geese flock to the skies and get a thrill watching green poison ivy turn neon red and orange. Why you may wonder? Because it means fall is just around the corner and the Browns will get aggressive. No more sipping mayflies gently off the surface. It’s action time, when Browns rush to crush streamers off the bank.
 

Typically, summer starts out easy with the “all you can eat” salmonfly hatch, followed by torrents of caddis and mayflies. August brings in midnight stones and finally, the last hurrah - a succession of hoppers. As September slowly leaks into October the nights start getting cold and the hoppers start freezing out. The Browns are forced to switch menus and they’re not happy about it. Now their true, piscatorial character emerges. They become aggressive and visibly angry.

This year the big Browns came out of hiding early and began to hunt. It’s only the last week in August and they are already on the move. Their prey consists of sculpins, small whitefish and black nose dace. Fueled by hunger and frustration, the Brown’s predatory run usually peaks in the middle of October and finally ends mid-November. I use the term "run" loosely since it’s not like a steelhead run where hundreds of big fish suddenly appear from downstream. It’s more like a gentle wake-up call. Even though you know they’ve been lurking right under your nose all summer, their increased ire suddenly grabs your attention. The result? Browns unexpectedly start showing up on the end of your line.  
 
We do have a "run" of fish that come up out of Ennis Lake, so the brown population does increase in the fall. But it is the big river fish I'm after. In the summer months the brown trout are shy. You have to fish them early and late, with low light conditions. In the fall they get more aligned with my schedule. As the waters warm up, the fish move to Banker’s hours – 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. 

They shine to the warmest part of the day both in the water and out. Needless to say streamers become the name of the game. I like a Black K Buggar with a little nymph on the back. My suggestion is the bigger the streamer the smaller the nymph. I like to fish 2 inches from the bank and stripped fast. What I find fun is using white streamers. You can see the whites in the water and watch the browns go for them, their anger and hunger apparent in every move they make. Angry and hungry – just how we like them!

Another reason we like brown trout fishing in the fall is because cooler water opens up new areas that don’t fish well in the dog days of summer. For instance, the Jefferson, Lower Madison and Upper Missouri all have high water temps during the summer. Unfortunately, the fish have to spend most of their time and energy just getting enough oxygen to survive. As the cooler water of fall arrives, dissolved oxygen levels rise and the fish can get serious about putting on some weight for winter.

 
Since feeding opportunities for fish are limited, both brown and rainbows have to make up for lost time. Fishing in the fall can be awesome on many of the lesser-known rivers and less frequented stretches. This is great for anglers like you and me. Imagine. What could be better than more rivers, bigger fish and fewer people? I’m a fan. You should be too.