Fall is for Streamers

A shift in the weather has anglers thinking about tossing the big stuff and ripping it through the shallows. Floating lines are replaced with sink tips. The 4 and 5 weights will feel neglected. The 6’s and 7’s are getting all the love. Fall is for streamers in Montana. And we are in Montana.

The weather doesn’t feel like it’s streamer time. Our unusually warm fall – which has become our typically warm fall – has you thinking hoppers and ants. Maybe some Psuedo’s. When you think of fall streamer fishing, you think of sideways snow and sleet. Puffballs and rain jackets. You picture yourself in a grainy black & white Brian Grossenbacher photo in the Simms catalog.

But not yet. We’re still wearing flip-flops. The BBQ is still on the ready, and the beers are on ice in the YETI. Seems like it should still be pre-season in the NFL. Everything above the surface seems like it’s still summer.

The truth, however, is that a few smart anglers have been getting them on streamers for awhile. Like a month. Once the Brown’s start to get the urge, they are more receptive to the idea of killing something, instead of sipping something. The moon dictates the spawn, not the weather channel. It’s getting close.

For the last week I’ve noticed that far more anglers are walking through the door and heading straight to the streamer section in the fly bins. They don’t ask questions or browse flies. They know what they want.

So get your intermediate tips rigged up, tie up some flashy streamers and break out the 16 p0und Rio Max. Fall is here.