Difficult fish late in the season

It's at this time of the year when many river fish are coming off their high of smashing terrestrials on the surface and the cooler water temperatures are starting to turn their bodies onto spawning mode.

The good news is fish at this time of the year are often in their prime and it's a great time for picking up bigger than average fish.

Here are a few thoughts for late season fishing.

1. Hit the nail on the Head:

At this time of the year fish aren't goign to move so far to nail the fly, so spend some time on the lawn and brush up on your accuracy. Then once you're on the river make that first cast count and put it right on it's nose.

2. Bring the Fly Size Down:

As temperateures cool, in general the size of bugs hatching tends to also. So make sure you scale down your fly size also.

3. Get off the Beaten Track:

By taking the time to make the extra effort to fish less pressured water your chances of success are going to improve. By this time in the year, most fish would have seen plenty of anglers, so make the extra effort to find those fish that have had a little less pressure.

As with fishing at any time of the year it's important to take the time and think about what's happening out there. Just because you did well a couple of months ago fishing a particular way doesn't mean it will still work the same now, but a slight change to your approach may be all that is needed to keep your success artes up.