Friday Fly Day - Early Season Part Deux, the Dries
Trout rise happily in October too, so don’t just rely on a fully stocked nymph box. As temperatures rise throughout the cooler, October mornings water temps on streams can rise considerably, and by lunchtime you can often find yourself amongst a pretty nice hatch.
Where many go wrong is in using the same flies in October that they used in April. They worked then, why not now? In my opinion size is the most important aspect of fly choice and those hatching out in March and April often mature at a much smaller size than those in October, due to more favourable water temperatures during their nymphal stages. While 16’s and 18’s still have their place in October, don’t be afraid to pull out the 12’s and 14’s for that is what is likely hatching on most waters.
Mayflies
Parachute Dad's Favourite
Kakahi Queen
The stock standard early season surface imitation for me, both within, and on the surface film is the Parachute Dads Favourite in sizes 12-16, and to cater for early season coloburiscus hatches on our bush lined streams, Kakahi Queens in 12 and 14 are always on hand.
Quill Klink
CDC Floating Nymph
Quill Klinks give me a damp / dry imitation for those fish feeding within the film and the CDC Floating Nymph is a killer pre hatch when you see those fish bulging, but not quite feeding off the top.
Fly Visibility
Early season means low light and often seeing your dry in glare becomes difficult. Hi viz patterns mean you can monitor drag, track your drift and most importantly see and react to that often subtle eat. Trout don’t care about a bright, hi viz post, so you shouldn’t worry either.
Indi Klink
Indi Klinks have become a fast favourite anytime fly of mine of recent, and assist those more vision impaired in seeing their fly.
Mirfz BLT Dry Black
Hi Vis Para Adams
Mirfs BLT dry in size 14 and the Hi Viz Para Adams ensure both your fly rides how the fish want them, and you can pick them out in glare, and often heavy early season foam lanes.
Incentive For The Trout To Rise
Cochy Bondhu
Foam Brown Beetle
Sometimes you just gotta feed the fish. As the soils warm and brown beetles begin to fall the good old Cochy Bondhu or Foam Brown Beetle in size 14 is hard to beat.
Wicked Wulff
Low Blow
Bum Fluff Stimi
Swisher's Foam PMX
Don’t discard a Wicked Wulff, Low Blow, Bum Fluff Stimi or a Swishers Foam PMX in black to really get their attention. If they can see it, they have only two choices a yes or a no!
Get out there and rise them!