Fresh snow on the mountains again this week so it's really beginning to feel like fall, but there is supposed to be a slight warm-up this weekend before another storm system next week. Read below on how the unsettled weather might influence your fishing this week and next. One thing I know, with overcast skies and a change in the temperature you'll be able to find some brown trout getting pissy. The upper Madison in Yellowstone is a great bet and it won't be long before some stalky browns  move out of Ennis Lake, too. Decent time to start hiking into the Lewis River channel if you have the inclination. Also, have you seen the Jefferson lately—once the river drops from recent rains it should provide perfect flows, Trico spinners and, probably, some browns getting ready to go nuts. Keep that streamer box handy, just in case.  g

Fall in Yellowstone National Park with terrestrial hatches, Tricos and, pretty soon, some solid Baetis emergences. Get those boots 'a stompin'.

MADISON RIVER, MT: The condition of the lower Madison is up in the air right now as flows jumped from 1,500 cubic feet a second on Monday to just over 3,000 cfs yesterday morning. That's due to a boulder whacking the dam and causing damage. It sounds like flows from Ennis Lake will continue to grow as managers drop the lake level. If that's the case flows may be super high, but the water temperature may continue to drop and, who knows, that could start some fall hatches. Higher flows also may mean silt in the river. We just don't know for sure at this moment. So, my recommendation is to keep an eye on the lower river and if it's blown head upstream to Ennis and fish above there. One thing to keep in mind, however: if you want to float (and wade-fish only/can't fish from the boat) in the Valley Garden to Ennis Lake section, you might have trouble getting your boat out of the water because of lake levels dropping and access sites being left high and dry.

OK, from Ennis Lake up you'll find great water all the way to the Slide inn area where Kelly Galloup, who owns Slide Inn, says Baetis are just starting. 

"They are just starting to pop and the nymphing with a variety of Baetis patterns is good in the mornings," Galloup noted. "There are midges, too, so most guys are doubling up with a Baetis nymph and a midge. The hopper bite is still good in the afternoon but not many guys are doing it because of the rain we've had here. We've even seen snowflakes in the mornings. Ants and beetles are going good here, too. Overall, the hopper and ant bite should be good for the next few weeks and the Baetis will just get better. Streamers are picking up, too."

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK: Keep an eye on the Firehole because fall-style weather is lowering the water temperature and that means the river's rainbow and brown trout should become more active. That's the word from Kevin Penley at Bud Lilly's Trout Shop in West Yellowstone.

"There are still some caddis around but the Baetis are starting and that will make things really good. During summer you get an hour in the morning before things shut down; now it will be a longer timeframe from late morning through the afternoon."

During the fall Baetis hatch the Firehole is one cool place to fish with buffalo wandering by, elk bugling from the trees, and steam vents shooting into the air. Fish rise all over the place and they aren't too picky—throw a size-16 or 18 cripple, Sparkle Dun or a general P-chute Adams at them and you're good to go.

So, where's the best fishing in the park right now? Penley says he'd bank on Slough Creek, the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek.

"The Lamar and Soda Butte can be muddy when it rains but that area is fishing well and that's where I would go if I could."

If you do travel that way, make sure to pack some green drake imitations. The Lamar and Soda Butte, especially, get a freaky, late-season green drake emergence. Also pack your Baetis patterns plus hoppers, ants and beetles. Adequately loaded you'll destroy here in September.

Couple other things: Headhunters should look to the Madison above the park boundary this month, too. Softhackles and streamers draw takes from large browns. In addition, it's time to sniff around the Lewis River Channel where some big browns, some big brook trout, and some hefty lake trout stack up this time of year. If you choose to do that, start early; it's about a five mile hike in and a five mile hike out of the channel.

JEFFERSON RIVER, MT: The Jeff is an interesting option...just not in the next few days. Rain has blown the river out and made it pretty much unfishable right now. Give it a few days or, better yet, a couple weeks and then start hitting it with articulated streamers for on-the-run browns. Some hogs to be had here.

BIG HOLE RIVER, MT: It's Trico time here and the river is fishing well with plenty of flow and some eager fish.

According to Eric Thorson at Sunrise Fly Shop in Melrose, those bugs come off around 9 a.m. and their presence lasts until about noon, with adults mixed in with spinners. "The river temperature has dropped and flows have gone up," he noted, adding, "and I like that. Flows had been down to about 270, but they are up to 400 now. The fish may need a day or two to recover but once it warms up the flows will be great to get a boat around and all the buckets will have really good depth to them."

If you get up early and hit the Trico action, and there's no good reason not to, try Montana Fly Company's Indicator Spinner Trico in size 20. That's the pattern Thorson says works best, mostly because it is tied with a small, white parachute post and anglers can see it on the water. Look for some great Trico action from Jerry Creek all the way down to Melrose. And make sure you pack some streamers with you, too. Thorson did so the other day and said it "sucked" but it won't be long before all those Bighole browns get mad and start hammering. "It's coming soon, " Thorson assured. "And when it does I'm the happiest guy in the world. I love fall streamer fishing here."

BEAVERHEAD RIVER, MT: With some regret Thorson noted, "The Beaverhead is fishing as well as I've ever seen it. The cranefly hatch is unbelievable and it doesn't matter what you throw—hoppers, Chernobyls, tan ants...Just throw it next to the bank and they'll eat it all day."

Keep an eye out for an increase in Trico activity, too. That takes place in heavy doses in the "slick" and should provide some memorable morning action this month. If you don't like company don't hit the Beaverhead. Here's how Thorson describes it: "It's crowded, yes. Just packed with people."

BIGHORN RIVER, MT: i'm not saying you shouldn't fish the Bighorn this week or weekend, or even next week, especially if we get more cloudy days, but it's not on fire. There are some Tricos around and the old two-tone San Juans, Phasant-Tails and softhackle sowbugs are drawing takes. But the good stuff is still a little ways out, unless the big browns and rainbows get streamer happy on overcast days. Then you could have a lot of fun. That's the word from Eric Beebe at Bighorn Fly & Tackle in Billings.

"The streamer fishing should pick up with cooler weather," he said, "and I would throw a Bighorn Peanut, a J.J. Special or a Bighorn Bugger. I go after bigger fish so I use the articulated flies with two size-four hooks. It ends up being about four inches long so if something takes it, especially if it's a rainbow, it's usually better than 20 inches."

To reach the fish-eaters, Beebe uses a 24-foot, 300-grain sinktip and he focus on deeper pools, cut banks and through and below riffles and rapids. Another tactic of Beebe's is to change fly color instead of giving up on a particular section of water.

"If I know fish are holding in that water and I don't have anything else within a 15-minute move downstream, I switch," he said. "Black, olive, gray, white, yellow and brown. I just keep switching until I get hits and then I switch again."

If you're on the 'horn this week and weekend and the moss is giving you fits or the hoppers just aren't doing it, switch to a big articulated leech and make life easy on yourself.

LOWER DESCHUTES, OR: Got a report from Nick Rowell who guides some seriously cool water in Oregon. I've been waiting for a report like this to say, adios, I'm headed to the big OR for steelhead. And this may have been it. I'll quote from Rowell's note to me: "Fishing has picked up and is good. We've had some epic fishing from  Macks to the mouth. Our last morning, Chris and I went 8 for 15 on dry lines. Been fishing lots of skaters, too. Could be fun."

If you're interested in a Deschutes trip—and if you have a pulse you should be—hit up Rowell for his services at hunt4steel@gmail.com

 A double-up on the lower D. You could be in their boots. Contact Nick Rowell for the info.

Oh yea, Slough Creek in late summer and early fall. Kicks serious angling ass.

 Just about time to head to the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show in Denver, which is where a lot of fly-fishing specific companies reveal their most recent gear to the industry. I'll pack a camera and laptop and wander the isles looking for the most interesting products to write about and then I'll share what I find with you.

And what would some of those new products be?

Well, I know this: Scientific Anglers is set to introduce a bunch of new fly lines including a textured nymph/indicator taper that I've already tested on the water and found to be awesome for turning big stoneflies. And Scientific Anglers also will introduce a pile of spey-specific product that I'm pretty eager to throw. In that mix is the Skagit Extreme Taper with multi tips, and a Scandi extreme READ MORE 

Natural inclination these days is to go with a variety of sink-tips and dredge for steelhead. I did that last year on the Clearwater and hooked four fish from one pool and then I thought, I wonder if they would have eaten a dry. Hell yes they would have eaten a dry! I was on the Dean River in July and  almost passed up an opportunity to throw a skater, but finally did, and I missed two fish. Fishing a skater is top end of the sport and I think it's more productive than most people think. Fish it early and late and wake it slowly so a fish gets an eyeful. When you're on the Clearwater this month and through fall, make sure to give the top a play first thing in the morning and don't hesitate to tie on Peter Crow's favorite skater—he's a steelhead junkie with lots of dry-fly hookups to his credit. Here's his take on the Drag 'n Fly.

Peter Crow's Bio
General Manager: Smith Fishing; Suncloud; Steelhead junkie since 1980; lands more steelhead than his age each year; motto is, “the tug is the drug.”
Hometown: Ketchum, Idaho

What is your favorite steelhead pattern, given decent conditions?
Orange Drag ‘n Fly, size-6.

Why do you like it? Because you have confidence in it from previous hookups, or because it does something specific in the water?
It’s a surface skater so the fly adds a fun visual element to steelhead fishing. At times it kicks READ MORE   

Money fly. Here's what Crow hooks 'em up with.

Wanted to let all of you know that I placed an image in the current issue of Whitefish Review, but more importantly I wanted to bring your attention to this cool literary journal—it's full of interesting, well-written reads that offer scope and integrity. And, because this journal is published in Montana it typically carries some good outdoor stories, too.

My suggestion is to order the current copy, iissue #7, in which you'll find some great articles and photographs by well-known writers and some up-and-comers. In the current issue, I placed an image of Callibaetis riding shotgun on a friend's ball cap and also penned some words on how lakes are often overlooked in the Big Sky fly-fishing scene, a surprise to me because, typically, lakes are more consistent and provide larger fish than streams.

If you want to see that photo and read the description I wrote or, better yet, if you want to read pieces by Doug Peacock, Rick Bass, Doug Chadwick and Laura Munson, among others, get online and order a copy of Whitefish Review—you'll be happy you did and you'll support an effort that is refreshing—solid writing with an emphasis placed on good words with support from excellent photography, not vice versa as you see in most magazines and journals these days. gt

Visit: www.whitefishreview.org

I fished more than 200 days a year for 10 years while compiling information for Fly Fisher's Bible: Montana. I don't think you can find a better book on fly fishing in Montana and I've been told that by numerous anglers who've used FF Bible: Montana to tool around the state and successfully probe its waters for trout. I have a limited supply of first-edition signed copies ready to send out. My online store is being developed now so in the short-term you'll have to send a check if you want one of these. If so, send a check for $24.95 and include a return address. Here's the info: Greg Thomas, Angler's Tonic, Box 1498, Ennis, MT 59729  

Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I once built a still under my grandparent's deck. I got a few dribbles of liquid, not much, but enough to have probably caused my frustrations with math.

Recently I had a reintroduction with moonshine, this time in Salmon, Idaho, when I was trying to fish for steelhead. The person providing said, "Take a small sip on this stuff, it's powerful," and boyee let me tell you. I swallowed and immediately felt tingling in my calves. I took another sip and READ MORE

Nothing like a little moonshine and a cigarette lighter to keep the kids entertained.