It’s no secret that the fall season contributes to a drop in water temperature that triggers an internal feeding clock for many of our underwater friends. It’s a window of opportunity for fish to bulk up before a long, drawn out winter. This also means an all but guaranteed reservation for consistent angling success!
When we look at a trout’s perspective and through the eyes of a fly rod, the middle of September to the end of October brings a premier opportunity to experience fly fishing excellence. Chosen Parkland stillwaters have become a defined Mecca for fly fishing trout enthusiasts and an exclusive destination for global fly fishers looking to exceed the highest of stillwater expectations.
Location and Convenience
The Duck Mountain and south Riding Mountain areas are home base to the majority of our highly managed and increasingly productive stillwater trout fisheries. These Parkland lakes line up throughout the region like the best Olympic hockey team that Canada ever picked. With All-Star trout species of tiger, brook, splake, rainbow and brown trout ready and willing to crush specific and well placed fly patterns.
Being on the topic of All Stars, let’s start with the dream team of Parkland stillwaters; in the Duck Mountains to the North West we have Twin Lakes holding tiger trout phenoms, Persse Lake for a highly productive duo of brook and brown trout and Gull or Laurie Lake for aggressive hybrid splake. To the south of Riding Mountain National Park lie the stillwater titans, Patterson and Tokaryk Lake, for mind blowing rainbow and brown trout.
Head a little further east on a marginal weather day and target monster rainbows on Corstophine or Pybus Lake. Equally attractive is the near proximity that these lakes are to each other within each region. You can easily fish multiple lakes offering multiple species throughout the day and at the same time minimizing your travel time. Warning: Parkland lakes produce huge numbers of trout well over 20 inches and many are home to consistent line breakers and 28 inch plus monsters.
Keys to Success
Each lake will certainly have its day and offer various patterns of success, but one thing is certain, as the fall period progresses and the water temperatures drop below the 58 degree mark the opportunities for an unimaginable stillwater trout experience truly begin. Here are five key factors that will directly influence the difference between success and disappointment when stillwater fly fishing for trout.
Targets
1) Focus your fly fishing efforts during low light conditions, targeting the early morning and late afternoon/evening hours, especially on sunny and windy days. Big sun and wind is good for… well sun tanning I guess.
2) Target the obvious and observed locations of feeding trout, take a moment and look for concentrated areas of rising fish and movement of disturbed baitfish. Most often than not, you will see these indicators along shallow to deep water transitions and the windy side of their immediate adjacent structures like pencil reed edges, sunken timber, or rocks.
3) Like the spring, fall activity will most likely be concentrated within 14 feet of water. Thoroughly cover the water with multiple casts searching sub, mid and bottom water columns. Take your time and offer up variable retrieves, focus on effectively patterning the preferred presentation and active feeding zone.
Tactics
4) As fall conditions do not always offer consistent traditional hatches, one can usually count on being productive with traditional searching flies that will effectively imitate dominant forage. Minnows and Leeches will be an utmost favorite for most active trout as will shrimp and water boatman or backswimmers. The fall feedbag will cater to larger forage opportunities; keep your eye on what’s out and about.
5) Whether you are in a boat or float tube position yourself so that your casts start over transitional water and slowly work your way into the shallows or towards targeted structure. In many cases, fall trout will move in and out of shallow water depending on wind direction, current water temps and moving forage. The earlier or later in the day, the most likely trout will be actively feeding in shallow water.
Persistence
Effectively targeting active trout can and will lead to various levels of frustration. In many cases, fly fishers will tend to change their flies every five minutes in a mad effort to find that so called “magic fly”. When most times than not, a slow and steady retrieve of your flies through a small zone within a specific water column will be the key to ending the escalading madness.
Before you break your rod over your knee, take a moment and identify an active feeding area by concentrated rises or surface movement. Position yourself within casting distance of these areas and retrieve your line and flies at different depths and speeds. Start at the top and work your way to the bottom of the water column, keep track of each count down and remember the count and your retrieve speed when you get a bite or hook up. Also, when using the two fly system, track which fly the trout are biting on the most. This will be the best indicator of where in the water column trout are most active and the presentation you need to be persistent with. Persistence will pay off, it always does!
The End Result
On average, Parkland stillwaters will reward a focused fly fisher with unusual high numbers and size of trout. These forage rich lakes will produce year after year and continually surprise the majority with astounding growth rates. Throw in the cooling water of the fall months and increased forage activity and you’ll have a near perfect recipe for a one of a kind fly fishing experience.
Put fly fishing the Parkland on the top of your list this fall, you’ll thank yourself for it!