Season Finale

No, I didn't die. Kristine and I took short getaway over my university's fall break. Got back last night and just found my first moment of breathing space since.

Last Thursday evening, we headed to Roscommon, where we checked into a cabin on the banks of the Au Sable's south branch. Barely enough room in it to fit a twin bed between the walls--we had to leave most of our luggage in the car. When the alarm went off at 6:00 Friday morning, I didn' t feel inclined to linger under the covers. I needed some leg room.

I drove downriver to the water below Chase Bridge that's open year round. It was just becoming light enough to see down to the river's bottom when I waded in, though the fog was thick enough that I couldn't tell for another hour whether the day was clear or cloudy. I figured streamers would be the ticket, so I worked my way downstream trying a variety of patterns, dark and light, large and small. Almost despaired of getting a strike until after 8:00, when a modest brown smacked my olive wooly bugger, and held on to it until he got about five feet from my net. Twenty minutes later, I hooked and landed a 10" brookie on the same fly. Both fish came from deep pockets in stretches of riffle water.

Fished the next morning a little farther downstream without hooking a thing, save for the yellow or brown leaves that were tumbling into the river. Hardly a trace of fog, with clear skies above. Was that the difference?

I don't have enough data to say. If I could choose any time in the season to fish more often, it would be autumn. I've had some good days trout fishing in the fall, and also some complete duds. I've yet to get in on one of these great afternoon BWO hatches that come in autumn (though I saw one in progress--with trout feeding--on a closed portion of the Rifle River that we looked at on the way up), nor have I had a streamer hunted down by some gargantuan brown determined to bulk up before the onset of winter, as they are reputed to do. Fall probably presents me with more unexplored fishing possibilities than any other point in the season. Given my work schedule, that's likely to remain true for some time. The quality of the fishing aside, autumn is a colorful and peaceful time to be on the water. I'd gladly risk a skunking to fish through more of it.

Which, on Monday, I did.