Fall fly fishing guide: Hopper patterns, terrestrials and late-season tips for Adirondack trout

Expert advice covers techniques from grasshopper patterns to streamers for targeting aggressive trout through extended catch-and-release season

By Geoff Schaake

It’s a random morning in mid-August. You pour your first cup of coffee, glance at your phone and step outside to let the dog out. Then it hits you. The undeniable freshness that tells you autumn is coming. It’s not just the cool freshness of a passing summer thunderstorm. Something in the way the air feels and smells stirs a sixth sense deep within you, and you know changes are coming. The nighttime lows in the long-term forecast confirm this change is permanent and about to kick off my favorite time of year. Let’s preview what the back nine—to steal a golf phrase—of the fly-fishing season looks like here in the Adirondacks.

Grasshoppers and terrestrial insects

It’s hopper time! If you haven’t made room in your fly box for grasshopper patterns and other terrestrials, now is the time to get moving on that chore. Grasshopper patterns are extremely versatile. They are often made of foam or other high-floating materials. They are great as stand-alone offerings or as the top fly in the aptly named “Hopper Dropper” configuration. Grasshoppers in our area range from 1/2 inch to 2 inches and are prevalent until about the first frost. Grasshopper fishing is extremely visual, and watching a trout dart out from its hiding spot to explode on a hopper can get the heart pumping. There’s no room for subtlety here: Splash your hopper pattern down on the water in likely spots. Use strong, short leaders and even pop your offering away from the bank to simulate a hopper trying to swim back to safety. I remember one trout on the Ausable that seemingly hit my fly before it landed and streaked across the river into my backing before I could lift the rod.

Grasshoppers take the spotlight in late summer but share the stage with a variety of other terrestrial insects. Beetles are ever-present, and ants have saved more than a few days for me. Opportunities abound in the shade of bankside trees. Trout are often found just downstream of trees waiting for beetles and ants to take a misstep. As August moves into September, especially after a rainstorm, look for winged ants to make their appearance. Often called a “swarm,” this mating ritual of ants can turn the fishing on fast. Ants mate in the air, and more than a few of them land in the water. They are sometimes hard to see as they lay in the surface film of the water, so check your waders; ants are likely to be present. Carry winged and unwinged ant patterns in both black and cinnamon color in sizes 14-20. I tie a simple pattern made with foam, an Antron wing and one or two turns of hackle. I tie one beetle pattern in size 16. It has a peacock herl body and black foam on the back.

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Stoneflies thrive in the bouldery, tumbling streams of the Adirondacks; the nymphal stages of stoneflies can last two to three years, so they are available as a food source year-round. My stonefly nymphs are tied with one or even two beads to ensure contact with the bottom. The adults crawl out on boulders or logs on the side of the river to molt. Take a peek at the bank for their empty exoskeletons left behind on streamside structure. Adult stoneflies are most vulnerable when they return to the water to lay eggs. Stonefly dry-fly patterns can be large, gaudy foam offerings or smaller Stimulators and other hair and feather patterns. Again, these are great search patterns being cast into likely pockets of water two or three times and moving on, covering all likely spots as you move up or downstream in the same way you would fish your hopper patterns.

Late-season mayfly hatches

As the water cools down into September, mayflies begin to make an appearance again with the largest being the Isonychia. Often called the Slate Drake or White Gloved Howdy, they measure about 1/2 inch long with a dark brown abdomen and gray wings. The Iso is like the stonefly in behavior, crawling onto streamside structure and molting into the adult or sub-imago. After molting a second time into the imago or spinner stage, they mate and return to the water to lay their eggs. While you probably won’t witness a hatch or spinner fall, a quick glance at the stream bank will tell you if Isos are around. Just as with stonefly patterns, Isonychia fishing is done by blind-casting into riffles and other fast water. A size 10 dark brown parachute pattern will get the trout jumping onto the end of your line. Another tactic that is worth a try is swinging a Zug Bug or other Iso nymph pattern on a tight line through the fast water. Iso nymphs are strong swimmers that dart through the currents, and trout key in on that movement. Cast 45 degrees downstream and across and hold on. Strikes can be sudden and hard. If you’re into catching trout on light spey rods, this is your time to shine.

Once the Iso activity subsides, the last dependable hatch of mayflies takes center stage. Several small insects fall into the category of Blue Winged Olives. You can find BWOs hatching on cloudy, cool days into late autumn, and if there is one truth in fly-fishing, the worse the weather is, the better the Blue Winged Olive hatch. Parachute and CDC Knock Down Dun patterns in olive to olive/brown bodies with gray wings work well in sizes 16-24. Look for trout to gather in tailouts and slower water lazily taking blue winged olives. I’ve had some great late-season dry-fly fishing all by myself on the most popular sections of the river layered up in my long underwear.

Streamer fishing for spawning trout

By late autumn, with water temperatures falling and the day length shortening, trout behavior shifts. Brook and brown trout will be on the move and looking for suitable spawning habitats. The fresh, cool water and the urge to spawn make them aggressive, territorial and susceptible to streamers (baitfish imitations). In my opinion, this is some of the most exciting fishing of the season. Have streamers ready ranging from 2 inches long to large, articulated patterns measuring up to 5 inches in white, black, brown and especially orange. Traditional streamers like the Gray Ghost, Black Ghost, Black Nosed Dace and the Mickey Fin have been taking large trout for a century in our waters. But don’t be afraid to throw the modern, articulated patterns like The Circus Peanut, Drunk and Disorderly or my favorite, the Peanut Envy. This is truly a time and tactic to hook into some true Adirondack monsters. Cast your streamer to the opposite bank if you can and take two to three quick strips and pause. You’ll move more fish than you will hook, but seeing a trout suddenly appear and stalk your streamer can be just as rewarding as actually hooking one.

Traditionally in New York, trout season closed Oct. 15, and it still does for those who want to keep a fish for dinner. However, in 2021, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation created an extended catch-and-release season open from Oct. 16 through March 31 of the following year. This season allows artificial lures and flies only, and I’ve found the fishing can hold up in the North Country through Thanksgiving or even Christmas if the weather cooperates.

Responsible fall fishing practices

This time of year is the brown trout and brook trout’s traditional spawning period. Avoid walking on gravel areas and through shallow tailouts, and look for small circles of clean gravel that indicate a nest or redd. Female trout dig out redds with their tails and lay hundreds of eggs over the cleaned river bottom. Instead, concentrate on the deeper areas downstream to find the fish on the move that haven’t started actively spawning or have recently finished their annual deed. Wild trout are one of nature’s true wonders; for the betterment of future fishing, don’t actively fish for trout guarding a redd. As autumn rains and cooler nights reshape the rivers, each trip offers its own opportunities, from the precision of matching a late-season hatch to the power of a territorial brown smashing a streamer. Prepare now and fish responsibly, and you’ll find that the late months of the season can be among the most memorable in the Adirondacks.

Photo at top: Fall brown trout caught on a streamer. Photo by Geoff Schaake