The Fly Guide | September 2025

The Fly Guide: sep 2025

HOW TO CATCH YOUR FIRST ALBIE ON THE FLY

Fall presents a unique and epic challenge for fly fisherman across the northeast. As winds shift toward the north and seas begin to cool down, false albacore flood our local waters. Fly fisherman line up on the jetties, inlets, and beaches waiting for their chance to battle these speed demons. Targeting albacore is an exhilarating endeavor, filled with ups and downs. If you're looking to catch your first albie check out the tips below.

Weather/Water Conditions: A typical northeastern fall is marked by heavy winds and strong seas, which can make fishing both intimidating and difficult. Albie season kicks off during the pinnacle of these seasonal winds. That being said, It’s crucial to take advantage of calm weather windows between periods of inclement weather. As a fly fisherman it’s best to focus on fishing a wind and tide that is moving in the same direction. This minimizes wave height and creates a crisp sweeping current over the water which allows albacore to push bait high into the column in a blitzing motion. This behavior provides fishermen ample opportunities to spot swimming and splashing fish. 

Strategy: Cast, Fight, Release: In the event that a blitz pops up you have to stay ready. Firmly set your drag, have extra running line in your stripping basket, your fly in one hand with 10 feet of line out, and your rod in the other hand. The shot’s you're gonna get don’t last long so take advantage! If the fish are on the surface, it’s crucial to cast ahead of the school. To properly present your fly at a moving fish, make a long cast 4-5 feet in front of the school, stop the fly line in the air as your forward casting loop is 99 percent unfolded, this will ensure you're tight to the fly as it hits the water. Next, begin a rapid two hand retrieve with your rod tip pointing at your fly. Always strip your fly to your feet before beginning your next haul, albacore love to crush the fly at the last second. Moreover, do not stop moving your fly, albies are quick to inspect and refuse a dead drifting fly or a fly that suddenly stops in motion. When you inevitably hook a fish, give it one firm strip set and begin guiding your line slowly out of the basket with one hand. Stay composed, don’t be alarmed when you see your backing, use the drag to tire the fish out. If the fish comes at you be prepared to reel in all your slack. As you wear the albie down don’t be afraid to put the brakes on them with side pressure. When you finally land your fish it’s critical to practice proper catch and release. Simply grab the albacore by the tail, support it by the stomach and torpedo it into the water. The rocket launching motion will provide a fresh breath of air into the fish which will result in a healthy release.

Flies, Line, Gear: A fast action 8-10 weight rod is the standard, and will allow a caster to fight fish with ease while hucking flies into a headwind. In terms of line, a floating weight forward line is most effective due to its ability to keep flies high in the column. As it pertains to the reel, a large arbor with smooth drag and 20-30 pound backing will do the job. For the leader, a rod length of tapered 25lb fluorocarbon attached via blood knot down to 15 pound will provide both strength and stealth when presenting a fly. Now for fly selection! It's important to match the color of your fly with the colors of your local bait: tan, olive, white, pink, and brown. The most conducive albacore flies include size 1/0 to 3/0 surf candies, clouser minnows, gummy minnows, mushmouths, and foil fly’s. Other honorable mentions include the half and half, crease fly, and any small deceiver.

Fishing streamers for brown trout

There’s nothing quite like watching a brown trout smash your streamer. If you’re looking for a big fish, chucking some meat is a surefire way to make it happen. Streamers mimic a variety of bait, including leeches, small baitfish, and even crustaceans. Building up the confidence to catch your first brown on a streamer takes some time; however, once you feel that strike, you’ll be hooked for life. Whether you're a seasoned vet or new to the streamer game, here are a few tips to help you target brown trout on streamers.

Don’t be afraid to go big: Although small streamers are undoubtedly effective, opting for large articulated patterns can often lead to more aggressive eats. We’ve got you covered with our articulated streamer assortment, which includes four different colored Heisenburg fly patterns. These flies push water and trigger hungry fish to eat!

Vary your retrieve: There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to targeting brown trout on streamers. It’s essential to try a few different retrieval techniques. You can’t go wrong with a strip pause motion or a fast-paced strip strip motion. That said, don’t hesitate to switch it up until you find the cadence that triggers a response from a fish. Moreover, if you're seeing fish follow the fly without striking, try working the fly a bit faster to mimic a nervous baitfish. 

Focus on structure: Brown trout are ambush predators. Your focus points should be log jams, rocks, undercut banks, and fallen trees. When it comes to fly presentation, the ideal cast will land just inches from the structure. If your cast is too far from your target the fish may pass up on the opportunity. Conversely, if you overshoot your cast and have to retrieve your fly from a snag, you risk the chance of spooking a fish. 

Time your outing: As a rule of thumb, early mornings and late afternoons are prime times for streamer fishing due to low light conditions. At this time, trout are able to stealthily hunt prey without being detected. Another conducive time to target browns is during a bump in flows. As the water rises, it becomes stained, which gives big brown trout the element of surprise when searching for prey. If you can get to your favorite streamer spot after some rain, you’ll have a good shot at a large fish.

Control the depth of your fly: Each river or pool has a wide variety of depths. If you’d like to get your fly down to the proper depth a sink tip is a must. This simple yet effective tool is a sinking piece of fly line that extends from the fly line loop to your leader, causing your rig to sink to your desired depth. While it may sound silly, it helps your fly get down to the exact depth you need.

Go barbless: Streamers have large hooks, certainly large enough to keep a fish pinned. For the health of the fish, it’s best to go barbless. In order to debarb a hook, grab a trusty pair of pliers and gently squeeze them on the barb.

Common Do's & Dont's

Need a quick refresh on what to do, and what to avoid doing, while fly fishing? We’ve got you covered.

  • Do check your leader and tippet for wind knots. If you find one, take the extra minute or two to re-tie.
  • Do check your fly every few casts to make sure it’s swimming correctly. It’s just good practice.
  • Do set the hook on the slightest of twitches when nymphing. Leave no time to second guess.
  • Do wear sunnies. Better for spotting fish and protecting your eyes.
  • Do watch fishes behavior before serving up your fly.
  • Do try different retrieves to entice the fish. Mix it up and make it dance!
  • Do take the time to learn as many knots as possible. Poor knots could cost you that netted fish.
  • Don’t try to be Popeye and muscle your cast or try or throw too far. The rod should do most of the work.
  • Don’t ignore the small flies. Bigger flies don’t always mean bigger fish.
  • Don’t wade in the center of the run before fishing close to the bank. Chances are the fish are hanging right at the edge and you’ve already spooked them by coming in hot.
  • Don’t do 15 false casts. We know it’s fun to feel the rhythm and the rhyme but there’s such a thing as too many. More time in the air means less time in the water with a potential fish on the other end.
  • Don’t set the hook upstream. Remember fish face upstream. Bury that fly into the fish’s mouth with a downstream set.
  • Don’t be impatient. Fly fishing takes a lot of patience. That can mean 1hr casting to the same deep pool until BAM.
  • Don’t net fish from behind aka the tail.

Chasing Fall Trout

If you’ve ever spent a night binging fly fishing videos on YouTube, you probably came across at least a couple with people on bikes chasing fish. And if you didn’t, well, just know: it’s totally a thing. 

Every fall, we make an annual downhill bike fishing day happen. Why fall? Because it’s beautiful and fleeting; and what better way to celebrate the transition season than doing 3 of our favorite activities in one day?! 

The Inspiration: In the Colorado high country, this time of year is perfect to check so many outdoor adventure boxes from downhill mountain biking to “leaf peeping” and fly fishing…all at the same time!

The Route: Our ride starts above 11,000 feet and descends 4,000 feet, passing historic cabins, colorful aspen, green pines, and miles of creeks packed with trout.

The Flies: Selecting the fly is serious business on these small creeks. You get just a couple shots at these fish and that’s about it, so choose wisely! We bring a wide range of flies to ensure we’re ready to fish smaller dry flies (gnats, flying ants and mosquitos are always a hit) and nymphs (beadhead hares ear and copper johns) within creeks and larger flies in deeper beaver dam ponds.

The Fish: While the views are always nice when fly fishing in the fall, landing fish can be just as rewarding! If you’re fishing in a tight spot, try a few different casts. The bow & arrow are one of our favorites, but small roll casts can work well too, depending on the creek width. Whatever you do, skip the indicator! Often, fish are weary of big disturbances on these creeks. A big splash from an indicator will spook the fish before it even has a chance to see the fly.

DIY: If you’re thinking about adding bike fishing to your “must do” list, keep it simple but be sure to bring the following:

  • Rod: use a 1-3 weight rod with 5-6x leader
  • Flies:
  • Nymphs: Zebra midge (Black, Red, or Purple), Prince Nymph, Copper John
  • Dries: Flying Ant, Gnats, & Elk Hair Caddis
  • Tippet: Bring extra 4-6x tippet along just in case you snag trees/break your leader