Pennsylvania and Eastern Fly Fishing

Freestone Streams

Autumn Fly Selection

by

Gene Macri

Get Ready for Fall Freestone streams throughout the state are in low to medium in level (especially true in the south east).  With the cooler nites look for increased feeding in the early afternoon. Remember big streamers and larger flies will be coming into their own in the next few weeks but many of the streams are very low, clear and the fish extremely spooky at this time. Watch your shadow on these streams at this time of year because the sun is at a different angle than normal and the lighting is intense.

Here's a list of our favorite flies for fall fishing on freestoners:

Streamers

1. Black Ghost Size 12-16 on smaller waters and 8-10 on larger waters. Works especially well on Brown Trout  
2. Muddler Minnow Size 10-14. Works well on the surface of underneath. On some waters where there were hoppers in Sept. this fly will bring up big fish.  
3. Matuka: Sizes 10-16 Black and Red; Black and Green; and Red and Yellow are my favorites  
4. Mickey Finn Maribou Size 10-14 Fish this very slowly  

Wet Flies

1. Hare's Ear in Sizes 8-16 Yes, try the Hare' Ear in a large Size 8 with another fly at dusk. You might be surprised  
2. Royal Coachman Sizes 8-16 This fly usually gets hot in the fall. Why? Don't know but it might look like a small minnow on a dropper!  
3. Brown Hackle Peacock...very suggestive of a lot of stuff Size 8-16  
4. Black Gnat. The old standby works for a lot bugs the trout may have seen by now. Very good in sizes 14 and 16  
5. The Wet Ant in colors of black, cinnamon, and orange. Sizes 8-16 Absolutely DEADLY  

Terrestrials

Deer Hair Beetles All Colors Sizes 10-18 Look for some feeding trout in early afternoons under bushes 

1. Green Inchworm Sizes 10-14 The fish know what these are and they love them  
2. Fur Ants in Cinnamon and Black Size 12-16  
3. Letort Cricket and Letort Hopper. Size 10-16 Try tossing these across a stretch of water that looks like it holds trout and flick them across the water slowly. Very under rated fly for fall