This time of year in Michigan's Upper Peninsula many outdoor enthusiasts turn their attention over to deer hunting, grouse hunting, and the like.
For a few rare birds, this is when things start to get really good in our eyes. The river traffic slows to a crawl allowing the angler entire stretches of river all to themselves. This is also a time when meat-eating large brown trout and rainbow trout start to put the feed bag on in preparation for the lean months.
For the dry fly enthusiast, there is still potentially a good chance for some late-season BWOs or caddis on a lazy but sunny fall afternoon/evening. Nymph fishing with caddis nymphs, soft hackles, and beads will also produce some great catches. Finally, the big meat eaters just can't resist a zoo cougar, D&Ds, circus peanuts, and the like.
Lately, we have been in drought-like conditions, so the nymph fisherman has been the way to go but as I sit here and write this, we have some pretty decent rainfall in the forecast, which could potentially turn up the streamer fisherman's heat.
