Fall Trout Fishing is Underway For 2013

After my morning run, I immediately checked to see when the moon rise/set calender to see when I should head out to the river and learned that on this day the moon was rising at 11:56 AM, which was perfect because I usually eat my lunch at around 11, which gave me plenty of time to get to the river within the moon rise window. I arrived at the river and began fishing at about 11:45. For the next 30 minutes or so I drift fished without as much as a bite, so I moved downstream to a nice hole that usually hold a nice rainbow trout. Withing 3 casts I felt the familiar tap, tap, pull that usually means a decent trout, and I set the hook. As son as the hook was set the reel began to squeal and I was in business.

Ten or so minutes later I landed a nice, wide 17 inch rainbow and I couldn't help but think to myself, "I'm surprised that she didn't fight me a bit harder?", when I remembered that it was early September and the water temperature was still fairly warm. You see, rainbow trout don't like warm water temperatures and for the past 2 or so months it has been pretty hot, which means the water temperatures are above what the rainbows prefer. When the water temperatures are above 63 degrees the trout tend to be fairly sluggish and thus they don't fight as much as you might expect.

In any case, after catching that trout, I couldn't get any more bites, so I headed downstream. As I walked and waded downstream I couldn't help but think about how the fall trout fishing is underway for 2013. The next hole that I fished has the perfect combination of current, depth, and wide open river for fighting large trout that you will find anywhere on earth, and as I was releasing another 17 inch rainbow, I thought to myself how this was the perfect place to find and catch a true trophy rainbow trout.

I continued to fish this hole for another hour or so and in that time hooked and lost a HEAVY fish and landed two more rainbows in the 15-16 inch range. It was a successful trout fishing outing by anyone's standards, and it helped to realize that the 2013 fall trout fishily season is underway and I have located the stretch of river that will probably produce my next trophy sized rainbow tout.