South Fork, September 23rd, 2023

Fall Colors at Clark Hill

Flow out Palisades Dam has dropped enough to notice (about 5700 cfs at Irwin, 6500 cfs at Heise, and 3000 cfs at Lorenzo) and can drop further as irrigation season winds down and water storage season begins. These flow levels make for more walk-in wade locations (On request, we at the shop can help locate the best of these ) and means drift boats will leave more gel coat streaks on the river bottom. With cooling weather and fewer daylight hours coming on, the opposite ends of the fly fishing spectrum ( BWOs and midge life cycle patterns then over to streamer patterns and big woolly bugger variations) will offer the best ways to fishing success. In between these ends terrestrial insects will be diminishing and the same for most stone fly species because of killing frosts and less daylight. Fall colors will offer another reason for fishing the river for days to come. Thus the South Fork offers more than great fishing if you enjoy its natural beauty peak this time of the season.