By Ronnie Parris
Hey folks! October is here. This is my favorite time of year. The colors will hit our beautiful mountains and the temperatures will be awesome. No more waking up to muggy mornings. That ol’ jacket will feel nice ‘till midday-no need for air conditioning. I love it! This is a great time if the fishing bug bites you. You’ll have several options. If you are a dry fly puritan, the overnight temps aren’t really cold so this is the best month of the year. A big percentage of my trophy trout have come during this time of year. Some of these are big females that come out of the lakes and rivers and migrate up our cold mountain waters to spawn. With this in mind, I would recommend you release any of these big females, and if you want to keep a mess to eat, the smaller fish are better anyway.
A great fishery this month will be the delayed harvest waters, which will go back to the catch and release rules with good stockings and a lot of big fish. Lake fishing will go through a dramatic change with the bass moving up on the banks to feed and the walleye starting to school more. I usually troll with down riggers for the walleye but you can catch them just as well jigging with a Hopkins spoon or and ice jig, both of which you can purchase at Great Smoky Mountain Bait and Tackle or Simonds Bait Center in Bryson City. I usually work the shore lines for the bass, casting a live minnow or working a crank bait or jerk bait. Fontana is my favorite lake this month, but all of our mountain lakes fish similar this time of year. Pay close attention to your sonar as sometimes you will find big schools of fish out in the middle of the lake and any minnow type lure you can get into these fish will work. October is a great month to work breaking fish and nothing is more addictive than chasing a bunch of spotted bass that are working shad on the surface. Morning and late evening is still going to be your best times to fish, but I have got on some good midday action. As always, be safe on the water and take a kid fishing!
Ronnie Parris is the Owner and Head Guide of Smoky Mountain Outdoors Unlimited-Fontana Lake Fishing Guides, headquartered in Bryson City, North Carolina, heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. www.smokymountainoutdoorsunlimited.com