Water temperatures begin to drop this month — slowly at first due to radiative cooling but more so as cool fronts invade the state.
Fish are invigorated by the slightly cooler water, much to the delight of us anglers.
For bass, school is back in session. Schooling fish will be feeding on shad, so baitfish patterns like Clouser Minnows, Whitlock’s Sheep Shad, Crease Flies, and various zonker shad patterns will get strikes. If not, try a spoon fly on an intermediate sinking line; I’ve had great luck with this when all else fails.
One of my favorite species — redear bream — get very active again this month after summer doldrums. Find a bedding area, toss out a Beadhead Hare’s Ear, Fluff Butt, or Cap Spider, and watch your line get tight in a hurry.
September also is a great time for schooling reds on the beaches, passes and in interior lakes. If you encounter a surface blitz, try a Bubble Popper and watch them go crazy. Otherwise, use an intermediate sinking line and flies with lots of movement, such as deceivers, seaducers and clousers.
White trout often go overlooked by fly anglers, but they’re great sport on a 6- or 7-weight rod. Now through October, they’ll be thick in areas with tidal movement. Toss out a heavily weighted minnow or shrimp pattern, let it sink for several seconds and start stripping. Often the hit is on the first few strips.
September is the last good month for Rio Grande perch in the ponds and canals around New Orleans and Jefferson parishes. Rios love small popping bugs, slow-sinking spiders and wet flies. Catching one of the larger “brainiacs” on ultralight fly rod, like a 3-weight, should be on every fly angler’s bucket list.
