This week’s roundup: early PA steelhead, Michigan chrome, and fall browns out west

This is the latest edition of the Weekly Fly Fishing Round Up — a quick look at what’s happening on the water across the country, with the flies and tactics that are working right now.

Steelhead season is the story this week, with a couple of wrinkles. Pennsylvania’s Erie steelhead returns are expected to be thinner this fall — stocking was cut in half after a hatchery disease scare — but early fish are already well up the creeks. Meanwhile the Salmon River in New York is having a salmon season to remember, Michigan’s runs are building toward their traditional late-October peak, and the Lower Sac’s egg bite is on. Five new states join the roundup this week by reader request — South Carolina, Wisconsin, Maryland, West Virginia, and Nevada. Here’s what’s happening across all fourteen states.

PENNSYLVANIA — Early steelhead, but thinner returns expected

Fair warning: fall returns on the Erie tribs are expected to be lighter than usual — the PFBC cut Lake Erie steelhead smolt stocking by more than half starting in 2024 after a disease scare at the Tionesta hatchery. The good news: early fish pushed in fast. Large pods reached Whitman’s Bridge on Elk Creek in mid-September — surprisingly far up for the date — and PFBC staff report lake-staged steelhead feeding on rainbow smelt and sliding toward the creeks. There’s new water to try: a 3,600-foot public easement on Walnut Creek‘s “tubes” section at Bridger Park. Inland, the limestone creeks (Spring Creek, Penns Creek) are in classic fall form — BWOs on overcast days, streamers for pre-spawn browns. → Pennsylvania fishing guide

OHIO — Rains are pulling fish in

Steelhead Alley is a rain game right now. Guide chatter out of the Chagrin River area says recent rains are pulling steelhead into the spawning rivers — the smaller tribs fish well on the drops, with the Rocky, Chagrin, and Conneaut also giving up fish as flows come down. Work the drops after each rain event: light leaders, single eggs, and small nymphs in the lower reaches, and keep a low profile in the clear water. It’s still early, so treat any hot spot as provisional — more rain is what fills the tribs. → Ohio fishing guide

NEW YORK — Salmon River is stacked

If you fish the Salmon River for one week this fall, make it this one. Guide reports from this past weekend put “many thousands” of king and coho salmon spread top to bottom after a huge push Oct 1–12 — and browns and steelhead are already showing in noticeable numbers behind them. Fish the egg bite behind the spawning salmon now, then switch to nymphs and swung flies as the kings drop out; steelhead fishing typically builds through October. On the Lake Erie side, steelhead up to 11 pounds came off Wilson in deep water, and 18 Mile Creek is fishing well thanks to Erie Canal releases. → New York fishing guide

MICHIGAN — Runs building toward late-October peak

West Michigan’s fall run is underway but still building. The first steelhead are showing below Tippy Dam on the Big Manistee, with kings at peak spawn — loose eggs drifting downstream mean natural beads (peach, pale orange, cream) are the top fly right now. Both the Manistee and the Muskegon are holding fishable numbers of steelhead behind the spawning kings, and the last week of October is traditionally the Muskegon’s best steelhead fishing of the year — one more rain event would pull in a real wave of chrome. The Pere Marquette should be fishing well too. Keep beads and spawn tight behind spawning salmon. → Michigan fishing guide

MONTANA — Prime October across the board

October in Montana is about as good as it gets. The Gallatin was “good to great” this week — low, clear water and spooky fish, so lengthen the leader; an incoming storm should end the terrestrial game and flip the switch to streamers and nymphs. Below Hebgen, browns and rainbows are migrating in from the lake on the Madison — arrive early and throw streamers at first light. The Yellowstone is fishing Hecubas, BWOs, and terrestrials, with the streamer bite climbing and spawning whitefish giving nymph rigs an extra target. On the Missouri and Bighorn, overcast days mean BWOs and technical dry-fly chances. → Montana fishing guide

COLORADO — Pre-spawn browns, meat season, BWO windows

October is arguably Colorado’s best month. On the Eagle, browns are staging pre-spawn in the shallows — aggressive follows on streamers, but give redds and spawning fish a wide berth. The Animas swing bite is picking up on streamers and soft hackles. Down on the San Juan Quality Waters, low fall flows concentrate the fish — afternoon BWOs with midges all day. The famous late-season green drake hatch on the Fryingpan is winding down (last call), after which it’s the BWO and winter-midge game in Cheesman Canyon. The Arkansas fishes well on warm afternoons. → Colorado fishing guide

CALIFORNIA — Lower Sac egg bite is on

The fall egg bite on the Lower Sacramento is going strong, per guides reporting bent rods all day — and with historically low water this year, it may be the best walk-and-wade season in memory. The Trinity’s egg bite is on too. It’s all about eggs behind the fall-run Chinook: fish egg patterns under indicators, swing attractors in the soft water, and be careful wading around spawning salmon and redds. Flows have been shifting at Keswick, so double-check releases before you go. Winter steelhead season on the Klamath and Trinity starts in December — now’s the time to get the two-hander ready. → California fishing guide

GEORGIA — Delayed Harvest opens in 2½ weeks

No fresh October reports out of Georgia this week, so it’s seasonal norms: the Toccoa fishes well in fall — wild upper reaches and the tailwater below Blue Ridge Dam. The countdown is on for November 1, when Delayed Harvest season opens on the Chattahoochee tailwater near Atlanta — catch-and-release, single-hook artificials only, through May 14. Until then, the tailwater fishes on general trout regs, and the upper stretch below Buford Dam (Settles Bridge, Hwy 20, Bowman’s Island) is the consistent year-round play — winter is its prime. Always check Buford Dam’s release schedule before wading. → Georgia fishing guide

NORTH CAROLINA — DH stockings pushed to November

The headline in NC is hatchery trouble, not the fishing: the Wildlife Resources Commission pushed the Delayed Harvest October stockings to November after the Armstrong State Fish Hatchery lost roughly 70% of its trout (~100,000 fish) since June to warm water — compounded by a hot, dry summer on top of Hurricane Helene’s 2024 watershed damage. DH restrictions still took effect Oct 1 (catch-and-release, single-hook artificials only) — so fish the Tuckasegee and upper Nantahala for holdovers with attractor nymphs, eggs, and squirmies, or fish October caddis dries. The Davidson River fishes well for technical wild trout, and the Smokies’ high-elevation leaf color peaked this week — fish it with the fall color coming down. → North Carolina fishing guide

SOUTH CAROLINA — Upstate trout, all freshwater

New this week by reader request — and keeping it freshwater, as asked. October is the shoulder month in the upstate: the Chattooga was stocked in late September, and the delayed-harvest seasons (Chattooga from Hwy 28 to Reed Creek, plus the Chauga and Eastatoe) open November 1 — catch-and-release, single-hook artificials only. Fish the Chattooga now ahead of the DH crowds: nymphs and wet flies through the pocket water around Burrells Ford. The lower Saluda’s put-grow-take stockings start in December. → South Carolina fishing guide

WISCONSIN — Inland season closed; steelhead take the baton

Wisconsin’s inland trout season closed after October 15. The Driftless Angler’s October 5 report had the spring creeks clear and in the low to mid-50s, with olives hatching late in the day and terrestrials fished tight to the banks. Now the baton passes to the Lake Michigan tributaries — steelhead are moving into the Root, the Kewaunee, and the Brule. → Wisconsin fishing guide

MARYLAND — Fall stocking is underway

Maryland DNR’s fall trout stocking kicked off the first week of October — rainbows and browns going into community ponds and streams statewide. For wild fish, the Gunpowder Falls tailwater is the play: catch-and-release browns in a stream MD DNR calls one of the nation’s best, with some fish pushing 24 inches plus. The Savage River is running about 60 cfs — right in its normal range — but check the release schedule before wading. October flies: caddis, nymphs, Woolly Buggers, midges. → Maryland fishing guide

WEST VIRGINIA — Fall stocking starts Monday

The timing couldn’t be better: West Virginia’s fall trout stocking begins Monday, October 19 — 38 waters stocked once a week for two weeks, including the Elk, Cranberry, Williams, Shavers Fork, and Blackwater rivers. Plan around the stocking truck: hit the bigger streams and lakes early while the fresh fish are concentrated, then let them disperse. The Elk’s wild rainbow-brown-brook trifecta fishes well on nymphs and streamers through the fall color. → West Virginia fishing guide

NEVADA — Pyramid Lake season is on

October is when Pyramid Lake wakes up: the Lahontan cutthroat move shoreward as the water cools, and it’s trophy season from now through April. Ladder up at Pelican or Warrior Point — leeches and chironomids under an indicator, or strip streamers along the drop-offs. You’ll need the Paiute tribal permit, and dress for desert mornings in the teens. On the Truckee it’s been hit-or-miss: low and clear, sight-fishing the deeper runs, with everyone hoping the forecasted rain bumps flows. → Nevada fishing guide

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Want updates for other states?

Want us to cover your state? Browse the state guides below — and if you’re not already subscribed, join the Weekly Fly Fishing Round Up so new states land in your inbox. Drop a comment below and tell us where you fish, and we’ll work your state into a future edition: Idaho · Wyoming · Oregon · Washington · Utah · New Mexico · Arizona · Tennessee · Vermont · Arkansas · Florida · Texas · South Carolina (freshwater) · Wisconsin · Maryland · West Virginia · Nevada

*Tight lines — see you next week.* *Ken*

P.S. Quick question as we keep adding states: would you rather keep getting one big roundup, or get smaller regional updates instead (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, West)? Drop a comment below — I’m genuinely curious.