Its about that time of year to start thinking of chrome. The beginning of September this year has been one of the hottest I can remember, with a week straight of upper 80s low 90s. Yuck. But the worst seems to be past, and the coming week's forecast reads nights in the lower 50s with rain showers over the weekend. Better yet, the high temperatures on some of those days are in the 60s. Finally its starting to feel like fall. And that means steelhead. While the creeks will probably be low and clear for some time to come, steelhead will start to nose their way in.

This is the time of year to explore the rivers. With lower water, you can see what has changed over the past year. Plus with fewer people on the water its a time to find solitude. The crowds of peak season are still weeks away. Finally lower water is a great time to fish a floating line. There is no more exciting way to take a steelhead than on a floating line with a long leader. Swinging a fly on or just under the surface through a riffle only to have a steelhead explode on it will stop your heart. And the next few weeks are the time to try it. So if you do try the floating line, fish with an open mind because success is not measured in numbers of fish but quality of the total experience. And you just may be surprised by a willing taker.