Summer goes by quickly here in the Pacific Northwet. It seems as though once July is behind us, August passes in half the time. Here it is already the 20th of the month, which means August is nearly gone. That also means September is almost here.
Ever since I quit having to go to back school, I’ve come to rather like September in this neck of the woods. It’s a peaceful month with neither the frantic pace of summer nor the doldrums of winter. Weather-wise, September is a transition month. During the heat of July (and we had many days into the 90’s this past July) our PNW lawns begin to dry out, and by the end of July and into August the lawns have assumed a nice shade of mostly tan. The lawn isn’t dead: it’s dormant. That’s what grass is supposed to do. Not a lot of growth taking place by this time, unless you irrigate, which we don’t because we don’t have an irrigation system.
From most perspectives this reprieve from lawn maintenance is a welcome thing for sure—after all, who has time for yard work during the summer, right? There’s fishing to be done. But back to September. Typically the weather during our 9th month of the year is exceptional, if not quite summer-like: nights are cool, mornings can be foggy, and dew forms on the lawn overnight. With regard to trout fishing, September is also a splendid month: Many rivers are low and clear by this time, and diminutive mayflies are on the menu. Fish are feeding because they know Fall is upon them, and they know what proceeds Fall.
As the lawns of September begin to take on a hint of green, unfortunately that also means the return of lawn maintenance. But the flip side of that is the crane fly hatch, which will be in full swing.
And that means Lawn Trout.
I knew that one part of my lawn wasn’t dying! It’s just in that “dormant” stage. Ugh…a little bit early! = )
It will come back. And if it doesn’t, it just leaves more time for fishing. Because you never seem to have enough time for that 🙂
I love lawn trout! Put those guys on the grill with some onions and lemon and grill till they’re crispy. I throw them at the neighbors who are diehard vegans.
I hear they taste like shit, which may be due to the fact that my lawn is also my dog’s bathroom.
When buddy says when the grass in his yard turns brown…he knows it’s time to go smally fishing!
Sage words.