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Stillwater fishing will improve throughout the month. Eastside lakes that have been too warm will improve as nights get cooler and longer. About the third or fourth week of the month, they should be fishable--sooner if there's a cool spell, later if there's extended warm weather.
One key to September lake fishing is understanding the needs of different trout species. For example, brown trout will move toward inlet and outlet streams in preparation for fall spawning. Once they're in their spawning mode, though, leave them alone.
Want to know where to look for brookies this month? Any shallow place that has rocky structures or gravel. They, too, are getting ready to spawn. Unlike browns and rainbows, brook trout can spawn in stillwater (that's because they're a char, not a trout).
Rainbow trout, on the other hand, are spring spawners, so they will wait several months before looking for a place to propagate themselves. But they are always searching for good water conditions. So in lakes where the water cools off, they'll scatter and be hard to locate. In other lakes, the level has dropped, the water is warm, and rainbows will look for cool water sources, such as springs, inlets, and deeper water.
The major trout foods in stillwaters this month are midges (mornings and evenings, primarily), Callibaetis, waterboatmen, and immature damselfly nymphs. The latter are imitated with the same patterns you used in June and July, but you tie them small (size 16) and tan. Woolly Buggers and leech patterns will continue to produce, too.
Callibaetis hatches usually fade in intensity as summer progresses, and almost grind to a halt in August. But they have a resurgence around mid-September. These late hatches are usually size 16 insects, and they are a little darker than the Callibaetis you saw earlier in the year. Carry Callibaetis Cripples and Sparkle Duns for the hatch; Hen Spinners for the spinner fall; Flashback Pheasant Tails for the nymphs.
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