As fall foliage begins to peak here in central PA, I find this time of year has the opposite effect on insect life on many of my favorite trout streams. Peak insect hatches are all but over except a constant supply of midge activity, which can keep the hardcore winter angler busy throughout the colder months. Although I do miss the vast amounts of insects to imitate while nymphing, I do enjoy the minimalistic transformation my fly box takes as fall turns into winter. This is when I carry only one nymph box and even that box may only have several dozen patterns in total.

Could introducing sensitive trout and char into a previously fishless lake in the Glacier National Park high country be key to preserving the fish as climate change continues to close its grip on cold-water fisheries in the northern Rockies?

The National Park Service thinks so, and it’s asking for public comment to do just that in Gunsight Lake, a small, high-mountain lake in the headwaters of the St. Mary River on the east side of the Continental Divide. The St. Mary is the only river in the United States east of the divide that is home to native bull trout.