Article that was recently published by the American Museum of Fly Fishing
www.amff.org/purple-smelt-history-lesson/
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I get asked a lot about fall fly patterns.  There are a lot of great patterns out there that work in the fall.  However as my friend Rick Estes always reminds me..."in the end its up to the fish".  For me the fall brook trout like bright streamers.  Patterns with orange, yellow, red and yes often blue work.  The patterns that work are tied on #2-4 7x hooks.  I like the Partridge Heritage Streamer Hooks, they are stout and can handle the beating the spawning fish dish out.  I often share with tyers who ask me about the hook size, the larger patterns often catch the largest fish....at least in the fall. 

Two effective patterns are the Orange Sunshine and the Allagash Lake.  They fit the bill color wise with orange and on the Orange Sunshine I use a bleached grizzly over the orange.  The Allagash Lake uses a smokey grizzly.  All the feathers come from Ewing Feather Birds.  This month Ewing's Grizzly of the Month color is bleached grizzly and I can see myself using this on a number of patterns.  Off the subject a bit but recently while I was tying at the American Museum of Fly Fishing a friend was looking for that exact bleached color for some saltwater patterns.

​Good luck fishing this fall.  I'll post a few more patterns real soon.  If you need the recipe just email me.  nhflytyer@icloud.com