Before you scoff, chortle or snort, I realize there’s no official “nymph season,” so hear me out. Rivers are low and hatches are waning, and to be honest, I don’t pay much attention to hatches anyway. If they happen, great. I tie on a dry fly and go to work.

I like nymphs because my trips don’t rely on the whims of insect hatches. I just go fishing, and I can usually catch a few fish.

But I was driving over the Boise River the other day and looked into a clear, cobbled riffle and said to myself “cool, nymph season is here.”

I can fish the Boise, and other rivers, year-round with my trusty little larvae imitations. I often have a whole run to myself, and if I don’t, there’s always another one around the corner.

So before you tuck away your fly rod for the year, consider tying on a couple ugly bugs and giving it a go.

I will devote a whole cover story to nymph fishing in October, so consider this a shameless teaser.

In the meantime, think about whether you want to pin your hopes and dreams on sporadic hatches, or keep catching trout, and a fair number of whitefish if you’re nymphing correctly.

And it’s not really an either/or proposition. Those tiny flies will still be hatching, and if you see rises, tie on those feathered specks and try to entice a few sippers.

You may be surprised how much action you get with late-season fly fishing, or you can stay home and get none.

Your call.