Trout season opens Saturday
Trout season opens Saturday morning with the biggest question mark being the weather. Lately the weather has gone from a sunny spring-like 70 degrees to 35 degrees with snow flurries in just a matter of hours.
We’ll just have to wait and see what Mother Nature offers on Saturday. No matter what the weather, fishermen always seem to adjust.
The best time to catch stocked trout on opening day is the first few hours after the starting bell, when they are most vulnerable, and around 1 p.m. after the water warms up somewhat, causing a brief feeding frenzy.
No matter where you go, plan to arrive early and expect a crowd.
With the warm winter we’ve had in Pennsylvania, trout should have been eating well all winter and be above average size (for Pennsylvania) if the trout in the Yough Fisherman’s Association’s nurseries are any indication. All 20,000 of the Association’s trout are already in the 12-to-14-inch range.
The number of fishermen may not be down, but the number of available trout is due to a reduction in the number of trout raised this year because of water quality problems at a couple of the fish culture stations. This year the Commission will release 3.85 million trout statewide, where in recent years an average of 5 million trout were stocked.
Most local preseason allocations dropped from 10 to 20 percent, but a few area lakes and streams actually received more trout than last year.
Overall, fishermen should have a good opening day with as many taking their five-trout limit as last year.
Success will depend on many things other than the weather such as having the right bait and plain luck.
Skill and knowledge of the quarry come into play after opening day when the crowd subsides and you become the only fisherman on the stream for a one-on-one battle.
Once the trout settle down, they become more wary and take on the predatory nature associated with the native-born members of the species.
That is when we have to know the species. More trout will still be around than we suspect, but only the knowledgeable angler will catch them with regularity.
Trout have two basic needs – food and shelter – and most often combine them by finding shelter where the food is readily accessible.
When fishing impoundments such as Dunlap Creek Lake, Virgin Run Dam and Duke Lake, look for rocky points, ledges, dropoffs, weedbeds, standing trees, stumps and other stickups. They provide cover, and for that reason, are prime stops where baitfish also congregate.
Minnows and crustaceans are the most available food found in lakes, which are stocked with brown and rainbow trout. Live minnows and crayfish are the top baits, but imitations of these natural foods, along with flashy spoons and spinners also produce.
Stream fishermen should note what species are stocked in their favorite stream in the preseason plantings. The same species are usually stocked inseason.
Stocked brook trout can be easy to catch. They are not very selective as to what they eat; however, they usually feed near the bottom on various insect nymphs.
Brown trout are just the opposite. They are usually caught near the surface, but they are very wary. Browns prefer insects to most other natural foods, but as they become larger, their taste shifts to bigger offerings such as minnows and crayfish.
Rainbows, which often feed near the surface, feed mainly on insects and mayfly and caddis fly nymphs, but also take fish eggs, minnows and crustaceans.
Small flashy lures can be deadly after the silt settles from the opening day onslaught.
Undercut banks are great holding places for trout. They can be spotted easily, because the water will flow toward the bank rather than parallel to it. These banks are laced with tree roots and debris, and it is easy to lose line and tackle while fishing them. But they are highly productive in the long run because they meet the need for food and cover for not only is debris constantly washed into the banks, but food is carried directly to the trout’s lair as well.
Rainbow trout prefer medium to fast-moving water and quite often leave cover in search of food. Brown trout prefer slow to medium water and usually stay close to cover, while brook trout are found in medium speed mountain streams, which remain cool throughout the year.
Large pools and long stretches of flat water look attractive but are not always productive.
Pools look darker than the rest of the stream and are often cooler, so big browns seek them out in the heat of the day.
Flats are consistent, shallow stretches of slow moving water. Trout feed on flats in the morning and evening but avoid them during midday because they lack cover. And don’t overlook shallow riffles. They are prime morning and evening feeding areas.
The best place to look for trout any time of day is in the runs which are the deep, faster-moving water between the riffles and pools.
Eddies are formed upstream and downstream of submerged objects in riffles and runs. Trout, which are neither as quick or as strong as many believe, find it easier to lie and feed in the slower water found in eddies.
In streams where rainbows are stocked, allow your offering to drift over the falls and into the plunge pool below. Rainbows hold in the pocket under the falls and grab food as it falls in front of them.
If you can, take a walk and check out your favorite stream before you plan to fish. Locate the rocks, logs and structure that will help you to find more trout.
Trout fishing does not have to be hit-and-miss. Some days will be better than others, but with a little preplanning, hopefully, there will be more good than bad ones.
Good fishing!
Remember to take a kid along and make a memory for both of you.
Herald-Standard outdoor editor Rod Schoener can be reached online at rschoener@heraldstandard.com.