A beginers guide to fishing during spawning season

[FrequentTyer]

I have seen a couple of recent discussions about the dos and don'ts of fishing during the spawn, but noticed that a lot of good advice is given that relies on already knowing something about trout spawning habits. Since beginners might not have the good fortune to have these things pointed out to them on the stream, I thought it would be good to provide information on what redds are, how to spot them, and how to identify the spawning trout. Here is a pretty informative blog entry that makes a good starting place.
Any other tips or advice to offer on this topic?

 

[Pontus]

Read the comments on that article for some good laughs.

I have some questions, as I've never fished a fall season before. When some of the trout in a stream are spawning, are all of them spawning? If not, is it ok to fish outside of the typical spawning areas? If yes, when is it ok to fish again? Can you fish when there are obvious redds but no fish over them?

 

[gfen]

I would apprechiate more people to weigh in on this with advice and photographs.

I've seen gill and bass redds, but I've never noticed trout redds. Will they be that easily spotted?

 

[MKern]

Reeds are fairly easy to see, but keep in mind that not al trout spawn in a redd; some use what has been provided for them by the stream. For example, there are just perfect places that exsist in riffles because of the substrate.

I can think of a perfect spot on Spring below Benner and a perfect spot on Tea.

Not all fish will spawn and can be caught. For example, I fished last weekend and all of the fish over 12" were no where to be found. My guess is they were upstream preparing for the event.

I no people swear to not fish over spawning fish, but if you hook one, don't play it, but rather horse it in and un-hook it quickly.

I always stick by the thought that if a fish takes your fly, it could have been caught. Fish that are in a thermal refuge in the Summer, or are activly spawning will not eat.

 

[gfen]

So, do post-spawn trout take care of the redd, or do they abandon it to fate?

IE, some aquatic creatures will tend to the eggs until they hatch, blowing water over them, chasing off predators, etc.

 

[MKern]

They will tend to them for a short period of time, but redd locations aren't the best habitat locations.

Redds are in areas that are going to have good O2 flow throughout the Fall in early Winter.

As I'm guessing you know, trout inthe Winter are going to receed to deeper parts of the stream (well most of the time).

Trout eggs don't stay eggs for very long. However the fry will hang around the redd for a few weeks before dispersing for better locals with cover from hungry predators including trout.

I can also always tell when the spawn is about to happen because I see more YOY swimming around. I rarely see them in the Spring and Summer, but just before the spawn and before colder weather they gorge themselves without the worry of bigger trout gobbling them up.

 

[DGC]

Not a great video (I can't even tell if they're trout), but good for seeing what the angler would see from the streambank.




Note:

1. The cleared out, lighter colored depression in contrast to the brownish streambed.

2. Trout darting around, jockeying for postion, nipping at each other or nudging (male to female) or chasing off other trout (big male to other males). There should be no confusion with a trout chasing forage. That happens in a single sequence, rather quickly, and then it's over.

3. If the activity in (2) is not clear but you know something is happening, consider that in most wild trout streams of decent clarity, if you were that close to them and they were NOT spawning, they would have spooked and run for cover long before you got to that perspective.

Different streams will give a different look. On more acidic streams, the brownish streambed in relation to the cleared out redd will not be as apparent. Also, there will be differences regarding redd substrates available or preferred. The trout activity, however, will be similar.

 

[gfen]

Thanks guys, this has been remarkably helpful.

Last question would then be, at what point do the browns usually enter into the actual spawn, and when does it end up being usually safe enough to wade again?

I know in many pet trade fish, pre-spawn tends to be determiend by time/season, but the act of spawning then happens when water conditions change in a specific manner.

To put that, hopefully, into a useful perspective, AS AN EXMPALE: if browns enter pre-spawn/spawn "around the end of September, 3rd or 4th week," then usually spawn on major rainfall, expect six weeks until safer wading after the event."

I don't need to actively worry abotu rainbows anywhere I'm going (which I know are spring), but how about the brook trout? Also fall, per brown, or spring or different again?

 

[DGC]

Depending on what part of the state you're in, there could be spawning any time between now and early January. Generally the brook char go first. I tend to think Brook char in October, and browns in November, but that is oversimplification with many exceptions.

On the other hand, I am more about dry flies at this time of year. There are few sights so gratifying as dimples among drifting leaves. Dimpling trout are fair game 100 percent of the time.

After the trout abandon the redd, I doubt that wading is an issue. I think about it, and look for redds, but while I make some effort to not go into what could have been a redd, I'm not too concerned about it, either. If there is research suggesting wading over redds is harmful, I would reconsider.

 

[gfen]

DGC wrote:
Depending on what part of the state you're in, there could be spawning any time between now and early January. Generally the brook char go first. I tend to think Brook char in October, and browns in November, but that is oversimplification with many exceptions.

Understood that its far more complex, and most specifically centers around stream ecology, enviroment, and water quality.

I wonder if our resident ichthyologist can give any more details? Does the PFBC have any publishing/web publishing on this subject?

Did I look? No. No I didn't.

 

[jdaddy]

After the trout abandon the redd, I doubt that wading is an issue. I think about it, and look for redds, but while I make some effort to not go into what could have been a redd, I'm not too concerned about it, either. If there is research suggesting wading over redds is harmful, I would reconsider.

I thought that was a huge fail? You mean while the eggs are there? I thought that was the most damaging part of all this?

 

[jayL]

jdaddy wrote:

After the trout abandon the redd, I doubt that wading is an issue. I think about it, and look for redds, but while I make some effort to not go into what could have been a redd, I'm not too concerned about it, either. If there is research suggesting wading over redds is harmful, I would reconsider.

I thought that was a huge fail? You mean while the eggs are there? I thought that was the most damaging part of all this?

Agreed. I have always been under the impression that walking through a fertilized redd is the problem.

 

[MKern]

Agreed with the previous two....

When the redds disappear, you know the fry have moved on and wading in certain areas is okay.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

From what i've seen the browns can be quite active in making a redd.They act salmon like in their actions.redds do look different due to the movement of the "gravel" on the stream bed.I'd avoid these .In the Ontario tribs the browns start to move in in October after the salmon are there and are active based on water levels, like the steelies.If you find a spotwhere trout are working it's a good bet that they will be there next year as well.

 

[afishinado]

I couldn't find a lot of articles worth posting but here are a few videos worth looking at:

 

[DGC]

Jdaddy, JayL and MKern, that was a poorly constructed last paragraph on my part. Wading in the redd itself can't do any good, but could do harm. In general I approach it like I said above because of that, but there is very little research on the topic. This morning I looked for the study by Bruce C. Roberts and Robert G. White "Effects of Angler Wading on Survival of Trout Eggs and Pre-emergent Fry," from 1992 but only found an abstract or brief discussion in other papers.

Historically when the fishing season lasted until Labor day and didn't resume until Spring, an often heard rationale against expanding the season was that fishing would reduce trout populations because of interference with the spawn, including egg mortality because of wading. If wading really was a significant factor, the subsequent expansion to year-round fishing should have seen a decline from this interference and egg mortality. That hasn't happened--in fact the opposite has happened, and on some of our most frequently waded streams during post-spawn/pre-hatch (i.e. Spring Creek), we have very high density. Other states have seen similar results.

Some incidental wading in redds is not likely to be signifcant to most streams, but where a redd is trampled that is likely to kill quite a few, and if that stream already has few redds, that would be a problem for that stream. I can't swear to it because I couldn't find the full article, but I think that was Brown and White's conclusion.

In PA brooks and browns eggs hatch in late Winter to Spring. If a redd is going to be waded over accidentally, this is when it is most likely to happen since people are not thinking about avoiding redds as much by this time, and the redds themselves are often not readily distinguished from the streambed like they were when they were freshly made the previous Fall. However, this may be the MOST damaging time to wade over a redd, since it is in the period just before emergence from the gravel that the young are most vulnerable to getting squashed.

 

[jdaddy]

I actually read an article on egg survival after wading through, then back through yesterday. Now to find it . . .

Was like 40% loss wading through and cumulative 75% when waded back through.

However, this may be the MOST damaging time to wade over a redd, since it is in the period just before emergence from the gravel that the young are most vulnerable to getting squashed.

In addition to squashing there is the element of knocking the eggs loose from the substrate, as well as, disturbing the bottom resulting in siltation over the eggs which kills them as well.

 

[jdaddy]

Ya, I found that info. This was a "Rant" article in Jan/Feb 2010 American Angler. It was some guy using extreme examples and how everyone should just die, in trying to otherwise sell a valid point.

"One study found that walking across a redd once increased egg mortality by 40%, and walking across it twice in one day - think of an out-and-back path - increased mortality rates up to 83%. When it comes to improving trout habitat, dam removal is not always a feasible option, but walking around a redd or choosing to fish another area with less impact seems fatality attainable."

Study source is not cited.

afishinado, that second video of the Colorado brookies is awesome.

 

[MKern]

I have a couple videos of brookies courting. Very interesting behavior.