Do trout bite during the spawn?

[Troutmeister]

In past years I've devoted any spare time in Oct-Nov to hunting. Due to old injuries and arthritis, joint pain I've not been in the woods much but have spent time fishing.

Yesterday Nov 12th I fished 2 small streams in Lehigh and Northampton county. One is stocked by the state and also by another organization. The other is not stocked but has a good population of wild browns. The conditions yesterday were perfect after, having about .6 inch of rain. Water was up and just slightly colored.

I fished about 4 hrs. and got skunked in the stocked stream and only caught 2 small browns in the 2nd stream. This is probably the worst I've ever done fishing these two streams. So, do you think it'd due to the spawn? One of the reasons I ask is the comment made by Mike in the thread about "wild brown spawning".


" As for fishing over spawning fish, anyone who has ever done so with brown trout, wild or freshly stocked and spawning, probably has recognized that they are highly unlikely to be interested in any legal presentation."

 

[JeffK]

Spawning trout seem to have sex on their mind and rarely bite. They may get annoyed and hit something, but generally I like to leave them alone to do there thing. Plus, spawning browns can leave their home turf for a different spawning area. They may not be be where they were most of the year. One of the findings of the radio tagging of browns in the Beaverkill a few years ago is that the browns basically stay put most of the year (unlike rainbows) but vanish for a few days during the spawn. Stocked rainbows spawn in fall unlike their wild brethren and sex is more important than food for a while. However, they can be seen chasing each other around almost anywhere since they can't find their spawning grounds and are a bit confused.

That said, plenty of trout seem to be downstream of the redds gobbling up any stray eggs. Fishing eggs below the shallow riffle areas used to work well in the Little Lehigh (and other places). Sometimes post spawn trout are ravenous and go on the feed later. For example, post spawn steelhead are very aggressive if conditions are right.

As a weird aside I used to have my best fly fishing for carp with egg patterns fished below a gravel bar where walleye spawned. Back in the day the walleye spawned in a local river on a gravel bar at the tail of a pool created by a dam. The walleye spawned at night and rested during the day in an eddy below the gravel bar. Therefore, I swung jigs with a chartreuse head from the gravel bar into the eddy to target walleye. One day every time I lost the jig body a carp would grab the bare jig. I figured out they must be looking for eggs and started having success fishing egg patterns below the spawning beds. Walleye taste better, but large carp sure battle better.

 

[Brown71]

Try egg patterns, or real single eggs.

 

[Bamboozle]

No, but I had a X-girlfriend who would, all the time...

...and she scratched too! ;-)

 

[PennypackFlyer]

The nerve of some people to take a very interesting topic and put their two cents in before I do. LOL

 

[PennKev]

As far stocked fish in the fall, I think they behave very strangely and it is likely due to their impending spawn. (If they aren't already trying tot spawn) And, when I say strange, I mean acting strange even for stocked fish.

I've also noticed steelhead being very difficult at times later in the season when they are attempting to spawn.

I can't say that I've intentionally fished over wild, actively spawning fish. But I have fished during the spawn it seems that at any given time there are always a few fish still behaving normally and they can be caught. However, there is usually a period when MOST of the fish that can spawn, will. During this time fishing can be pretty slow just because so many fish have moved out of normal holding/feeding water and are preoccupied with spawning. For example I've fished the LJR when the spawn was in full swing and it seemed like there were hundreds of fish concentrated in spawning habitat and very few anywhere else. This made for a very, very slow day.

 

[Troutmeister]

JeffK, that's very interesting that you caught carp below spawning walleyes.

Did not see any spawning fish the other day, but I doubt they moved much as both creeks are very small. These were wild browns I was trying for. At what age do browns spawn?

 

[moon1284]

It's never good to fish for wild trout when they are spawning.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

This! Find other fish to target or some other fun outdoor pursuit. You'll be glad you did in the spring and for years to some.

 

[Rockfish]

I also hate to take a fish break during the spawn so I try to target streams with RT but even that can be tricky at times. For example, last year I fished Big Spring for its rainbows but kept running into spawning brookies (which is super cool to watch) such that I’ve decided to try elsewhere like Falling Spring when I feel up to being frustrated or some of the other streams with stockies.

 

[drossi]

When I need my fishing fix during the spawn, I'll hit the streams with the dreaded pellet heads.

 

[dryflyguy]

Bamboozle wrote:
No, but I had a X-girlfriend who would, all the time...

...and she scratched too! ;-)

I had an old flame who bit me once.
She became my ex girlfriend shortly afterward.......

As for fishing:

I leave brookies alone starting in Oct
And quit fishing for wild brownies by Nov.

My fishing at this time of year is limited to stocked streams - or Erie.
I am kinda curious about something though - are brookies done spawning by Nov?
Anybody out there fish for them now?

 

[Rockfish]

I’ve seen brookies spawning this late on Big Spring, not so much on freestoners

-Rock