Fishing during the spawn

[ryansheehan]

krayfish2 wrote:
I try to wrap up fishing by October 15th. May hit the stream once or twice over the winter but basically wait for April hatches to get here. If I do go between mid October and New Years, I try to make it in streams that don't contain much natural reproduction. Personally, I feel that targeting fish on beds isn't very sporting.

I don't know how you do it, my favorite time to fish is November through February. Being out when its snowing is paradise.

 

[salmonoid]

rrt wrote:
I think it's all right to fish during the spawn if you stay away from the redds. I have often caught fish from broken water somewhat downstream from active redds.

Also, I have noticed one unusual non-occurrence during the spawn. A couple of streams that I regularly fish are filled with active redds from late Oct thru early December. But, one stream I know of hosts only a few redds with only a few trout on them, yet it is a wild trout stream with a fair population of fish. I guess trout are like people in that a certain percentage of the population does not participate in procreation? I've never heard a biologist comment on this aspect of trout behavior, but in that particular stream, it appears to be quite true.

Is it possible that the substrate is not conducive to spawning in that particular stream and the fish move into tributaries, or use a larger body of water to move to spawn in nearby streams?

 

[FarmerDave]

I don't fish during the fall spawn unless you count steelhead.

But it is just the way it works out for me, so I am not being critical of those who do.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

Hard to believe guys don't fish later fall and winter I fish more in those months then the spring and summer by far

 

[FarmerDave]

Hook_Jaw wrote:


Hard to believe guys don't fish later fall and winter I fish more in those months then the spring and summer by far

If I could, I might, but since I can't, I don't.

Years ago when I lived on a postage stamp lot in a nice subdivision, I used to ice fish a lot. I keep saying I will take that up again, but it never happens.

 

[steveo27]

I love fishing in the fall and winter too.

I assume other activities take up a lot of fishing time in the fall/winter. Skiing, hunting, snowboarding, trapping, ect. I know I lose a lot of Saturdays because of hunting.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

Tough time to miss If you fish for big brown trout I catch the biggest ones late October to late January.

 

[Troutaddict172]

It's seemed to me most brookies I've notice spawn primarily late September-October. Browns November-December but still gotta remember to watch your wading even after. May go out to a few brook streams Thursday

 

[Chaz]

I've seen brookies spawning in January, in very specific circumstances, but I've seen. Most SE PA streams they spawn in November. I've seen them spawning in NE PA in November too.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Yeah it's really easy to catch big browns this time of year. I mean, they're all out in the open, just layin' there waiting for us to finesse them on 6x!

 

[Hook_Jaw]

Never said anything about it being easy you stay on the couch sasquatch I''ll fish.