In your experience, when do wild trout in small streams become active after their winter torpor?

[silfeid]

I've fished a few fairly small (but not necessarily tiny), quite remote streams over the past few years during the month of April and caught very few or no fish, and then returned to the same streams later in the year (May/June) and done tolerably well. It seems clear to me that certain environmental triggers are "activating" the fish, whether that's simply water temperature, insect populations (especially in streams where the trout may be more dependent on terrestrials), daylight hours, or shade due to leaf coverage hitting some crucial threshold (or some combination of all of the above). The streams I'm thinking of retain fishable water temperature year-round, so temperatures rising in late summer etc. isn't really an issue.

It seems, at least in certain cases, to be almost shockingly on-off - the fish are either pretty much inactive and invisible, or else they're feeding hungrily and pretty happy to strike at whatever you throw their way as long as the water's not too high or clouded. Wondering if others have observed the same thing on small(er) wilderness trout streams, or on larger, less remote waters? If so, when do the fish really start biting for you?

 

[wildtrout2]

I've experienced this situation on every wild/remote stream I fish. And it's exactly as you describe every season. I've said it before, I think the biggest factor in feeding activity for wild trout is water temp. My best fishing has always been June through August. August being the best.

I've found 60F to be optimum, but it usually gets good from 56F on up. On the streams I fish, I've yet to get a water temp above 61F. Ever. They hover around 56F-58F most of the time. It's usually like you mention though, either very slow, or lights out fishing.

 

[hooker-of-men]

This thread is making me feel much better, as I just spent two hours after work on a very small stream I know to have wild browns and got not a bite. I spooked 3 fish, so I knew they were there as expected, but I left with somewhat broken spirits.

I'm pretty new to small streams, and I kinda hoped it would fish like the brookie streams I fished last year and continued to hit with success into even January. Obviously, that is now seeming a bit naive.

I will say, up here in NY it's still pretty damn cold (high of 42 today, but only 23 yesterday...). I am happy to take the excuse

 

[lycoflyfisher]

My experiences match yours for the most part. I try to spend more time on larger streams or limestone influenced streams in the early season as you can sometimes avoid crowds and then return to the small streams when conditions are optimal.

I have one stream that I have tried to fish the past 3 years in late Feb or March and have yet to catch a fish. I return in June and have non stop action.

I have caught some sizable browns in small streams this time of year fishing streamers low and slow.

 

[silfeid]

Thanks guys - the responses are also boosting my spirits. I checked out some new water today that I really liked (beautiful remote stream, PM me if you want to know where in SWPA), saw three fish all day, one bit, nothing in plunge pool after plunge pool. I was trying to keep my spirits up by reminding myself of the streams where I've struck out in late March through late April only to do well later in the year, and I thought I'd post on here to see if that's a more general truth to our part of the world, or might be a peculiarity of the streams I had in mind. It would appear to be the former, which is a relief. I'm in need of some new go-to wild brookie streams, as a few of my favorites appear to have gotten hit pretty hard by keep-your-limit type spin fishermen over the past two years, and will need a few years to fish well again.

 

[Swattie87]

I’ve always thought that small stream wild Trout fishing in PA isn’t reliably good on a consistent basis until mid-May or so most years. That probably coincides with the temperature ranges discussed above. I’ve had good days fishing in Winter, but it’s not reliable or consistent in any way. What you’re experiencing is normal. I have a rule that I’ll fish on weekends in the Winter and Spring, but I won’t burn a vacation day at work to fish until May 15th. March in PA is still very much Winter, and April is still more often cold than warm.

On the other side of things, I think fishing in the Fall stays better and more consistent even at the same water temps that produce poor fishing in the Spring. For instance, 45 degree water in October fishes far better than 45 degree water in April. My theory on this is that a fish’s metabolism is still relatively high from the recent warmer weather, as opposed to just starting to ramp up after Winter

 

[moon1284]

This thread is making me feel much better, as I just spent two hours after work on a very small stream I know to have wild browns and got not a bite. I spooked 3 fish, so I knew they were there as expected, but I left with somewhat broken spirits.

I'm pretty new to small streams, and I kinda hoped it would fish like the brookie streams I fished last year and continued to hit with success into even January. Obviously, that is now seeming a bit naive.

I will say, up here in NY it's still pretty damn cold (high of 42 today, but only 23 yesterday...). I am happy to take the excuse

This is the first year in NY you could fish for trout from 10/15 to 4/1 (with the exception a handful of streams and stream sections that were open year round). So there isn't a lot of historical data on winter fishing.

Personally I have never done well for wild trout on 4/1, with the exception of a spring creek in NY. I think the water is just too cold. I start getting serious around 4/15 every year and the last week of April seems to be when it really turns on.

I fish the southern part of NY (i.e. South of I90) more than the northern part. The northern part of the state is probably 1-3 weeks behind (depending how far north you go).

To put things in perspective, I'd like to fish this weekend and if I do ill end up staying in a motel somewhere in Central or SE PA rather than stay at my camp in the Catskills.

 

[hooker-of-men]

This is the first year in NY you could fish for trout from 10/15 to 4/1 (with the exception a handful of streams and stream sections that were open year round). So there isn't a lot of historical data on winter fishing.

Personally I have never done well for wild trout on 4/1, with the exception of a spring creek in NY. I think the water is just too cold. I start getting serious around 4/15 every year and the last week of April seems to be when it really turns on.

I fish the southern part of NY (i.e. South of I90) more than the northern part. The northern part of the state is probably 1-3 weeks behind (depending how far north you go).

To put things in perspective, I'd like to fish this weekend and if I do ill end up staying in a motel somewhere in Central or SE PA rather than stay at my camp in the Catskills.

True, but, like you say, up where I am there is the Battenkill, the Schroon, the Ausable, etc. that have had year-round stretches. I've found it interesting that there seems to be clearly way less of a culture of winter fly fishing here. Folks seem to mostly eagerly shift to hardwater or just skiing, etc

I can't say I blame them. Last year, when air temps were warmer earlier than this year, I had made it out to Battenkill prob 20 times before opening day. I've still never caught a fish there before April...

(I also took up XC skiing this year.)

 

[GANGGREEN]

I think brown trout streams are a bit different than brookie streams, partly because they tend to be larger. I rarely fish in the wintertime in PA, but when I do, I frequently have a pretty high likelihood of catching a quality brown. I won't catch many of them, but when/if I do, there's a decent likelihood that it will be 14-20" (which are big fish on the stream I typically fish).

 

[sarce]

I've noticed this also and am happy to use that excuse 😀 Elevation has a lot to do with driving the water temps so if you're itching for early season action try the lowest elevation streams in your area. SE PA lower elevation streams seem to wake up a month earlier than described above. I'll be testing some MD brook trout water today to see if they're awake and on a feeding rampage yet.

 

[JeffK]

I agree with the of the above, plus one more observation. I was an intern for NJ Fish and Wildlife in 2015 doing angler surveys. One thing I noticed that while there can be good days in April a cold front will completely shut down the fishing. Even the excellent anglers would be frustrated. Once the water warms in mid May or so a cold front will slow down the fishing, but not stop it. The regulars would find a way to have a good day even with a cold front. By summer the cold fronts can help.

With the cold front we have been having I expect the fish would be very closed mouthed.

 

[silfeid]

True, but, like you say, up where I am there is the Battenkill, the Schroon, the Ausable, etc. that have had year-round stretches. I've found it interesting that there seems to be clearly way less of a culture of winter fly fishing here. Folks seem to mostly eagerly shift to hardwater or just skiing, etc

I can't say I blame them. Last year, when air temps were warmer earlier than this year, I had made it out to Battenkill prob 20 times before opening day. I've still never caught a fish there before April...

(I also took up XC skiing this year.)

I'm a downhill nut and I just gotta say, if I lived up there I would absolutely put fishing on pause until mid-March. But to each their own etc.

 

[moon1284]

True, but, like you say, up where I am there is the Battenkill, the Schroon, the Ausable, etc. that have had year-round stretches. I've found it interesting that there seems to be clearly way less of a culture of winter fly fishing here. Folks seem to mostly eagerly shift to hardwater or just skiing, etc

I can't say I blame them. Last year, when air temps were warmer earlier than this year, I had made it out to Battenkill prob 20 times before opening day. I've still never caught a fish there before April...

(I also took up XC skiing this year.)

There is definitely not much of a winter trout fishing culture in NY. In the winter it's either ice fishing or GL trib fishing.

There is really only one stream in ny that's ever fished well for me in the winter as far as trout and it's a spring creek in Western NY.

I only fished the battenkill a couple times. Great stream but not what I'd consider easy.

Ausable and Schroon are easier but I wouldn't think of making that trip until at least may.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

The East side of the Hudson River was my go to area in Late April/ May. Lots of nice water and not crowded back then.
Interesting that New York sort of paralleled Georgia as far as open seasons in Trout water. The only good April fishing I had was Lime Lake Outlet wading snow then. GG

 

[moon1284]

Lime lake outlet is still good. It's pretty brushy and doesn't have a lot of room to cast.

 

[pcray1231]

So on like mountain brookie streams, I rarely get skunked in winter/early spring. But certainly the numbers are not what they are in the summer. Like I was out last weekend. For the place and time I spent at it, I'd expect 30+ in June. I got 6 or 7. But was kind of surprised, I ran with a dry dropper rig and most of the fish that did hit, well, they hit the dry.

On bigger streams. I do well in winter. As well as May overall. Time of day matters and is different. From Feb through April you want low water, afternoon, on the warmest day you can find. In the afternoon the water is at it's warmest. It's not so much the absolute temperature but the direction and speed of change. If the water is 35 raising to 40 each day, the fish will turn on as it warms. That one warm day where it goes from 35 to 45 will be gangbusters once it gets above 40 and is rising.

May becomes the ideal, fish when there are bugs situation. Fish turn on with the bug activity.

By June and through summer, late, late evenings, once the water begins to cool. And mornings, when water is coolest. That's when you wanna be there. Afternoon in July is every bit as bad as early morning in March. Unless you get a big thunderstorm and the water comes up. That can make the fishing good anytime.

 

[Letort]

Both trips to native Brookie streams this winter had the water temp at 41*. Books will tell you that temp is in their feeding zone. My experience is that 9* away from frozen slows things down tremendously. Same water in May will yield 30 fish in 2-3 hours.

 

[hooker-of-men]

Just out of curiosity I dug into my extensive archives (Google photos), and I had my first good numbers day on a brookie stream on April 7th last year.

Didn't record air or water temps, but, up my way at least, by this time last year it was considerably warmer than this year.

 

[Mike]

As I have mentioned before, PFBC biological crews once surveyed one Class A BT stream section and one Class A ST stream section in each Fisheries Mgmt region in spring just prior to opening day and then again in July. All regions did their work in the same year. Biomasses and abundances of legal size fish were greater in summer than in spring.

 

[troutbert]

In the early season trout are typically thin on these streams after going through the harsh winter conditions.

As more food becomes available, they start to gain weight. They usually start getting pretty filled out by around late May. It's more satisfying to catch fish in good condition than emaciated fish.