SAO Pages

Friday, October 31, 2008

Natural Reproduction




What a magic time of year. Pretty much every species of game is in season, steelhead have started to migrate in and our native trout have started to get ready to reproduce. Fishing our native streams in the fall can be awesome. Most fisherman have left the streams for the woods leaving miles of water to be picked apart with skill.

Late October of every year is when Brook Trout and Brown Trout start to spawn. The fish become very aggressive and will often attack huge streamers with force sometimes completely knocking the fly out of the water. Resident rainbows and other fish will often follow the spawning fish and suck up every egg they possibly can. Egg patterns such as sucker spawn and glo bugs can be great patterns mixed in with the usual midges and other small nymphs.

It is our duty to make sure we do not disturb spawning fish. Often you will find fish pared up over very small loose gravel. These fish are spawning or getting ready to spawn. During the fall through mid spring we must pay very close attention to where we step and often times fishing isnt even an option. Missing a month or two of trout fishing is the norm for most die hard fly fisherman. They like many before them realize that if we bother the fish or ruin the beds we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Consider finding another place to fish or fish for a different species. Many smallmouth in the rivers and lakes are taking on a mass feeding frenzy to store up valuable reserves. Local rivers in the Centre of PA have recently experienced a major shift. High temps in the summer feel much warmer then what they actually are. A chemical spill makes 80 degree water feel way over 100 and the bass seek out cooler water. Anglers are often stumped why the large resident small mouths cannot be caught in the summertime and this is why. Dont count out fishing the rivers, smallies are AWESOME fighters, pound for pound they provide some of the most exciting fishing you can experience.

~Jeremy

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