Post by yihunt on Apr 12, 2009 12:28:52 GMT -4
Wildlife: Lake, stream fishing techniques differ
Sunday, April 12, 2009
By Scott Shalaway
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission sets opening day of trout season as the first Saturday after April 11, so the big day is Saturday.
Success is more likely when anglers understand at least a little trout biology.
Though sunny, blue skies enhance any fishing experience, spring rains often create less desirable conditions. Jay Stauffer, professor of ichthyology at Penn State University, says high water impacts stream fish more than those living in lakes. Though rain and turbid water impair fish vision on streams and rivers, "weather has virtually no impact on brown and rainbow trout living in lakes," Stauffer says.
Lake fishing also requires an understanding of water temperature and how it changes as spring progresses.
"Later in the season when lakes stratify, trout seek the upper edge of thermocline," said Nathaniel Gillespie, fisheries scientist and director of the Eastern Land Protection Project for Trout Unlimited (www.tu.org).
The thermocline is the layer of increasingly colder water that separates the warmer surface layer from the colder deep water.
Gillespie also suggests that stream fishermen be aware of differences in feeding behavior of stocked and wild trout.
"Stocked trout are very aggressive," he says. "They strike easily because they're accustomed to being fed, and many can be caught quickly. Delayed Harvest regulations are intended to insure that not all stocked trout are caught right away."
Expect wild native trout to be more wary. Brook trout in small streams are particularly skiddish.
"In small waters brook trout can see anglers," Gillespie said, "so anglers must approach more stealthily and present baits [and] lures more skillfully."
In bigger waters, trout are typically bolder.
A final tip for stream fishermen comes from the Fish and Boat Commission Web site. When streams flood, habitat changes. Expect familiar pools and runs to fill in with gravel and become shallower. Large trees that have sheltered banks for years may dislodge. Flooding also carves out new pools and runs. So after a heavy rain, read the stream before that first cast.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
By Scott Shalaway
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission sets opening day of trout season as the first Saturday after April 11, so the big day is Saturday.
Success is more likely when anglers understand at least a little trout biology.
Though sunny, blue skies enhance any fishing experience, spring rains often create less desirable conditions. Jay Stauffer, professor of ichthyology at Penn State University, says high water impacts stream fish more than those living in lakes. Though rain and turbid water impair fish vision on streams and rivers, "weather has virtually no impact on brown and rainbow trout living in lakes," Stauffer says.
Lake fishing also requires an understanding of water temperature and how it changes as spring progresses.
"Later in the season when lakes stratify, trout seek the upper edge of thermocline," said Nathaniel Gillespie, fisheries scientist and director of the Eastern Land Protection Project for Trout Unlimited (www.tu.org).
The thermocline is the layer of increasingly colder water that separates the warmer surface layer from the colder deep water.
Gillespie also suggests that stream fishermen be aware of differences in feeding behavior of stocked and wild trout.
"Stocked trout are very aggressive," he says. "They strike easily because they're accustomed to being fed, and many can be caught quickly. Delayed Harvest regulations are intended to insure that not all stocked trout are caught right away."
Expect wild native trout to be more wary. Brook trout in small streams are particularly skiddish.
"In small waters brook trout can see anglers," Gillespie said, "so anglers must approach more stealthily and present baits [and] lures more skillfully."
In bigger waters, trout are typically bolder.
A final tip for stream fishermen comes from the Fish and Boat Commission Web site. When streams flood, habitat changes. Expect familiar pools and runs to fill in with gravel and become shallower. Large trees that have sheltered banks for years may dislodge. Flooding also carves out new pools and runs. So after a heavy rain, read the stream before that first cast.