- by James Marsh
In the northern parts of the U.S., brown trout will soon be starting their annual spawning activity. Of course, this is due to the cooler climate which results in water temperatures that are much lower at this time of year than those in the middle and southern parts of the nation. Yes, it is still early for the great majority of spawning to take place. The water temperature is still on the high side, nation wide for spawning. Also, many streams are still to low from what would be considered ideal from the brown trout spawn.
From talking to anglers just about every day throughout the country for the past several years, it is obvious to me that many are not aware of what actually takes place during the spawning cycle. I think all anglers should be at least basically aware of what takes place. The brown trout are much like salmon in that they will travel upstream long distances to spawn. It is thought that many of these trout will actually return to the same location that they used in previous years to spawn. I understand some testing showed this to be a fact. They have to come out from their normal hiding places to do that and they can often be spotted in a stream during this time.
To begin with, the trout need to be in excellent shape to begin the spawning process. It takes a lot of energy to make the moves they make. They need to be in prime condition and many may not be due to recent periods of drought. Ideally, there are several factors that the trout take into account when spawning or maybe I should say, that Mother Nature takes into consideration. One is the water temperature which I just mentioned, but others are water depth, current, light penetration, type of bottom and probably many other things that we are not off hand aware of. The water depth can vary for sure. After the trout have made their trips upstream, all these things affect the exact time and place the spawning process takes place.
The female brown trout builds her redd using her tail to move the gravel around. Some call this a nest and bass fisherman call it a bed. She selects small gravel areas. They prefer gravel about the size of a single peanut but will take whatever they can get as far as the size of the gravel is concerned. She cuts a trench or area of bottom where she will deposit her eggs. At just the right time, she will deposit her eggs in the gravel. Prior to her covering them up and usually during the same time period, the male will deposit his milt or sperm on the eggs. She will then proceed to cover the eggs up with gravel. This process helps by improving the flow of water through the eggs by cleaning the sand and dirt from the gravel. It is my understanding that this is critical in whether or not the eggs survive. This may not all occur at once. She may move to another area of the redd and repeat this procedure along with the
male. It is my understanding they deposit as little as a thousand eggs (not over two or three thousand), much more than I would have thought. Obviously, many of these eggs never make it. This entire procedure from the beginning to its end puts the fish in a stressful situation. It takes a lot of energy.
It is also my understanding, that the adult fish experience their largest morality rate during the spawning process. The eggs themselves can be destroyed by insects, fungus, and silt, to name a few things.
Anglers are another culprit that can destroy the eggs as well as the entire process of spawning.
During the spawning process the fish are very aggressive and territorial. This is especially true of the male. During the time the fish are building their nest, depositing their eggs and sperm, etc., anglers catching either the male of the female, can destroy many brown trout. Even if the angler doesn’t catch the fish he or she poses a threat to the process by adding additional stress to the fish. If he or she steps in the nest either before or after the eggs have been deposited, many or even most all of the eggs can be destroyed. If the female doesn’t deposit all of her eggs, she can die.
These spawning fish are large fish. Although it is not exactly the same case with brown trout, they remind me of redfish that must be older to successfully spawn. The angler can easily catch these spawning fish, smile and show others how great they are at catching big fish and many will never know what actually occurred. It doesn’t matter if they catch the female or the male, a lot of brown trout can be destroyed from the results. Both are critically important to the spawning process. In many streams in the country, the fishing season is closed during the brown trout spawn. In other sections of the country, certain sections of the river or stream that are know spawning areas are off limits to anglers during the brown trout spawn.
The fishery managers will tell you that fishing for spawning trout has little overall effect on depleting the population of brown trout and I am sure that is correct. It is not against the rules and regulations to catch the spawning brown trout in many streams throughout the nation. That is a decision you must make. If you can take pride in catching an over aggressive, easily caught trout (male or female) that will stay in one area of the stream trying its best to play its part in reproducing its like, then go ahead and catch them. Personally, I don’t want any part of it but neither am I going to be critical of those that disagree and choose to do so.
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