There has been some talk about having trout season open all year.
The present situation of having an early opening for the southeastern counties is fairly popular among anglers I talk to. But there are a few detractors. The southeastern border streams do get some extra pressure from northern anglers who want to get a jump on the regular season.
Opening days are a tradition. There is an excitement of sorts that comes with an opening day. Anticipation is half the fun; getting together with friends and relatives and getting your trout gear ready for the big opening day is one of the rites of spring in Pennsylvania.
Having a year-round trout season would eliminate the tradition. It would also spread out the fishing pressure.
I like opening days. Years ago the Fish Commission decided it was OK to have year-round bass fishing in the river. During the spawn, the smallmouth were hauled out by the stringerfuls and eventually the commissioners came to their senses and went back to a no-kill season. Smallmouth are very vulnerable during the spawn.
Trout, on the other hand, are heavily stocked, though there is natural trout reproduction in many streams. There is some movement to get certain streams back to being wild trout streams. The problem is that we now have generations of trout fishermen who are used to hatchery fish and taking home a limit.
Wild trout streams cannot handle the pressure we put on them without special regulations. Marginal streams that are stocked provide a lot of good fishing opportunities that anglers would not have if we depended solely on wild fish. Catch-and-release of wild trout is critical on streams that have natural reproduction. On streams that get low and warm during the summer, taking them home is a good idea.
Traditional tactics should work well for the early part of the season. Drifting live baits, from nightcrawlers to waxworms, are always effective and chucking spinners, minnows and small lures usually puts fish in the creel.
In recent years, a few new things have popped up that work well. The trout magnet — a small jig with a plastic grub — has become popular. At first glance, they look a little ridiculous, but they do catch fish when used correctly.
Berkley has about a thousand different paste and creature baits; certain colors and styles seem to work better on different streams. Some anglers are catching on to the fact that small rapalas and rebels catch their share of large trout.
Case in point: I got out one evening in the early season with nothing more than a small box with a couple of spinners and small rapalas. I worked my way downstream, alternating between spinners and plugs. I was picking up a trout here and there and as the sun disappeared, I came to a deep hole. I was ready to call it a day and decided to make my last couple of casts into the hole with the largest lure I had with me — in this case, a size-8 rapala husky jerk. On the third cast I felt two taps, then the rod doubled over as the big fish hit. After a good battle, I released a beautiful 21-inch brown.
It was a nice walk back to the truck. My feet were barely on the ground.
-- Ken Maurer, Herndon, is a licensed fishing guide and a regular contributor to the Outdoors section. Contact him at kenrose@tds.net
Sports
No bite for year-round season
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