We still have browns on redds ( spawning beds). What is a redd? It is the cleaned and scooped out depressions that trout work in gravel that spawning trout will deposit eggs. They are easy to spot in often shallower, oxygenated water and there will be “ clean”or bright spots in comparison to the rest of the river bottom. If you have any doubts, there are plenty of pictures and videos online to help identify redds.
Oftentimes you can spot fish on the redds actively digging,chasing each other competing for hens, and actively depositing and fertilizing eggs.
Why is it so important to stay off the redds and not actively target fish? I mean, look at all of em! The brown are “running”, and who doesn’t like a shot at a big brown? It is just catch and release, so what is the big deal?
First off, spawning trout and the more successful they are, the brighter the future of our fisheries can be. Not just for us, but future generations. Trout have enough natural factors and predation to contend with, without our actions ( which are very much controllable) compounding to the hardships of spawning and already low number of eggs that actually make it to the fry and juvenile stages. Just because you don’t physically see fish on the redds shouldn’t mean you fish or wade on them. For starters they can still be active redds with adults staged nearby basing active spawning due to lighting conditions. More importantly to just leave redds alone for a long time, is It can take weeks for fertilized eggs to develop to the alevins ( eyed egg) stage and 2-3 weeks for the alevins to become fry
Here is what and why wading on redds and fishing spawning fish actually means:
Catching and fighting them adds to stress and takes them off a bed to protect that bed from predation. They can also prematurely release eggs due to stress of being hooked and fought.
Wading on and upstream from the redds can kick up debris and sedimentation that adversely effects the development of eggs.
Wading on the redds can crush and kill the eggs.
From the North American Journal of Fisheries Management :
“Twice-daily wading throughout development killed up to 96% of eggs and pre-emergent fry. A single wading just before hatching killed up to 43%. Restriction of wading could be an effective management tool if trout spawning habitat is limiting and angler use is high during egg development.”
That last paragraph really hits home. Read that again, 96% mortality from twice daily wading. Now think of watching folks wading all over redds, day after day through out the spawn. Please let them be. There are other areas to target fish and the browns are around all year. So this is not the only time browns are available. Fish where they feed, not where they breed and give the spawners a break.
