Anglers who fish year round in Pennsylvania know there are what can be designated as good, better and best time periods to pursue the various fish species found in state waterways.
The good, better and best adjectives all describe positive intervals of time. Anglers who approach a fishing outing with a positive attitude — “I know I will catch fish.” — will generally reap a greater percentage of positive results. So a positive mind-set equals more fish reeled to the net.
Very few anglers, however, are out and about plying their fishing skills trying to outwit the remaining rainbows, brownies, brookies or the hybrids like golden rainbows and tiger trout now through August. Anglers who packed the streams, lakes and ponds, often in shoulder-to-shoulder fashion, on the first day and perhaps extending through the first week and a few weekends following the opening of trout season, disappear long before the numbers of stocked trout have done the same.
Trout cannot survive in warm water like the shallow lakes and other such resources where species like panfish, catfish, largemouth bass and pickerel thrive. Trout need cool water temperatures, which is the primary reason the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission established the earlier opening day for trout season in the 18 southeastern Pennsylvania counties.
This earlier opening of the season two weeks before the rest of Pennsylvania gives trout anglers more time to fish for trout when the streams, rivers and impoundments have ideal temperatures for trout survival. These southeastern waterways warm more quickly, due to their location, and the rest of the state’s counties open on the traditional opening Saturday in mid-April.
That said, anglers should not put their trout tackle away until the fall just because the water temperatures have warmed up. There are plenty stocked, and some native, trout remaining for one’s angling pleasure, but one has to be willing to find them.
Wise anglers know their fishing locations and will scout a new stream, identifying springs and seeps as well as noting the places where small tributaries enter larger streams, thus adding cooler water to the immediate area where they join the larger waterway. This familiarity compares to how good hunters scout for deer and other signs of game in the preseasons.
Identifying these areas where springs and seeps assist in cooling the surrounding water, as well as noting the locations of cooler stream mouth water temperatures, translates into fishing where the trout are holding. Catching is always more fun than fishing, but these warmer summer waters tend to be clearer, so do not expect to stumble up to the stream or cast shadows over the clear warm waters and expect a trout to take a look no matter how perfect a presentation might be.
Use stealth when approaching the stream, crouch down if possible, be quiet and remember fish in clear water are very wary of movements and sounds, so use smaller flies, spinners, lures and bait, as well as a slower retrieve. Work slowly upstream, being as unobtrusive as possible. While this is an important tactic to follow whenever trout fishing, it is extremely important at this time of the year.
A small, rigged fathead minnow works well when the water is low, warm and clear. An effective rig is a small treble hook tied to a 12-inch leader with a loop tied on the opposite end. The smaller the leader test, the better, and use a threading needle to pull the loop end of the line through the minnow and snug the treble hook in against the minnow’s anal opening.
Attach the loop to a ball-bearing swivel that will prevent twisting and knotting on the reel spool, and work the minnow rig like a spinner. Cast well beyond its location when a trout is spotted, and retrieve as slowly as possible, similar to the technique used when fishing with small dry flies or nymphs with a fly rod.
In Schuylkill County, the northern most county in the southeast, the PFBC last stocked trout May 18 in the Little Schuylkill River and May 19 on Pine Creek. However, some trout are likely to be holding in many deep holes located below a riffle of moving water. These areas build the water’s oxygen content, so there could be a lunker holding in such an area just waiting for a summer angler to toss it a tempting treat.
Schuylkill County Chapter of Trout Unlimited also continues trout stocking with funds raised through its “Button Program.” Those who are members of the program received advance emails of trout stocking. Information is available on the Schuylkill Trout Unlimited Facebook page.