Trout season

By CONNIE MERTZ

Like the opening of the antlered deer season, the opening day of trout season draws many anglers to stocked streams and lakes across the Keystone State. Some anglers prefer lakes and larger streams, while others will trek to mountainous country to hook a feisty brookie in a little insignificant stream off the beaten path. Whether anglers enjoy crowds or solitude, there’s a place for everyone, young and old alike.

Anglers may be surprised to learn that Pennsylvania’s state fish—the brook trout—is not really a trout. It’s classed as a char, actually a close relative to the Arctic char, lake trout and the Dolly Varden trout. Brookies are the only native trout to the state’s waters, and they are prized for their beautiful markings and fighting techniques.

When I see native brookies in a mountain stream, I am thrilled. To me, it says the water is clear and free of high levels of acidity. It also tells me that if I see one dart for cover, chances are he will never take my bait. Natives are spooky, and it takes patience to sneak to a deep pool and slip the line into the water quietly while waiting for the sudden strike. Of course, spring trout fishing is in a league all its own. The month of May brings a barrage of wild flowers in all sizes and colors carpeting the earth beneath, and a warm, sunny day of sparkling rays glittering off the rapids makes it one of nature’s most prized scenes.

While I enjoy the challenge of catching brookies, other anglers enjoy other species of trout. The rainbow trout was brought to Pennsylvania in part due to its rapid growth. First introduced in 1883, it brought disappointment to the (then) Fish Commission and they didn’t think it would take to Pennsylvania waters. By 1914, hatcheries decided not to raise and stock the rainbow. After the First World War, it was given another chance, but it was discovered the trout still couldn’t adapt to Pennsylvania’s waters.

One man made the difference. Earl Kline from Centre County started raising fingerling rainbows. His trout grew an inch in one year, and suddenly the tide turned. The Fish Commission started purchasing fingerlings from other hatcheries, and a new strain of rainbow was stocked into the state’s waters. As they say, the rest is history.

Rainbows prefer swift-flowing water. Anglers would do well to try the outer fringes of strong currents, either before or after the flow. Rainbows continue to be one of the most sought-after species of trout within the Commonwealth.

Strange as it may seem, the palomino is really a hybrid of the rainbow, developed through selective breeding, but it is not an albino. It was once crossed with a rainbow and West Virginia’s golden trout, and first stocked in 1967. Currently, it’s the golden rainbow that is stocked exclusively rather than the lighter palomino. Both the golden rainbow and palomino trout aren’t sterile hybrids, they are just color variations and are not to be confused with golden trout, according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s website.

The brown trout is a foreigner. Its roots originate in Germany and in 1888, 700 yearlings were stocked in Pennsylvania waters. Perhaps in today’s fishery world, the brown trout tops the other trout species because it can survive in a less than ideal water-quality environment.

Browns are usually nocturnal. During the daytime, they seek seclusion wherever there is cover. Rule of thumb says they become most active when the temperatures reach 65 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit. They are a favorite among fly fishermen.

After the hoopla of opening day, the die-hard anglers appear. Stream banks are no longer tangled in fishing line with bumper-to-bumper anglers. Perhaps a lot of trout are caught opening day, but these are the easy catches. The remainder of the season is one of challenge, opportunity and excitement. And for more enjoyment, take a kid fishing. Oh, the memories it will create for a lifetime.