The Essence Of Trout Fishing

Next Saturday is the opening day of trout season in Pennsylvania.

Here in northcentral Pennsylvania, the opening day of trout season is a benchmark for the spring season. Although spring officially arrives in March, it is not until the third Saturday in April that sportsmen really feel like it is springtime.

Camps that have remained empty since last fall will be bustling with activity next weekend. The opening day of trout season is second to none when it comes to drawing crowds to this region of Pennsylvania.

It is no secret that trout fishing is the single most popular sport in the Keystone State. But why is trout fishing so popular? Is it the challenge of catching a trout, or perhaps because trout our so colorful?

Although the challenge of catching trout and their physical esthetics certainly contribute to their popularity as a sport fish, I would have to say the single factor that leads to the trout family being the monarch of sport fishes in Pennsylvania is the places trout inhabit.

Trout would not be nearly as popular if they lived in nasty carp ponds. Although some stocked trout are planted into streams that are definitely less than pristine, this is an exception and even these trout are only able to live in these streams for a few months during the spring of the year.

Fortunately for trout fishermen, trout require cold, clean, well-oxygenated streams, and it is to such streams that trout fishing enthusiasts are attracted.

When I think of a trout stream, the first thing that comes to mind is a remote hemlock shrouded mountain stream. The stream is heavily forested, a very important characteristic for a healthy coldwater fishery, and its waters originate in cold, clean mountain springs.

Trout streams do not fare well in man altered landscapes, and it is no secret that their productivity decreases the more their watersheds are developed, the more roads that are cut into their hillsides, and the more other disturbances in their watersheds increase.

So the quintessential trout stream is in a remote, pristine mountain setting. Fortunately, we have many places that fit this description in this part of Pennsylvania. It is to such places trout fishermen are attracted.

It is in these places that trout fisherman can enjoy nature, find solitude, and escape the everyday craziness of life. In this type of setting can they find relaxation, a slow water eddy out of the rushing torrent of the main current of life. Life goes by too fast, but on the trout stream in such a pristine setting time slows down for a moment, and we are able to contemplate, self reflect, and put life's problems into perspective.

In their pursuit for speckled brook trout or colorful brown trout, it is such places that trout fishermen find themselves. To these fishermen, spending time on pristine streams that have not been messed up by man is just as important as catching trout; the fact that trout tend to inhabit such pristine locations is what makes trout fishing the popular outdoor sport that it is.



I'm a fan of adverse fishing conditions the first few weeks of trout season when crowds of fishermen are pounding local streams. Cold weather, high stream flows, and heavy rains seem to keep more fish out of the creel and leave more trout in the stream to provide continued enjoyment throughout the spring and into early summer for the anglers who fish more than the first few weekends of the season.

After taking a peak at the tenday weather forecast, it looks like those who think like me are going to be disappointed. Next week's weather forecast calls for beautiful spring weather with lots of sun and no rain in the forecast after this weekend. This year's opening day should be almost identical to the opening day of trout season last year. Streams will be low and water temperatures higher than normal for mid April. This all equates to trout feeding a little more actively than on your typical opening day.

April 15 should be a banner day with ideal fishing conditions. I would look for fishermen, especially those who stick it out and spend the majority of the day on the water, to have incredible opening day success.



This past week traveling from Cameron to Emporium I've seen an adult bald eagle on just about every trip. I think the only times I didn't see it was when I wasn't looking for it. Often it was perched on the same limb, although several times I saw it flying above the Driftwood Branch.

Also, I've received word that the pair of bald eagles is once again nesting at Sinnemahoning State Park. Their young should be hatched by the opening day of trout season.