Cold water awaits anglers

This weekend will see an enormous influx of fishermen, giving the region a good economic boost. Northcentral Pennsylvania is second to none in the number of trout anglers attracted for the season opener.

Water conditions will likely be cold and high. Recently, the water temperature in my home stream, the Driftwood Branch of the Sinnemahoning Creek, was a chilly 44 degrees.

Trout are cold-blooded and take on the temperature of their surrounding environment. They're most active when water temperatures are in the upper 50s or lower 60s. Anglers on our larger streams, in particular, will have to make an effort to fish deep. Trout will be less active and less likely to move very far to grab a fly, lure, or bait.

When water temperatures are this cold, usually mid-day or early afternoon provides the best fishing conditions.

To some degree, small trout streams harboring brook trout will be more forgiving. The brook trout that generally inhabit or are stocked in these streams seem to be willing to feed no matter what the conditions.

Anglers will have a shot at landing some really nice trout when the season begins today (Saturday) at 8 am, according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Local Waterways Conservation Officer Bill Crisp said this year's crop of stocked fish contains some of the biggest stocked in his career. Crisp said there were 'many very large golden trout' stocked in local waters this year. A golden trout is what many anglers often wrongly refer to as palominos. They are actually gold rainbow trout. In the photo, Lew Kitchen stocks two lunker rainbow trout in Portage Creek as part of the program listed in the advertisement below. However, in fishing these small streams, fishermen will need to take extra caution to not spook trout, using stealthy approaches, good presentations, and wearing clothing that blends in with the surrounding environment.

Even when conditions are unfavorable for fishermen early in the season, time is on their side. As spring progresses, the weather warms and stream levels drop. Fishing improves and one is sure to find those ideal fishing conditions sometime during the following months.

This past week, I have found my thoughts being drawn to the trout streams and fly fishing on several occasions.

While planting trees at a site about 100 yards uphill from the stream passing through the valley, an insect resting on an aspen trunk caught my eye. A close inspection revealed it to be a large black caddis fly.

Several days later while doing some maintenance on stream side tree plantings I observed a medium sized black-colored stonefly resting on a tree tube.

Besides stoneflies and caddis, usually the first couple of weeks of the season bring the hatching of mayflies, the hendricksons red quills. If we are lucky early this season, a few trout will even be feeding on the surface for these insects.

For the second year in a row, Pennsylvania had two opening days of trout season. Trout season opened two weeks early, on March 29, for 18 counties in southeast Pennsylvania.

Another change awaits anglers this year on one of region's most popular trout streams. A large section of the Driftwood Branch of the Sinnemahoning Creek in Cameron County was not stocked this spring due to access issues. When the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad leased a section of railway from Norfolk Southern this past year, the new owner decided to make their railway off limits to fishermen crossing it.

As a result, the popular sections of the Driftwood Branch running from Emporium downstream to Cameron and from Tunnel Hill downstream to Grindstone Hollow have not been stocked with trout this spring.

The Fish and Boat Commission is still trying to work out an access agreement with the railroad. Interestingly, this section of stream is part of the same reach affected by Norfolk Southern's 2006 chemical spill.