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By Walt Young
For the Mirror
Next Saturday, April 2, is the opening of trout season throughout Pennsylvania. In 2007, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission adopted two regional opening days for trout season, which started trout season two weeks earlier in 18 southeastern counties than the rest of the state.
Along with returning to a single statewide opening day, the first day of trout season is now set for the first Saturday of April, two weeks earlier than the traditional mid-April opener.
While the annual opener is always a much-awaited day for many trout anglers, some avid trout fishermen choose to avoid the opening-day hordes and the carnival-like atmosphere that comes with them. The crowds on some of the more heavily stocked waters often turn more to an exercise in gamesmanship among fellow anglers rather than a challenge of luring the fish.
Some dedicated fishermen will arrive several hours before the official start time to claim their preferred spot at a favorite pool. For those who choose the right location, success usually comes quickly once the casting starts.
One somewhat dubious reason the first day of trout season is so popular even for casual anglers is that hatchery-raised trout can be pathetically easy to catch.
Naive hatchery trout can be coaxed to eat just about anything that can be put on a hook, despite how badly the offering may be presented. But just as remarkable is how quickly those same fish transform from suicidal to skeptical once they are exposed to some fishing pressure. For many stocked trout, their first mistake will be their last as they are kept and killed by the angler who catches them.
But a significant number of fish also receive a second chance, either by slipping off the hook or by being intentionally released by fishermen who practice catch-and-release.
Even the most gullible hatchery trout seem quickly to learn that humans are its No. 1 predator, and given the time to acclimate themselves to the natural foods found in most streams, they can become almost as tricky to catch as their wild cousins.
Trout are among the most popular freshwater game fish because they can be caught by so many different fishing techniques, from live bait to artificial lures to elegant, handcrafted flies. Stream trout are primarily drift feeders, meaning they hold in a preferred lie and allow the current to deliver items of food past them.
Probably the most common mistake made by inexperienced trout fishermen is failing to achieve a natural drift with whatever bait, lure or fly they happen to be using. You want your offering to appear as if it is floating by unattached and at the same speed and direction of the current.
Dealing with the prevailing water conditions, whether the water is low and clear or high and colored, is a basic skill when it comes to catching trout. Every good trout fisherman I know is an expert at what is generally referred to as "reading the water." And when it comes to fishing for trout in small to medium-sized streams, reading the water has two primary components.
The first is identifying the most likely places where a feeding trout will hold. Next is presenting your bait, lure or fly so that it drifts by the targeted feeding lie as naturally as possible. Both those skills take some practice and experience, but once you understand them, trout fishing will become less complicated or mysterious and much more productive. Learn to read the current and you will catch more trout.
Trout that are subjected to any amount of fishing pressure quickly seem to get the message that anything that is not behaving naturally with respect to the current is likely to have a hook in it and should be avoided. They will reject almost any bait that is moving too fast, too slowly or in the wrong direction.
Therefore, it is vitally important to get your offering right in that zone, usually drifting along about three or four inches off the bottom, by adding a few small split shot to your line at least a foot or more above the hook. Make sure your bait or lure is moving at the right speed in the current with the sinkers just ticking the bottom occasionally. And don't hesitate to add or remove shot as the current speed or water depth changes to achieve the proper drift. That takes a bit of extra work, but it's one of the essential secrets of those anglers who catch fish consistently.
One of the most common mistakes I see on a trout stream is an angler standing where he should be fishing. On smaller streams the best approach is to stay out the water as much as possible. When it is necessary to wade, do so slowly and carefully and with a minimum of disturbance.
In clear water, trout can easily see an approaching angler, so avoid wearing bright clothing, opting instead for shades that blend with the surroundings. Most important, keep as much distance as possible between you and the spot you are fishing. Don't spook the fish before you ever make a cast. A little stealth can do wonders for success.