effects of snow melt on brookie streams

[bushwacker]

Thinking about tying some brookie streams once this snow melts and adds some water. I've never fished for them in those conditions before. I know the snow melt will actually lower water temps. but don't know how the fish will react to it. Will I be wasting my time? Anyone have experience with this situation? :-D

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I think its usually a perfect time for the really small streams.

The added water to these crystal clear streams will give the fish more room to move around and also give you more water to fish.
This makes it easier to approach them and also cast to them. Just put on a bugger and stream it slow. The Brookies will hit it trust me ;-)

 

[pcray1231]

Well, here in Reading there was no snow (until today, that is, but even then it isn't much). I know the NW part of the state was seeing major snow melt this last weekend, and it had even the little brookie streams blown out.

I think it depends on how much snow melt is occurring. I've certainly had good success with snow on the ground, and some of it melting in a slow, controlled manner. But if you start with a foot or two of snow on the ground, and have a flash melt, the streams usually end up really high, especially if the ground is still frozen and the surface water just runs off.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

thats true too ;-)

 

[MKern]

A warm spring day and high water is the best brookie fishing. They seem to lose all inhibition. There will seem to be 10 times as many fish than when you fished the same stream in the summer and bigger too.

 

[pcray1231]

I agree, high water is nice, and some snow melt can make for excellent fishing. But there is a such thing as too high, and color matters too.

Just think of it like rain. Rising water, and a little bit of color is a good thing for the fishing, adds oxygen to the water and brings food, the fish go on the feed. A deluge which brings you close to flood levels and a dark brown color is a bad thing. The latter is pretty common if you lose 6-10 inches of snow cover in a day.

 

[FarmerDave]

There is such a thing as too cold, too.

I've never done well on the freestones right after meltoff. When the water is that cold (32 - 33), they aren't as active. I've always done better on htese streams from about mid April on, or as the water warms into the 40s.

A few valleyes I fish are extremely cold. Ive seen huge chuncks of ice along north facing cliffs clear into May. I've seen huge slabs piled along remote areas of the Clarion in spots clear into May as well, but winters did seem to be tougher back then.

 

[littlejuniata]

There is/was a thought that snow melt turned the fish off, something in the chemical makeup of the melting snow? 5 degrees in Huntingdon -1 in Breezewood

 

[Acristickid]

You can test your theories this weekend with all the snow you guys got out east- with the 50 degree temps later this week.

Pittsburgh cold but no snow.

 

[bushwacker]

acristickid wrote:
You can test your theories this weekend with all the snow you guys got out east- with the 50 degree temps later this week.

Pittsburgh cold but no snow.

:-D Now that sounds like a great idea.