The "good part" of trout season

greenlander

greenlander

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I think everyone has their own idea about when the "good part" of trout season is for fly fishing. Though these might not vary much, I'm interested on hearing some different opinions. In the cold/rainy weather thread a few of you have made references to the good part of the trout season getting extended a bit due to the low water temps/etc ...

What do most of you consider the end of the "good part" of the trout season?

Additionally, once that part is over, what methods do you find work best through the remainder of the summer? Strictly terrestrials, continued nymphing, streamers?

In my limited years fly fishing, I most often miss large chunks of the season due to other obligations and as a result don't have a contiguous impression of my own on how to fish one end of the year to the other ... thus my interest in everyone else's approaches to the changes in trout season.
 
IMHO, the good part never really ends, just changes complexion. I really love the fall. Maybe fewer fish on the stocked waters, but the holdovers make for the potential of bigger fish. The reduced pressure doesn't hurt either. It is fun to run after some of the browns running out of the bigger water into the tribs. Steelhead season is starting up to boot. Just my opinion.
 
greenlander wrote:
I think everyone has their own idea about when the "good part" of trout season is for fly fishing. Though these might not vary much, I'm interested on hearing some different opinions. In the cold/rainy weather thread a few of you have made references to the good part of the trout season getting extended a bit due to the low water temps/etc ...

What do most of you consider the end of the "good part" of the trout season?
Click to expand...

Just taking a guess here, but when people talk about the good part of trout season coming to an end, they may be referring to rising water temps which in turn limits the number of streams to fish. I could be wrong so I'm also interested to hear what others say.
 
dasofas wrote:
IMHO, the good part never really ends, just changes complexion. I really love the fall. Maybe fewer fish on the stocked waters, but the holdovers make for the potential of bigger fish. The reduced pressure doesn't hurt either. It is fun to run after some of the browns running out of the bigger water into the tribs. Steelhead season is starting up to boot. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...

This is more of my opinion as well, although as I mentioned, I haven't often fished July and August much ... and am interested to hear how people create success outside of terrestrials (I'm unsure how nymph populations fare in the streams during these months, amongst other things)....

As far as steelhead season goes, how I only wish this was more of a perk for me. Living in Philadelphia, the closest steelhead water is anything but close. :(
 
Well this season the “good part” of trout season has been extended. I would expect trout fishing to be more of an early morning/evening affair this time of year, yet I went out this week on a cool cloudy afternoon and caught 25+ wild trout in a few hours of fishing.

For most anglers, the good part of trout season is the spring because of the many hatches (also some anglers rely on the spring stockings). Summer trout fishing can be good, especially during years with cooler / wetter weather. The spring hatches are over and terrestrials make up a large part of the trout diet, but there will always be some caddis on and in the water along with tricos and isonychias in some streams. Most of the time I fish for smallmouth in the summer, but on the right day I will fish for trout.

The fall is also the “good part” of year to fish for trout. Both the trees and the fish are all colored up in the fall.

Heck, the winter is good too. I’ve had many great days fishing in the winter.

There’s really no bad time to grab your rod and waders, and head out to the stream.
 
To me, the really GOOD part (prime time) of trout fishing in PA--in an average year of weather patterns and water levels--is the last three (3) weeks in May and the first two to three (2-3) of June. Those are prime hatch periods for a multitude of insects and stream conditions are at their best… fishing is consistently good throughout this time.

Things can deteriorate fast on freestone streams once summer sets in; water levels drop, water temp’s rise, trout get crowded and start to stress, etc. It’s normally not as much of a problem for limestone streams. This week’s weather (cool, rainy) will keep streams in check longer than normal… thus the references to an “extended season” by some.

I like fishing the early/mid spring and fishing streamers in the fall but for me the “wheelhouse” of my trout season are those 5-6 weeks. Once summer grabs hold I pack up the fly gear and go bass fishing.

The winter? Forget it... I'm ice fishing with Van_Cleaver! :-D
 
I like all season of trout and like dasofas said the complexion just changes. I was very luck to pull out a decent size 24" brown early this year. And just friday i went out to buffalo creek delayed harvest area and caught 27 on size 24 midges.... i coudln't believe it. Just one after the other. And for fall i love chasing them big brown that come out of the yough to spawn in some of the smaller tribs.... Then steely season.... I mean it just keeps on going and nothing beat being out on the water with a rod in your hand, nice summer breeze and no worries....
 
To me the "good" part of the season starts end of April and ends about the 10th of June on an average year. I don't just base it on the hatches or the fish but include camping/fishing and hiking into streams. The water temperature agrees with the fish and insects, the air temperature agrees with me.
 
season starts in Sept and ends in july.August you do to the beach.
 
FishingFreak,

Are you talking about the Buffalo Creek in Union County? Where exactly is the Delayed Harvest? It says on the F&BC website that it is from the T-366 bridge to the confluence with Rapid Run. I know Rapid Run, but I am not sure where that range is. Is that in Cowan there?
 
Well, I'm on flystop.com as I write this stocking up on terrestrials, pheasant tales, caddis nymphs, hare's ear nymphs, and czech nymphs. Hopefully this is a plan for summer. :)
 
Prime was the last 3-4 weeks and I think there still might be a little time left. Now, my favorite time is late September to mid October.
 
I fish all year, but the "good part" coincides with what others have noted--mid-April to mid-June, mainly because I like to see and fish over hatching insects. This is also the period when nearly all streams have comfortable water temperatures for trout. At other times during the year the places I can find hatches or cold water is much more limited.
 
Prime was the last 3-4 weeks and I think there still might be a little time left. Now, my favorite time is late September to mid October."

What-fish over spawning browns? You must have lived in Idaho.lol
 
Hey Jack-if you are serious about dry fly fishing you ought to try Montana in January and Feb.,while Pa. is shut down.
Flybop can tell you about it.I believe they are size 16,the water is gin clear and very low.They are called snow flies-don't know if they have them in the East.
 
As a long time hatch chaser, I used to always consider the period from mid april to early june, to be the peak of the fishing season.
However, I would also now throw in the nice BWO fishing in March, and again in the fall - usually mid sept thru oct.
And with nice terrestial fishing in summer, I guess that there really is no bad time for me to fish anymore - from early march until nov anyway.
Of course, you have to pick streams that stay cool enough to hold trout during hot weather.
 
pete41 wrote:
Hey Jack-if you are serious about dry fly fishing you ought to try Montana in January and Feb.,while Pa. is shut down.
Flybop can tell you about it.I believe they are size 16,the water is gin clear and very low.They are called snow flies-don't know if they have them in the East.
Click to expand...

Its midge fishing and its even colder than Erie and its way overrated.
 
I know-you Know,Flybop knows but wouldn't it be a blast to sucker the LE into going to Montana in the middle of January and run into some 20 below.We would have been hero's.
Think Tom,think-note I never said I tried it.:)
 
so lets say for half a second that Jack is actually dumb enough to fall for that...who's gonna drive me to Erie?
 
:)
hey-he has said it's the Holy Grail of fly fishing-if we had handled this right,he would have gone.
Get Ernie to drive.
 
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