There’s a spot on the Lehigh River where trout move in from all over and congregate every summer.
The fish typically arrive in late June or early July, when the river flows low and the water warms. The trout gather where cold water from mountain tributaries enters the river, offering a life-saving respite from the heat.
When this happens, the trout – the majority of which are stocked – are vulnerable.
And it doesn’t occur just in the Lehigh River.
It’s not uncommon for many stocked trout waters across the state to flow low and warm in the middle of summer. A dry spell hastens the process, and it makes for a difficult time for trout. The low flows allow the water temperature to rise faster, and it also makes the trout more susceptible to predators such as raccoons and great blue heron.
That’s nature, and there’s nothing we can do about it. However, while the warm water and low flows make trout a target for predators, they’re also more vulnerable to anglers as well.
Perhaps that’s an issue we can do something about.
On many stocked streams and rivers, summer is a tough time for trout. When water temperatures climb into the 70s, stocked trout can succumb. For wild trout, the heat of summer isn’t as big of an issue because they’ve adapted. They know to seek out places where conditions are favorable all year, such as mountain streams shaded by a thick tree canopy.
Stocked trout, on the other hand, up until the time they were released, spent all of their lives in a controlled hatchery setting. They haven’t had time to adapt to adverse conditions. Many stocked streams are marginal, and the water doesn’t stay cool through the summer – making for a very stressful time for trout.
The last thing those trout need is more stress for angling pressure – even if it is catch-and-release.
For the sake of stocked trout, should the season extend through the hot summer months? Is it time to back off, close the season when it gets hot and start it back up in the fall?
It seems like the ethical thing to do.
Sure, such a move would mean lost angling opportunities and would represent a bit of an economic hit in some areas. But closing the season when trout are already stressed due to warm water would undoubtedly allow some of those fish to make it through to the fall.
Such an approach fits the definition of conservation.
But there’s another side to the issue: Should we even worry about stocked trout surviving the summer, especially when they’re considered a put-and-take resource?
Would it be more ethical to allow anglers “take” stocked trout in the summer rather than let them perish when the water gets warm?
It’s a difficult question, but one that could become more relevant as climate change prematurely warms up the water in some streams that used to flow cool.
Some groups, such as the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, believe climate change is already having an impact and cold water is on the decline.
So, in adherence with the PFBC’s motto of “Resource First,” it seems that the prudent thing to do is put away the spinners and flies when the streams warm up and give the trout a break – in the name of conservation.
Sounds easy, but it’s not.
Any move made to limit angling opportunities is bound to be met with opposition, especially when it comes to trout. Closing the season statewide for the summer isn’t going to sit well with a lot of people, regardless if such a measure is for stocked or wild trout.
Even closing just those locations where coldwater tributaries flow into a trout stream or river isn’t feasible, considering such a move would be difficult to enforce and defining every refuge area would be difficult.
Besides, what happens if we have a summer that is consistently cool and wet? Does the season close on an “as needed” basis? Dictating the end of trout season based on the summer weather from year to year would lead to mass confusion and debate.
It would be a mess.
Still, despite all of the reasons against closing trout fishing for the summer, I still feel the fish – stocked and wild – are worth conserving.
That’s why the best solution lies with anglers.
We need to resist the urge to cast into a cluster of trout hovering near the mouth of a tributary on a sweltering day in July. Avoid those places where cold water meets warm and let the trout do their best to survive.
Better yet, take some time off from trout in those places where the water is warm and spend the summer casting for bass and panfish. There will be plenty of opportunity to catch trout again in the fall, and it may be even better if we give them a break in the summer.
With a little bit of education and self-discipline, the ethical dilemma of summer fishing for trout is an issue that can be resolved not through regulation, but by anglers themselves.
That’s grassroots conservation, and it’s always the best approach.
- This story originally appeared in PA Outdoor News
