| Conditions
: North Country - Fishing is no different from any other sport in that weather conditions play a vital role. Golfers have to consider the moisture on the grass and adjust their swing, baseball players have to account for the wind and recalculate chasing fly balls, and football players have to be aware of the rain and decide whether or not to underinflate game balls. The constantly changing climate has a far reaching effect and the successful sportsman must be able to anticipate and adjust. Last week had been so hot that I simply couldnt imagine any trout rising from cool water to eat a dry fly. I tied on a heavy nymph and hoped it would sink to where the fish were hiding. It didnt work. Later, I tied a small copper nymph as a dropper from a bead-headed woolly bugger. It didnt work, either. My final conclusion was that it may simply be too hot to trout fish. I did, however, have the day off from work and was resigned to fish, regardless of whether or not the fish would bite. At days end, I caught one brook trout. Id like to tell you that it was the result of the perfect fly or presentation, but I would be lying. The little trout ate my black ghost streamer while I left it unattended, three feet downstream of me while I rummaged through my fly box. I spent yesterday sampling a small brook in the Dartmouth College Grant. Water levels were as low as Id seen them this year and one of my study areas, was completely dry. I was trying to evaluate the success of a new bridge which was installed to replace a culvert that was a clear barrier to fish movement. Although there was no flow in the brook, there were pools scattered throughout the system. Hoping to see fish above and below the bridge, I found brook trout of varying ages in each pool. At first glance, it would seem that the project was a success and brook trout are free to move through the road crossing. It was interesting to see that the fish found deeper, cooler water in times of such heat and low flow. With heavy rain in the forecast, these fish should disperse soon and prepare for the spawning season that lies ahead. |
|
Reported by
:
Andy Schafermeyer, Regional Fisheries Biologist
|
|
|
