fall spawning Archives - blog.vailvalleyanglers.com

Fall has arrived here in the mountains of Colorado, and with all of the leaves changing color comes another less noticeable transformation. Many of the trout that live in our rivers and streams have begun to spawn. While rainbow trout and cutthroat trout reproduce in the spring, brook trout and brown trout wait until the fall. The dropping temperatures and the shortening days trigger the fish to begin their reproductive process, which for many of them, starts with a long migration upstream. Although the trout here in Colorado are completely landlocked, most of them still swim upstream to smaller tributaries and creeks to spawn. During this journey, the mature males often become darker in color and develop a hooked lower jaw called a kype. The Trout Spawning Process The actual trout spawning process begins with the female trout digging a nest (or redd) in a shallow gravel covered section of the riverbed with just the right amount of current. She fans her tail rapidly against the small rocks to remove the debris and clean the redd before laying her eggs. Once her eggs are laid, she will move to the upstream side of her nest and allow one or two male trout to fertilize the tiny eggs before she covers them up with more rocks. When the eggs are fertilized, the trout abandon the redd and return downstream to their normal territories. The eggs will remain in the nest for most of the winter until rising water temperatures and longer days signal the next generation to hatch. How Anglers Can Help The two best ways we as fly fisherman can help the fish along are to stay away from the redds, and to limit our trout fly fishing at the confluences and small streams where the large populations of spawning fish are holding. Also, please avoid fly fishing for trout that are actively spawning on redds as they are very vulnerable and not all challenging to catch. Avoid the Brown Trout Redds Most brown trout redds are easy to see once you know what to look for. Often times they are in slower moving water where the river bed is made up of small rocks or gravel. The rocks and gravel inside the redd will appear cleaner and lighter in color than the rest of the area. One fly fisherman can wipe out thousands of trout eggs with just a few misplaced steps. While fishing during the spawning season, we need to be more careful than usual not to step on these fragile areas. Steer Clear of the Confluences Colorado Parks and Wildlife has instated limited closures of known trout spawning grounds on the Roaring Fork and Colorado rivers. These areas are at the confluences where small streams meet the main watersheds, such as the closure at Grizzly Creek on the Colorado River. Although not all of these areas are closed to fishing, fly fisherman can go the extra mile and stay away from them until the trout are done spawning. Fall Fly Fishing in Colorado Fall can provide some of the best fly fishing of the year. The scenery is beautiful, the bugs are active, the water is cool again, and the fish are healthy. It is important, however, not to inhibit our local trout’s reproductive process while we enjoy this epic season. Remember to visit Vail Valley Anglers to get answers to your fly fishing questions and to load up on your fall fly fishing gear essentials. Andy “Otter” Smith, Guide and Content Writer