NWPA’s smaller headwater streams produce wild trout
Smaller headwater streams are beautiful places to visit, especially in early summer when the wildflowers are blossoming, and higher water makes it tough to fish the larger streams. Wild trout inhabit some of these headwaters in NWPA and catching them on a hook and line, can add some color to your day.
In order to catch these fish, you will have to be cautious when approaching their fragile habitats. Wearing bright colors and making sudden movements can alert fish of your presence. Walking softly allows you to get into casting distance without alarming fish’s lateral line (a sensory organ that picks up vibrations in the water).
Wild brook trout will eagerly take small minnows and imitations of minnows, red worms, and spinners. Most of the wild and native brook trout found in smaller headwater streams are not large. A fish over a foot long is considered good sized.
Wild brown trout can grow big in some headwater streams. These fish are notoriously hard to catch and require some finesse. They can be found in deeper holes or close to cover. If you spook these fish don’t plan on catching them for awhile. Your best bet to catch these fish is to return when waters are slightly stained and higher. Early morning or under the cover of night can also produce a wary wild brown. Use a large nightcrawler, big minnow, or large streamer to fool a big wild brown.
Wild rainbow trout are tough to come by in NWPA, but there are waters where these fish are reproducing in the wild. Occasionally. a few of the surviving stocked fish will find favorable spawning conditions and reproduce. These streams, where natural reproduction takes place, will be cooler, well oxygenated, and clean waters.
You don’t have to go long distances in NWPA to find wild trout. I’ve caught wild trout from just outside of Millcreek to the hills of Forest County. Small streams are often overlooked and many of the waters downstream are often stocked with trout. Trout move upstream to spawn and that is where some of these fish come from. Other streams where trout stockings have been discontinued still hold fish that are descendants of previously stocked trout. Some of the cooler and cleaner waters, that have been mostly untouched by human development, support populations of native brook trout. These fish have been in some of these waters before any human stepped foot on this continent.
Exploring NWPA’s smaller streams can be a rewarding experience. Taking in the wildlife and forest scenery, along with the smells of wildflowers and moss, while listening to songbirds along a bubbly brook, can be relaxing. Not all of the fish will be monsters, but the sight of a wild trout is an experience every fishermen should enjoy.
Many of these wild trout streams flow through private property. Respect landowner’s rights and always ask for permission before fishing.
For more information on wild trout streams visit the PFBC website : http://www.fishandboat.com/waters_trout.htm
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