Oddities

[bogtrotter]

Today was full of 'em.

I fished the South Hoosic in Adams (between Mullen Mayflower and ALADCO) from 10 AM to 12:30 PM and observed three peculiar phenomena.

For one thing, the weather was not what it was cracked up to be. 

The forecasts were predicting 60%-90% chance of rain pretty much all day, with an inch per hour of precipitation, and a risk of flash flooding.

The reality: It rained lightly earlier in the morning, but had stopped by the time I got out, and was starting to clear up.

Overall, I would describe the actual weather as partly to mostly sunny, with temps around 82 degrees.

Likewise, while the stream was up a smidgen, it was not even what I would call high, much less the proverbial "flash flooding" which the meteorological soothsayers had augured by examining bird entrails, or whatever it is they do.

(To be fair, the reports of rain/floods may not be so much "overstated," as premature, like those of Mark Twain's obituary, since clouds are starting to roll back in as I type this).

The fishing itself was lackluster.

I had a crack at four fish - - and batted 500 - - landing a 13" rainbow by Mullen Mayflower and a 12"  one at Elm Rock - - but losing somethng big (I caught a glimpse of what I presume was a rainbow) just above the footbridge on the Bike Trail and a 13" rainbow by ALADCO.

The second oddity was the nonchalance of the fish that I hooked.  None of them put up much of a fight - - even the two that got away. 

The ones that escaped did not engage in the usual aerial acrobatics, dig for the bottom or even shake their heads like a thresher shark, so much as "shrug" the hook out of their mouths. 
 
The last peculiarity was the fact that I caught not one, not two . . . but SEVEN crayfish (all in the 3" to 5" range).  The biggest was blue.

I typically catch at least one or two crayfish per month on hook and line (they latch onto my bait and simply refuse to let go until I reel them in and "bop" them off) - - but I can never recall landing so many in a single day. 

There must be a feeding frenzy or mating season, or something like that going on among crayfish right now. Truly odd, whatever it is.

[stripernut]

Sounds like the water temp is getting high in that stream. Trout start to fight less, but with the hight temp, they need to eat more. When I find a stream that is running a high temp, I almost always do best in any white water I can find, as it is the most oxygenated. Same with the crayfish, warmer temp more active... Start collecting them and use the small ones for bait and eat the big ones! It has been too long since I had a good boil of mudbugs!

Thanks for the report.

[bogtrotter]

Start collecting [the crayfish] and use the small ones for bait and eat the big ones! It has been too long since I had a good boil of mudbugs!

Interesting. 

I've heard of folks up this way using crayfish for bait (mostly for bass, right?) - - although I've never done it myself.

However, I've never even heard of anyone eating crayfish here in the Northeast.   

I always assumed "ours" weren't as good as the ones that eat down in the bayous of Louisiana and such places.

But I gather you've done it - - and they taste as good as what you'd get in a Cajun restaurant?

I'll have to try it one of these days.

[bogtrotter]

Sounds like the water temp is getting high in that stream. Trout start to fight less, but with the hight temp, they need to eat more. When I find a stream that is running a high temp, I almost always do best in any white water I can find, as it is the most oxygenated.

Agreed.  Although I was surprised by the extent to which the trout were acting so lackadaisical - - since the water didn't seem all that warm.

I've noticed trout are generally lethargic during the ice fishing season to.

So there's clearly some "sweet spot" in terms of temperature at which they are their most vigorous.

I read a book not long ago (The Ways of Trout, I think) where the writer suggested trout "feed" the best when the temperature is rapidly rising or falling toward some optimum temperature (although I forget what it was supposed to be).

[taxid]

Agreed.  Although I was surprised by the extent to which the trout were acting so lackadaisical - - since the water didn't seem all that warm.

I've noticed trout are generally lethargic during the ice fishing season to.

So there's clearly some "sweet spot" in terms of temperature at which they are their most vigorous.

I read a book not long ago (The Ways of Trout, I think) where the writer suggested trout "feed" the best when the temperature is rapidly rising or falling toward some optimum temperature (although I forget what it was supposed to be).

As most of you know optimum temp for trout it typically in the 50's with a minimum of 6 mg/l oxygen for lack of stress from the literature I have read. Biologists usually set their gill nets in lakes and ponds in the 48 to 68 F. range. Brown trout are the hardiest when it comes to higher water temps, although I am finding my steelhead I raise are just as tough if not tougher. Trout are active all winter, but do slow down somewhat, and don't grow much in temps below 38 F.

My production pond that has browns, brooks, tigers, and steelhead gets up to 65 F. when air temps climb in to the 90's, in the summer, even with the 30 gallons per minute well water flow, but they eat and grow like gangbusters twice a day. I think that is in the high end of their metabolism, which is why I can grow them at 1.5 inches per month in the summer. Before I hatched my own eggs, a brook trout suppler was hard pushed to grow his brook trout to 10 inches in year's time in his colder water of abut 50 F. My brook trout can grow 14 to 15 inches in one year due to the warmer water and higher metabolism spring, summer, and fall. If I grew them indoors at a static temp (which I may do in the future) I could produce 18 inch brook trout in one year. Presently I shut down the well in late fall and don't get much growth over the winter.

I have a decent amount of aquatic plants to produce oxygen during the day, and crank up a large surface aerator at night to play it safe. I also mix the pond 24/7 to keep water temps homogenous from top to bottom. I can produce over 700 lbs. of trout in small 1/10th acre pond that is about 100,000 gallons. Max depth 11 feet.

[bogtrotter]

You clearly know what you're talking about, Taxid.

The proof is in the pudding (or, in your case, that tub of lunkers on display in your photo).

[stripernut]

Yes, bait for LM and SM Bass.

I know people that eat the crayfish up here and love them, I have not. The main reason I have not eaten the ones up here is when I spent time in Louisiana eating mudbugs we would sit down with about 4-5 "gallons" worth crayfish to eat. A couple dozen never seemed worth the time. We always cooked them ourselves as the ones you get out (for my taste) were always too spicy/hot for me to eat them. But I find that true of most of the food down South, can't taste it through the heat/pepper... I have no doubt that the ones up here are from MUCH cleaner water than what we would eat down South.

[lowaccord66]

Jim, glad you made it out...I think I should have kept our plans as it poured my entire ride up to NY.

I love crayfish Allan.  Eat them everything I go south.  I agree you need to eat a pile of them for it to be worth it.

[PikeKing23]

Ahhh yes.  The sodium buzz.  Nothing like it!

[westernmas]

There was a guy who used to trap them in the main stem of the westfield.  I had always assumed it was a shiner trap until I saw it loaded with crayfish.  I haven't seen it in there the last few years though.

[scooper47]

There was a guy who used to trap them in the main stem of the westfield.  I had always assumed it was a shiner trap until I saw it loaded with crayfish.  I haven't seen it in there the last few years though.

Any idea what he used for bait?

[lowaccord66]

Any idea what he used for bait?

Raw chicken will do the trick.