May’s rainy and cool weather has been a blessing in disguise if you’re a trout fisherman. Right now anglers are enjoying prime fly fishing conditions along the “trout line” in Shenandoah National Park and some streams in nearby national forests.
The good news is these prime fishing conditions may persist later into the summer than usual, especially if the rain continues. Brookies thrive in cold water – they can’t tolerate water temperatures above the low 70s F.
So where you should try to track some down? According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, “Wild brook trout are most abundant in isolated, high-altitude headwater streams where the water is free of pollution and rich in oxygen. Brook trout prefer streams with stable water flows, silt-free gravel for spawning and an abundance of pools and riffles with sufficient in-stream cover, such as logs and boulders.”
However, the trout are not as abundant as they once were. Wild brook trout populations have been on the decline for decades due general habitat loss, global warming, and acid rain.
As global warming drives up temperatures in many streams, the existence of cold water species like brook trout is threatened.
Acid rain has had a devastating impact on brook trout populations because it alters the pH of water. Water with a pH below 4.5 is uninhabitable for brookies.
But there is positive news to report on the reduction of acid rain deposition in Virginia. A 2011 study published by the University of Virginia found that many streams are starting to recover thanks to provisions in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Those provisions require coal fired power plants and other sources of air pollution to reduce the release of acid rain causing pollutants. The study found that of the streams sampled, those suitable for brook trout reproduction increased from 56 percent in 2000 to 77 percent in 2010.
As I took a break from fishing one day at the Maury River Mercantile in Rock Bridge Baths, Va., an old mountain-man let me in on a secret of his. When I asked him where the best fishing was around there, he told me about the “trout line”. All things considered equal, he said that 2,000 feet is a good altitude for where to start the hunt for Virignia’s official state fish.
So head for the trout line this weekend to catch some brookies. And to help sustain the population, practice catch and release.
