Casting to Spawning Trout – A New Perspective

August 16th, 2023

You should never cast to spawning trout–that’s what we’re told anyway. But is it a universal truth? At face value, it would appear to be very reasonable that spawning trout should be left alone. Heck, even ethical.

But, fly fishing is full of what I’ll call “conventional wisdom.” Tenets that get passed from one generation to the next without question or examination.

Don’t worry, this article isn’t a justification to cast over redds or to soothe a guilty conscience.

In this article, I hope to provide you with a really fresh perspective on casting to spawning fish–specifically trout. It’s a perspective that I heard a professional fly guide explain, and it hit me like a brick.

After reading the information below, I think you’ll probably agree it expanded your mind, just as it did mine.

Let’s get started.

A Fresh Perspective on the Spawn

Just a few days ago I was listening to a fly fishing podcast and heard something that I’d never considered. It was a totally unique perspective. It was the genesis for this article.

[Side note: don’t miss my article on the best fly fishing podcasts.]

The podcast was Anchored with April Vokey, and her guest was a fly guide from Michigan–I believe his name is Tommy Lynch. He’s a very fishy guy with a ton of experience, and was telling it like it is.

Then he dropped a bomb.

In an exasperated tone, he said that anglers are told never to fish for spawning trout, yet spawning season is the very time when the trout are in their peak physical condition. They’re never stronger or more robust than during the spawn. Never more capable of dealing with the repercussions of being caught on a fly.

Instead, he said, anglers are told to focus on fishing after the trout are done spawning. The problem with this logic, he said, is that post-spawn is when the trout are in their absolute weakest condition. It’s a time when the fish need to focus on putting weight back on, and the most dangerous time to fish for them due to their exhausted state.

Hearing this side of the argument opened my mind. I’d never considered it.

He wasn’t necessarily saying to go ahead and fish during the spawn, but what I took from it is that he wanted to convey that fishing during the spawn probably isn’t as detrimental to the trout as we’re told, and fishing after the spawn is truly detrimental but never talked about.

Since hearing this, I’ve brought it up with anglers I fish with and there’s always a period of silence while they process the information. You can see the gears turning. Inevitably, they agree it makes complete sense.

What do you think?

If you’re going to fish during the spawn, something else you might consider is only casting to rising trout. Rising trout aren’t in the process of spawning.

Here’s a brown trout I caught in July. In the U.S., browns usually begin spawning in late October, peak in November, and finish up in December..

Here’s a rainbow trout I caught in January. In the U.S., rainbows usually spawn in April and May.

Summary

Hopefully this article has given you some food for thought.

Have I ever fished during the brown or rainbow spawning season? Sure, occasionally. Will I use this new viewpoint to justify doing it more often? Nope, and I hope my readers don’t either.

However, I will likely lay off the trout post-spawn. It seems like a good idea to give them a break to recover. I’m grateful to now have this knowledge. Better late than never.