Irritating a Cranky Trout

In the fall, brook and brown trout are very agitated and aggressive due to their spawning in late summer or autumn.

What I’m saying is they are down right cranky; this is a result of behavioural changes related to spawning that create increased territoriality.

It is easy to understand why he’s cranky. He just finished mating and now has the job of protecting the eggs which are constantly being attacked by other males, immature trout, minnows, and sculpins. Also during the next 90 days or so the gravel-mining predators like stonefly nymphs, Dobson fly larva, crayfish, leeches, and madtom catfish continue a non-stop search for surviving embryos. This is one of the reasons why autumn is a great time to fish with streamers and big flies. A good pattern of a trout agitator is my Perch Muddier ( YouTube video here ) or Marabou Leech ( YouTube video ).

Perch Muddler

Look for the shallow gravel area at the tail of a pool.

Cast your fly into the pool stripping ever so often through the spawning area. Aggressive, territorial trout are more likely to chase and hopefully take streamers and other flies that may represent a threat or disturbance to a trout during the spawn. Think about fly size, profile and color with the aim of irritating an already cranky fish… FISH-ON! Cookster

Click here to return to the Fall Fishing Guide.