C. Boyd Pfeiffer, The Examiner
2008-04-11 07:00:00.0
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BALTIMORE -

There are big trout in the streams this year, courtesy of the Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute of Shepherdstown, W.V. These are rainbows that this multifunded trout-study group no longer needs yet are fine for human consumption. We got some last year, but we are getting a lot more this year.

“We’ve already gotten more than all of last year, and we’ll be getting loads of fish right up through summer,” said Marshall Brown, manager of the Albert Powell Fish Hatchery in Hagerstown. “And we’re getting them for free. You can’t get a better price than free.”

“Kudos to the fisheries folks for stocking some very nice rainbow trout,” said avid trout angler Steve English. “I’ve caught some on the Patapsco [the Daniels area] and the Patuxent [the Savage Mill area] that have approached 20 inches, from 2 to 4 pounds. I was told they are coming from a new strain.”

These big trout signal a happy and complete turnaround for DNR fisheries. Last year, whirling disease problems sent a lot of trout to rendering plants instead of trout streams.

The big rainbows — and some big browns f— from the Albert Powell hatchery are going primarily into four streams — Deer Creek in Harford County, the Upper Gunpowder, the Little Patuxent in the Savage Mill area and the Patapsco at Daniels, according to Charlie Gougeon, the Central Region fisheries manager.

Fortunately, stocking throughout the state has been going well. Very well. “It’s rare to have a dead trout anytime,” said Gougeon of the stocking procedure. “Sometimes at the end of the stocking season in late spring or early summer, with warmer waters, we might have one or two dead trout out of a tank truck of 3,000 fish.”

All this is good, but it also means that you might have to rethink and restock your fly box for at least the early season. Lures are probably OK, with no need to adjust. Most trout lures for those put-and-take areas where artificial lures are allowed include spinners such as the Mepps, Panther Martin, Swedish Pimple, C.P. Swing, and Roostertail. Other good lures include small spoons such as the tiny Nungessers, Accetta Pet spoons, Flicker spoons and some small crappie jigs or shad darts.

Flies, mostly ranging from small to smaller, are another matter. Back when I first hit a trout stream — Big Hunting Creek — my mentor suggested a big streamer fly for my first endeavor to catch a trout. His philosophy was that early season trout are not moving around that much in the cold water, and when they do eat, they want a big mouthful.

That idea still holds. It was much later when I learned that as a general rule, each 10-degree Celsius drop in water temperature means that fish metabolism drops in half. Also, trout are more likely to eat baitfish, especially early and before the big hatches of mayflies, caddis flies and stone flies come along.

My choices for early season flies those decades ago were, in this order, a white marabou, a yellow marabou and a black marabou, followed perhaps with a black-nose dace and a Mickey Finn. Then and now they imitate baitfish. The marabous in particular proved good with that soft wing undulating in a deep pool, as the fly was slowly snaked along the bottom. They still work.

Some good additional flies — available today but not then — are Clouser minnows in various colors, simple hellgrammite patterns, small crayfish designs and similar fare under the big-flies-for-big-fish philosophy.

And for those who tie their own, these flies don’t have to be complicated. Many hellgrammite patterns have 10 to 14 materials to make this ugly critter that creeps along the bottom before becoming a flying dobsonfly later in life.

To tie my hellgrammite pattern, tie down a “skeleton” of sheet plastic, cut, tied and glued (for immobility) to a curved 37160 Mustad hook, then wrapped with black cactus chenille. Top it with a sheet of black vinyl, then spiral wrap with thread to make the insect segments. That’s two materials, three if you count the plastic skeleton. It’s so easy it’s almost embarrassing.

It’s a double threat fly also. Don’t pack it away after catching big trout. Use it when wet-wading the Potomac or Susquehanna for summer smallmouth.

C. Boyd Pfeiffer is an internationally known sportsman and award-winning writer on fishing, hunting and the outdoors. He can be reached at cbpfeiffer@msn.com