It sounds like the brook trout fishing is still ok Charlie. It may be hot in DC but the overnight lows are still getting into the 50's in SNP.
Most people agree that fishing for these brookies should seize during the spawn, and wading these streams while the redds are susceptible to damage and disturbance should also be halted. The spawn usually takes place in the October time frame depending on weather conditions. And the Redds, with their eggs, will remain vulnerable to wading for up to 3 months afterwards.
But as you mentioned Charlie, low water and high heat can also pose a danger to these fish during the summer. If you catch a fish that is already stressed from high water temps you run a very high likelihood of killing that fish.
So here are some best practices I use for determining if I should go fish for some SNP brookies.
1. Check local fly shops and their fishing reports. If they say the fish are spawning don't go fishing. If they say the water temps are high, don't go fishing. I like to check www.mossycreekflyfishing.com and www.murraysflyshop.com for reports. They both have a vested interest in keeping a healthy fishery intact and I know Harry works with VA biologists on fishery studies.
2. If you fish the post spawn in the winter, do not wear waders. It will save you from wrecking redds and destroying eggs.
3. If you fish the summer months check the above websites again to see what local guides are doing, and heed there advise if it says to skip the brook trout fishing. I also check the NOAA forecast for above 2000 feet to give me and idea on what the temps have been doing. It is supposed to be in the 40's tomorrow night!
4. If all signs are still a go, I will pick a town closest to where I want to fish and look it up on www.weather.com . Once I find it I will click on the monthly report which gives me a day-by-day report of rain fall. Not only does rain cool the streams it almost always helps the fishing. If it has not rained in a while, I will usually pass on brook trout fishing unless I am looking for a challenging day on the river. When the water gets low in these tiny streams the fishing gets extremely difficult and sometimes it's just not worth it to drive two hours and spook a bunch of fish .
I was thinking of going to SNP for some Brookies tomorrow and literally went through the above steps of fact finding and I now know that fishing is still good, I am probably going to throw terrestrial patterns, and the rain gauge nearest to my favorite SNP stream registered almost a 1/2 inch of rain on Monday and another 3/4 of an inch on Friday. ( if you ask what my favorite stream is I promise to tell you my least favorite J )Sounds just about right for a good day of Brook trouting if you ask me.
So, as the Mercury rises, take a few minutes and check the stream status where you are going. It will let you know if you will harm fish in tough water conditions or if you are going to run into good (recent rain)or bad (low water) fishing conditions.
I hope this helps all of you Brook trouters and prospective Brook trouters in your endeavors. Go grab a park map and fish all the blue lines!
-Trent
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