In this video my mom and I venture far out into western Massachusetts in search of some trout fishing. What we come across was nothing short of a magical experience.
Those brookies you stumbled upon that were hanging together in the shallows were likely spawning. The one thing to look out for this time of year is clean patches of finer gravel (which it appears they were on). Those are redds and they hold the future of wild fish. There are certain stretches of the Swift that I entirely avoid after mid October for this reason. I don’t target spawning fish myself but I would never judge those that do. In my opinion, the only thing that truly matters is avoiding the redds while wading.
Really? That's sick! Do you know what that first fish is then, because it's definitely not a brook trout. I thought it was a salmon bc it was super silver, but I guess not. Would love to get some knowledge!
You seem like a nice young fella, so I'll skip over the abuse that others gave you for fishing over redds, but your fish handling could use a little work, i.e., don't handle fish, at all, in the fall! It's C&R everywhere after Oct., 1st everywhere I know of, use your net, take a photo/video of the fish in the net, and release. You don't want to stress a fish, especially one that's pawning. Also, become familiar with the different spawning seasons for trout, for example, BT, fall; RT, spring; LLS, fall. Remember, it's your generation that's the stewards of the environment, make us proud.
