- Home Waters, No. 3
- Home Waters, No. 2
- Home Waters, No. 1
Biology Bits with Joe McMullen
The Incredible Edible Egg
The Incredible Edible Egg was a commercial jingle used to promote the sale of eggs, but to the trout fisherman, starting late August through early May it has a totally different meaning.
Most of the waters of the Spring Ridge Club will have spawning trout, which creates a food source for trout that is nearly irresistible to them. Consider the fact that an egg contains all the energy and nutrients needed to form a trout fry from a single cell; this is a high-protein, high-fat, high-energy food. It all occurs during the time period when insect life starts to decline and other aquatics food sources begin to be less active due to colder water.
Most spawning activity is very visible with cleared or cleaned areas on gravel beds in shallow, fast-flowing areas of the stream. The bed will appear to be a circular area about two feet in diameter. Trout often can be observed on the bed and if not visible, they will be lurking in a nearby, deeper pool.
Eggs will vary in color, with white, pale yellow, cream, pink, clear with a distinct orange dot, orange, red-orange, all being possible. White and the clear with the orange dot are either dead or unfertilized eggs; however, they contain nearly the same nutrients as live eggs and at the same time, have a lower specific gravity that causes them to be moved quite easily with the current. The other colors are a product of the food sources available to the adults. Sizes of eggs are directly related to the size of the spawning trout.
You should carry a variety of colors and sizes in your egg patterns as well as some of the spawn patterns because some eggs are released in clumps due to not separating from the egg membrane. Clumps the size of the end of your thumb are possible. I also carry some oversized eggs for this situation.
Eggs are most effective fished dead-drift near the bottom, and I like to fish two or three eggs at the same time. A single, mature female trout can produce between 1,000 to 25,000 eggs, so take advantage of this bountiful food source and try the Incredible Edible EGG!
