Movements

In spring and in early summer trout will be found feeding hungrily in the rapids of streams. In midsummer, they will lie in deep, cool pools, in spring channels, or at the bottom of lakes cooled by springs.

The daily movement of brook trout from sun to shade changes through the season. In early spring when the noonday sun is low in the sky and waters are still cold, brook trout feed more readily during midday. The slow warming of the water after the winter freeze brings insect life out of its quasi-dormant state to prepare to emerge as adults. A month later, when the water is warmer and the sun higher in the sky, feeding might occur before ten a.m. or after three p.m. with very little activity at noon. The situation reverts back as autumn approaches.

Hunger, of course, plays a part in the brook trout's interest in moving to take the angler's offerings. If a trout is able to feed well at dawn, it will take until evening for the meal to digest. Then the trout may be spurred on to feed again. In this case, morning or evening fishing may be the best time. Naturally, even inactive fish will be tempted to take advantage of an easy food supply if it requires little or no energy to get it. If an angler's lure or fly lands in front of the trout's nose, it will probably strike in spite of being full.

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