Mind the Redd
Mind the Redd
As anglers of the Bighorn River, it is important to adopt action items that support the wild trout fishery, both individually and organizationally. One-way anglers can act to benefit the fisheries is to adopt a Mind the Redd mindset. Mind the Redd is a spawning awareness movement that encourages anglers to minimize negative impacts on wild fishes during critical spawning cycles. This means understanding the spawning times of trout, being able to identify vulnerable spawning grounds, and choosing to avoid wading on or casting to spawning trout. As we enter the brown trout spawn, we ask anglers to be “mindful” of where they wade and fish by following the below steps.
Step 1. Learn to Identify Redds
A redd is small oval depression or mound pattern in the gravel in which trout lay their eggs. Generally, these gravel nests are located in a foot or less of water, amid a steady flow of current. On the Bighorn, redds are usually congregated together in specific areas along the river bank that will be clearer and brighter than the surrounding riverbed (see BHRA video).
Step 2: Avoid Wading Through Redds
Each spawning trout deposits between 400 and 4000 pea sized eggs into a redd. On the Bighorn, spawning grounds can contain dozens of individual redds, and tens of thousands of trout eggs. Rainbow trout have eggs in gravels from mid May through mid July, while Brown trout have eggs in gravels for longer period, from mid October through May. Trout eggs are highly sensitive to disturbance and can easily be destroyed by being stepped on. It is recommended that anglers avoid wading through spawning grounds to ensure eggs remain undisturbed.
Step 3. Leave Spawning Fish Be
While it is tempting to throw a cast to stacked up large trout in shallow water, it is recommended that you don’t. Spawning fish are at their most vulnerable during their spawn as they are exposed to would be predators, while simultaneously burning energy to make more fish. The females spend extra energy while working to build and protect the nests, while the males are burning calories battling one another for the chance to fertilize the eggs. These fish will often take a fly, lure, or bait simply to protect the nest or defend their right to the territory, not because they are feeding. Catching a fish that is actively spawning reduces the spawning success of that individual, while also increasing its mortality risk through excess energy consumption.
