The beautiful colors of a brook trout (courtesy of Vermont Fish & Wildlife)

Here we are at November.  This is the time of year in Vermont when we look out the window and see the leaves have faded from yellow to golden to bronze and then dropped off completely.  It is dark when we head into work and dark when we head home.  Many creatures are getting ready to hibernate, but some are just warming up for the fun activities of fall and winter.

Some are gearing up for the approaching icefishing season, but I, similar to those hibernating animals, am done until the warm weather returns. As I organize and pack away all my fishing gear, I think about my favorite summer memory, pulling brook trout out of the gorge in Quechee State Park.  There is nothing more exciting than coaxing your fly into a deep pool under a rock in a swift stream and watching as a small trout strikes.

A freshly caught brook trout

These bright, beautiful and lively fish are the only native stream dwelling trout in Vermont.  Brook trout survive in only the cleanest, clearest water, and they usually hide under rocks, logs and undercut banks.  They have a long, streamlined body that is greenish with red spots with bluish halos, gold wormlike markings, and a square tail. Interestingly, brook trout's reddish silver belly turns a more vivid red-orange during spawning season, particularly in the males. This makes it easier to spot them!

A baby brook trout (courtesy of Vermont Fish & Wildlife)

It is easy to assume that everything in nature is slowing down and getting ready for the colder months, but there is still lots of activity in the forests and fields of Vermont.  Right now, in Quechee State Park, brook trout are swimming into shallow, clean areas of the Ottauquechee River.  The females are digging nests, called a redd, four to twelve inches deep in the bottom of the clear, gravel streambed.  The redd can be one to two feet in diameter.  The fish will then churn up the water as they release eggs and milt.  After the eggs are laid and fertilized, the female covers them with a bit of gravel.  In two to three months the young fry will hatch, but brook trout do not reach maturity until they are at least two years old.

Rebecca shows off her prized brook trout catch

Brook trout make a great sport fish because they are fun to catch, and they live even in the tiniest tributaries you can find in the Vermont hills.  Next year, when trout season opens again, you can try and catch them yourself at Brighton, Seyon Lodge, Woodford, Jamaica, and Quechee State Parks.  Even better, head on in and visit those places today, and you might be able to catch a peek at spawning brook trout.