spawning colors?

[Middle Earth]

I fished the GSMNP for a few days the beginning of the week. In general the fishing was lousy. My buddy and I tried everything. He nymphed and I fished dries. There were very few people fishing the park, at least the lower elevations. We fished for 8 hours one day and 6 hours another day and never saw another fisherman. I did catch the most beautiful rainbow I have ever caught here or in the West. It had the brightest red stripes down its sides and bright red gill covers. Would these brilliant red colors be its spawning colors? Would a bow in the park be spawning in the summer?

[Blueridgeflies]

It could be spawning colors, but I am not sure with out seeing a picture. From my experience though the trout in the park have always had very vivid colors.

[Middle Earth]

Originally Posted by Blueridgeflies

It could be spawning colors, but I am not sure with out seeing a picture. From my experience though the trout in the park have always had very vivid colors.

I didn't get a picture, was trying to get him back in the water as soon as possible. The other rainbows I caught didn't have these vivid colors, but they were caught at lower elevations.

[Reel'em In]

The colors you noted is more than likely just a wild fish that eats alot of good insects/bugs, etc. And some DNA strain makeups can make one fish more brillant colored than others. Just like one fish having a ton of spots compared to a lesser.

Rainbows spawn in water temps warming to 50-60 degrees during the Spring.
Browns spawn in water temps cooling to 44-48 degrees during the Fall.
And Brookies spawn in water temps cooling to 40-49 degrees during the Fall.

BTW, the only salmonid that I know of which spawns during the Summer is the Golden Trout and the water has to be somewhere around 48-52 degrees. These trout are not native to the Appalachias.

[Middle Earth]

Originally Posted by Reel'em In

The colors you noted is more than likely just a wild fish that eats alot of good insects/bugs, etc. And some DNA strain makeups can make one fish more brillant colored than others. Just like one fish having a ton of spots compared to a lesser.

Rainbows spawn in water temps warming to 50-60 degrees during the Spring.
Browns spawn in water temps cooling to 44-48 degrees during the Fall.
And Brookies spawn in water temps cooling to 40-49 degrees during the Fall.

BTW, the only salmonid that I know of which spawns during the Summer is the Golden Trout and the water has to be somewhere around 48-52 degrees. These trout are not native to the Appalachias.

Thanks for the information. I knew bows were spring spawners, but I had seen somewhere on the Web that "mountain" trout could spawn in the summer. Didn't know if that was accurate or could be trout in the Rockies.