The longer, warmer days of June and early July melt the snow rapidly. Suddenly there is water everywhere. Lakes are overflowing. Meadows turn emerald with lush growth and are dappled with wildflowers. The insect hatch begins. From tiny eggs, insect larvae appear—little white worms called grubs or nymphs which live in the shallows of lakes or streams.
As the lake begins warming, and the body temperature of fish rises, the trout start moving faster. They quickly get hungry. And as the snow melts in the mountain meadows, it washes small grubs down through the lake, so the fish don't have to look far for food. They congregate at the places in the lake where they can find shelter, comfort and nourishment.
Where are these spots? Shelter could mean deep water. However, trout aren't too comfortable in the deepest part of the lake: There's little food, less oxygen and the cold temperatures make them sluggish. In the spring, as the ice melts, the upper 40 feet of the lake will have a good supply of oxygen and water of the right temperature. Shelter in this region might be available under a bank or beneath a rock overhang.
For trout, like for the rest of us, the food question is simple: how to get the most food for the least energy? In the springtime, they do this by finding a quiet place next to a food-bearing flow of water. This allows them to watch the current passively, then dart into it only when a tasty morsel appears. In mountain lakes, these quiet spots are usually found where the shallows drop off rapidly into deep water near where a feeder stream enters the lake. They are often called "holding" areas by fisherfolk.
Another important factor in finding food has to do with the trouts' ability to see. Too little (or too much) light makes it difficult for them to distinguish a moving grub from a twig or pine needle. So fish will usually lurk at the depth of water that offers the right amount of light. They'll feed in shallow water in the early morning, then move deeper during the day, and feed again in the shallows at dusk.
What kind of food do trout look for in the spring? Mainly, grubs. Some grubs float free; some squirm in the mud; many are encased in little "houses" of bark and sand. Open the stomach of a trout and you'll usually find a few partially digested grubs along with lots of dirt, twigs and mud.
Occasionally the fish in these holding areas get a special treat, a batch of trout eggs or roe. Springtime marks spawning season for trout. Many trout swim up into the feeder streams, the females to deposit eggs in warm, shallow water, and the males to fertilize them. Sometimes a batch of eggs is washed from its sandy bed and floats down to the lake. Lake trout are always watching for eggs in the springtime.
How should you fish mountain lakes in the spring? We usually cast fairly deep, near the inlet of a feeder stream, baiting with salmon eggs. Try to find the "drop-off" point and get your eggs just over the ledge. Late in the day, when the water is still warm and the light is losing its glare, those hungry fish will move toward your bait. Chances of a nibble are good.
If you're stream fishing, you can sometimes catch spawners in the shallow creek beds by drawing a lure in front of them—slowly, as if it were an intruder to their nesting area. The fish won't be hungry, but they may grow angry and snap at it in order to protect their turf.
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