I think fall spawners shoot blanks don't they? Like they don't actually reproduce? Could be wrong... Anyone care to share what they know?
I havent kept a FALL HEN in Years ....
However, the Buck I caught at Niagara Last Friday was sure "Squirting".
These articles are a "little out of date" but from what I read, you could imagine more of the Stocks are taking up Fall spawn as well.
The Rainbow Trout
Richard D. Moccia & David J. Bevan
OAC Publication 1991, July 1991
AGDEX 485 06
Did you know that the rainbow trout with its scientific name, Oncorhynchus mykiss, is a species not native to most regions of Canada, or indeed, the world? In fact, the original range of the rainbow was limited to the eastern Pacific Ocean and the freshwater drainage basins mainly west of the Rocky mountains. The historical distribution extended from Mexico to Alaska, but was not known to occur in other regions of the continent, or for that matter, most other countries in the world. As we are now aware, this incredibly versatile (or plastic) species, is thriving well - both as a wild and farmed species - in many countries around the world. The rainbow trout has been introduced to Africa, Japan, Southeast Asi a, most of South America and Central America, Australia and New Zealand, and also widely throughout Europe and Hawaii. In Canada the species now exists in every province (and the Territories) and is known to occur naturally in the far northern Alsek River in the Yukon.
There is some confusion about the early transfers of rainbow trout from the west coast, Pacific Ocean watershed. It is generally accepted that the first movement of rainbow trout occurred to New York State in 1874 from a native spring spawning stock from Campbells Creek on the McLeod River, California. The pioneering fish culturist Seth Green is attributed with initiating these first transfers. It is believed that many of the cultured rainbow trout stocks today, were developed from this original strain of McLeod River fish. In 1879, the United States Fish Commission established a spawning station for the taking and distribution of trout eggs around the United States. This facility was closed nine years later in 1888, after a whopping total of 2.7 million eggs had been collected and distributed! The Great Lakes Basin first received fish in 1876 into the Au Sable River, Lake Huron, State of Michigan. The Great Lakes received a number of other plantings including: L. Ontario - 1878; L. Michigan - 1880; L. Erie - 1882; and L. Superior -1883.
The original introductions into Canada are suspected to have occurred in 1877 to Newfoundland, and 1899 to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The Province of Ontario was rainbowless until about 1904, although some authors have traced suspected transfers back to 1883. The Ontario government introduced rainbow trout in 1914, and transferred fish in 1917 to the governments' Normandale Hatchery on Lake Erie to establish a brood stock program. Saskatchewan received fish in 1924, Prince Edward Island in 1925, Manitoba in 1938, the Yukon in 1943 and finally Alberta in 1958.
Of all the scientific and common names that have been given to the rainbow trout, it is now accepted that the scientific name, Oncorhynchus mykiss should replace the long used Salmo gairdneri which the fish was known by for some 150 years. There is also confusion about the difference in a so-called 'normal' rainbow, versus a 'steelhead' rainbow or a 'Kamloops' trout. These are all identical species, ( ie.the same Oncorhynchus mykiss). However, there are differences in the life history of the individual groups. Specifically, the steelhead trout generally refers to the large, west coast sea-run fish which utilize both freshwater and saltwater as part of their native habitat. Kamloops trout refers to a silvery-coloured, freshwater lake form originally described in 1892. Smaller, and usually more darkly pigmented fish inhabiting streams and rivers are normally referred to simply as rainbow trout. Some authors have suggested that it wa s the steelhead, seawater strain that was originally introduced into the Great Lakes, and these fish still utilize the Great Lakes and the surrounding tributary streams in much the same way that sea-run trout move between saltwater and freshwater rivers for spawning. Fishermen often call any big rainbow trout a steelhead, but it is more likely that these are just simply large fish which may have originated from any number of sources. Great Lakes trout are a complex mixture of wild and domestic strains from various geographical origins that are now widespread and self-sustaining, or naturalized.
It is also interesting to note that the rainbow trout, and all of the west coast stocks that provided the rest of the world with seed fish, were, and still are, true genetic spring-spawners. In fact, some California populations are reported to spawn twice a year. Most of the European and Canadian farmed stocks have transformed themselves, at least behaviourally, to fall spawning strains, with photoperiod being the prime determinant of spawning time. This is noteworthy, considering the genetic, spring spawning heritage of the fish.
Rainbow Trout Biology
The rainbow trout of the Great Lakes are generally anadromous. Life history typically begins with
the deposition of fertilized eggs in nests constructed in riffle areas of tributary streams. The progeny
usually remain in streams as “parr” for a period ranging between a few months to three years before
moving to the lake. As parr move downstream the biological phenomenon of smoltification occurs
with the fish turning to a silvery colour. Once in the Great Lakes, fish grow rapidly and can mature
in as little as one year (generally males). Populations of rainbow trout returning to streams to spawn
are composed of fish of a variety of ages and sizes (MacCrimmon and Gots 1972).
Successful reproduction of rainbow trout in ponds and inland streams is dependant on suitable
gravel substrate for nest construction. Occasionally there is evidence of shoal spawners.
Landlocked populations do not undergo smoltification but can reach maturity at earlier ages and
usually at much smaller sizes than anadromous fish (MacCrimmon and Gots 1972).
The vast majority of naturalized populations in the Great Lakes are spring spawners although fallspawning
hatchery stocks have been documented (MacCrimmon and Gots 1972). In many large
river systems a proportion of the spawning rainbow trout population migrates into their home stream
during the fall, where they overwinter and spawn in late winter or early spring. The majority of adults
delay their stream migration until ice out in late winter however (Dodge and MacCrimmon 1971,
MacCrimmon and Gordon 1981, Seelbach 1993, WDNR 1998).
As spring water temperatures begin to increase towards 5
0C adult rainbow trout move uprivertowards spawning habitats (Biette et al. 1981). Females dig redds in shallow riffles, runs and tailouts
of pools where the stream bottom consists of gravel two to ten centimeters in diameter (Greeley
1932, Dodge 1967). After excavating a pit in the gravel with their tail, the female may deposit up to
2,000 eggs per kilogram of body weight which are fertilized by attendant males (DuBois and Plaster
1989). Although many male fish may be seen at one time in the vicinity of a spawning redd, females
can outnumber males in the spawning population often by 2:1 or greater (Hassinger et al. 1974,
Biette et al. 1981, Seelbach 1993). The male fish appear to outnumber females on the spawning
grounds because they move from one female to the next as spent females leave their redds and
new, ripe females arrive on the spawning grounds (Gonder 2005).
With most of the spawning activity completed by the end of May the spent rainbow trout often move
into deep, slow moving pools to recuperate from the rigors of reproduction (Gonder 2005). Natural
mortality is approximately 20% for females and 40% for males (Dodge 1967, J. George OMNR,
Thunder Bay, Ontario pers. comm.). Surviving post-spawn fish may resume feeding activity in the
stream environment before returning to the lake.
Where angling harvest is low adult rainbow trout, particularly females, may survive to make several
spawning runs
