On my way home from work yesterday I had the chance to stop by a little creek I have only fished once. I wished I had either my still or video camera with me to capture what I had never witnessed before -- the mating process of our Steelhead species.
I never thought there would be such an extreme battle between the males for the chance to fertilize a female's eggs. The work and anger the larger male showed was amazing; he was vicious to the point of leaving marks on the smaller males. Every time another male would attempt to move in, he would attack with brutal force. Water would explode around them as he showed his force and anger. This continued for a while.
Back to the Hen. While all this took place among the males she continued to fan gravel as if nothing in the world could interrupt her, as she had only one mission to complete. As the gravel around her started to form a shining bottom and indentation in the creek floor, a breeding bed took form and shape. As her work came to an end she positioned herself over the bed, hovering in that one special spot. As she did this the large male swam up next to her -- as close as he could get to her eggs as she released them, a few at a time. After each egg deposit from the female, the male would release his sperm to fertilize the eggs; at the same time he also stood his ground with the other males, chasing them off, then swimming back to his girl to fertilize the next egg deposit she would release.
This was an amazing sight to see and a pleasure to watch; Mother Nature at her best in the reproduction of our steelhead. After watching this process on a TV program or how things are done at a hatchery, is is wonderful to see how nature really works with no human intervention.
This week’s typing tip is in response to a question by Hatches reader, Nick S. from Boise, ID. Nick wanted to know if we had any suggestions for a small, lightweight fly tying vise to use streamside, or on backcountry fly-in/ hike-in fly fishing trips.
GLOBE PEQUOT ( THE LYONS PRESS, FALCON), November 1997
Binding Type: Hardcover
Retail Price: $16.95 at the Hatches Store
ISBN: 1-55821-067-9
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