04/11/2026
🎣 Protect the next generation of wild brown trout – watch where you wade!
As the brown trout spawning season gets underway (typically October to January in the UK), anglers need to take extra care when entering our rivers.
Female trout create nests, known as redds, by turning on their sides and using their tails to clear silt, algae and fine sediment from the gravel, creating a suitable place to lay their eggs.
⚠️ Why does this matter?
Research suggests that wading through spawning areas can destroy or damage up to 96% of trout eggs and newly hatched fry. Even apparently empty gravel beds may contain developing eggs through the winter months.
🔎 How to recognise a redd:
Appearance: A noticeably clean, bright or lighter-coloured patch of gravel, often standing out against the darker riverbed.
Shape: Usually an oval depression, or hollow, with a slightly raised mound of gravel downstream.
Location: Often found in shallow, well-oxygenated water, particularly riffles and the tails of pools.
🐟 Don't assume a redd is safe to wade across once the trout have finished spawning. Eggs remain buried in the gravel over winter, developing until they hatch in spring. As silt settles and the gravel darkens, the redd can become difficult to see – but the eggs are still there.
Please think before you wade. Avoid shallow gravel runs and suspected spawning areas wherever possible, and take extra care when crossing the river.
A little consideration from anglers can make a huge difference to the survival of the next generation of wild trout.
Protect the redds. Protect the future of our fisheries.
A couple of videos from a local river today where trout were actively spawning.
