Reston Association moved forward with its ever-popular Kids’ Trout Fishing Day, Saturday, March 20. Young anglers Will Gandolfo, 5, and brother Nate, 7, of Reston, hopeful and excited to hook a fish, dropped their lines into a deep dark pool of Snakeden Branch stream off Soapstone Drive.
According to The Connection Newspapers, "According to Will Peterson, Watershed Manager, Reston Association stocked the stream with 300 pounds of trout earlier in the week, up to if not greater than 15 inches. Standing near the water’s edge, Peterson said, “This year, we stocked about six pools, and that’s the areas where the water is deep in the stream between the riffles.” Riffles are where the surface of the water is textured with bumps. According to Peterson, the stream’s current creates the riffles flowing over boulders and rocks running bank to bank, controlling the stream bed slope. Riffles are the gateways and exits to the pools, places where the trout rest, and where RA stocked them. In moving water, like Snakeden Branch stream, the fish tend to stay in the pools and wait for the current to bring food to them. Peterson said the trout would survive until the water temperature reached 70 degrees."
As per The Connection Newspapers, "Because of the governor’s restrictions on the size of gatherings and wanting the event to be safe for everyone and not feel crowded, staff from Reston Association spread groups out along the stream on both sides of Soapstone. “We also limited it to about 12 families per hour block,” Peterson added."
Maryam N. is a Senior Writer at Nesbitt Realty. She is an expert on Fairfax County. Maryam has also worked previously as a geologist. She is a foodie and enjoys cooking and exploring new restaurants.