water temps climbing in southern mn

[raiserlures]

Just a quick heads up. the temps on southern mn lakes are 80-84 degrees. if your heading out and catch a fish make it quick when letting it go. I'm hanging it up down here for awhile till cooler water temps come around. Mille Lacs had 68 degrees for main lake and low 70s in the bays so that's were I'm headed for awhile.

[Esox_Magnum]

I had 76 on a SW MN lake Saturday

[jentz]

I spose this is a questionable question but thats surface temp,Right? would you know about where the thermocline is? A submersible thermometer is required for that unless you can read sonar really well,I need the thermometer my sonar is cheap and I dont know what to look for awyway.Thanks

[dan z]

Sweet one less boat I have to troll around.

[MuskieFever]

Handle with care! If she's not your pb, please take a pic from the water or just barely out. For all of you who ignore this stuff, you are a HUGE reason metro lakes have a depleted population!

[BrianLucky13]

Shouldn't you ALWAYS handle with care??? I see the local guides around here are still out everday. Makes zero sense to me to kill fish that keep your job year after year. I suppose some of them move on when the fishing goes down hill but you would think the fish would mean more then their egos???? Who knows I don't know them...

[raiserlures]

I was reading surface temps. It is cooler down deeper. I don't know I guess I rather be on the safe side. We canceled our chapter musky meeting on the water tomorrow due to water temps. People will fish without regards to the muskys wellbeing and that's there personal choice. No one can stop them. But I figure I'll just fish the bigger lakes that have the right temps. This lake that I was on today does not have a thermocline the fish use all depths all season. Its shallow 18 foot max.

[JacobG]

The temps on the lakes ive been fishing are 77-78 surface. But the fish have been non existent in the shallower water. There hasn't even been a night bite. with the wind yesterday churning up the water it went from 78 down to 74.4. I personally have never had a problem releasing fish from warm water. even the shallow sand bite on mille lacs when we had 81 in the sand the fish still swam away just fine and they fought like mad. I agree that it is harder on the fish with warm water temps but has anyone ever killed or seen a fish killed because of warm water temps?

[Jcup]

I was reading 83 on waconia 2 days ago...

[RK]

I agree that it is harder on the fish with warm water temps but has anyone ever killed or seen a fish killed because of warm water temps?

[JacobG]

Im certainly not denying the fact that the heat has an adverse effect on the fish. I first read about this in an article from Pete Maina in the late 90s (yes Ive been around a while) But I have a hard time believing some of the numbers people throw out there in regards to mortality rate. Ive read as high as %15?!? The fishes greatest instinct is to pro-create and to survive. If a fish is in 78 degree water feeding and it is caught and certainly stressed then that fish upon release will do what it has to in order to survive. If that means going to deeper cooler water then it will.

On the contrary I also believe there is a "happy zone" in which muskies are most comfortable. If 78 degrees is too warm for them, then they wont be in that water and will simply migrate to a more suitable temperature. as we do when it is too hot, AC or too cold, heat. I have definitely seen a trend recently that the fish are not in the weeds the way they were just 2 weeks ago (72 degree temps) And theorize that they are doing just that, finding their happy zone where the temps and food are adequate for survival. We are talking about apex predators with adaptations to their environments.

I am not a muskie activist, nor am I a muskie killer. I have been at this game for 17 years now. Just my opinion based on what I have read and what biologists have been able to gather, as well as time on the water.

[harvey lee]

The surface temp on the lake I hit this am was 77.8. The walleyes I boated one could tell the water was warm as the air temp was 63 and the walleyes felt very warm. Almost like bath water.

I had 3 in the livewell for close to 3 hours and when I left, I decided to release them and they swam off very healthy looking.

[harvey lee]

Sweet one less boat I have to troll around.

Maybe I can come to your lake soon so you can troll around me Dan.

[BrianLucky13]

The surface temp on the lake I hit this am was 77.8. The walleyes I boated one could tell the water was warm as the air temp was 63 and the walleyes felt very warm. Almost like bath water.

I had 3 in the livewell for close to 3 hours and when I left, I decided to release them and they swam off very healthy looking.

You had fish in your livewell then released them??????

[Pistol Pete]

about 5 years ago caught a 45 incher and water temp was right at 79. fish was unhooked in the net held up for 1 pic and put back in the water. it did not want to go. went belly up almost right away. we held this fish upright forever before it could do so on its own. then it seemed like it could not swim hard enough to get below the water surface. finally made a hard run at it with the boat and scared it into trying to swim harder and it went down. we stayed around the area for a long time to see if it stayed down, it did. but 2 days alter a buddy of mine found a 45 incher floating in the general area where we released this fish. its called delayed mortality from what i have read. We no longer fish when surface temps are 80, and when temps hit the upper 70's we never take the fish out of the water any more. take care of your fish, no one else will do it for you!! Hopefully it rains and cools things down a little. Fish if you want, its your choice. But don't complain when there are none left

[Nick Kuhn]

Muskie fishing is generally lousy when the temp gets up there anyway, at least for me. I just go bass fishing because the heat never bothers them.

[MuskieFever]

You had fish in your livewell then released them??????

What's wrong about that? After a bass/walleye tournament you release the fish that have been in your livewell for hours...

[Pistol Pete]

there is a reason why most walleye tournaments are held earlier in the year. Not only is the bite better.. it is easier on the fish when released. Why??? Colder water carries more dissolved oxygen in it than warm water. Therefore the fish is not as stressed in your live well and has a better chance of survival. Bass can tolerate low oxygen levels much better than a walleye or most other fish in general. Its one of the last fish to die when a lake winter kills. It can tolerate the lower dissolved oxygen water a lake has when temps are high. And remember, just because that fish swam away does not mean it will stay alive!

[dan z]

Tom, I wouldn't mind trolling around you atleast you would keep on course.

[Pistol Pete]

no problem. Each one of us has to make a choice on how we feel what we should or should not do. Am I perfect, heck no. Fished plenty of times when temps were to high. Don't even want to know how many fish died (or not). Now I'm better informed and choose not to fish when temps are high. Maybe it's because I've caught plenty of Muskies that I doesn't' bother me to stand down for a while

[Shammy]

Yep I have been fishing French pretty hard lately here in S MN. Water temp last night was 80.5. The next 7-10 days are going to be 90 and above. That will be my last night on French until September Im guessing. As a musky fisherman you know it can take a long time to even catch one of these dam fish, last thing I want to do is kill a 15-20 year old fish when I know its to hot to fish for them.

[raiserlures]

Good to hear shammy. I don't think you will have to wait that long. August it will cool off.

[smeese]

I took a break as well on my favorite lakes. Time to hit the river for some cats.

[Esox_Magnum]

Ok heres an odd question about a lake where the fish stay shallow say 8' or less, does they water temp still affect them like it does when pulling fish from deeper cooler water?

[Shammy]

Esox_Magnum,

From what I've read every degree over 75 and up increases the chances of post realease mortality for these fish. They say 80's and up in shallow body's of water, those temps alone can kill some fish without even being caught. I never thought pulling them from colder water up to warmer water really mattered. It's the fact that they are trying to recover in high water temps in the net, when released and after they swim off. So to answer you question Im guessing that a shallower body of water would even be worse.