H20 temps and trout

[d.roy]

I've been taking some stream temp readings this year and have natuarally been seeing higher temps with the warmer weather. What temp ranges do browns and rainbows prefer? At what point will they become stressed due to water temp? Was on a stream in SE MN saturday morning and saw 68 deg in the water in the am and up to 73 deg by 1 pm. The fish were not biting as readily as the water warmed. I'm wondering if it was due to the water temp or maybe just regular summer feeding patterns. Has anyone else been watching the water temps or have any insight into this?? Thanks for any thoughts!

[JohnS]

Preferred temp is around 60 degrees plus or minus a few degrees.

70 degrees is high and stressful to trout. If the water is near 70 degrees, I would seek out a smaller, cooler stream for trout or other water for smallies.

[WxGuy]

I fished the Root for smallmouth on Sunday, and water temperatures were close to 80 degrees on the stretch I was fishing. The smallie bite was pretty good. Trout are still there, but you can kill them easily in the warm water if you're not careful.

There's still a good selection of smaller streams with good springs that maintain cool water that is safe to fish for trout, even in the warm stretch we're in the midst of. You still want to land them as quickly as possible and return them to the water immediately if you're C&R'ing.

This is a great time of the year to keep a thermometer handy. Unfortunately they don't last too long in my vest.

[d.roy]

Great point about the fragility of these fish when stressed in warm water Wx guy. Do you find them prone to dying in water into the 70's if played too long or taken out for a quick photo? I don't think I'd like to fish for trout on water in the 70's - sounds like it can be too hard on them. Not to mention they likely aren't too interested in eating when stressed in water that warm - at least not the other day after it warmed above 70. Hopefully the cooler nights this week will bring the temps down on our lakes and rivers.

Were you working smallies on the fly or spin gear? What are some of your favorite flies or lures for these guys? Sounds like fun - I have to give that a shot one of these days. I've gone after them in lakes on the fly - sure is a blast when you hook one, they truly are pound for pound the fightiest fish in the underwater world!

[WxGuy]

When the water gets that warm they'll still eat if they can find some colder water trickling into the warmer water and hang there. They're genius at finding cold tribs when the water heats up.

I think they can be killed easily when the water gets over 75 especially. I'm not sure a photo is even a good idea unless it's very quick (if the fish is caught and fought in the warm water).

I was fishing a big, black wooly bugger for the smallies, but my favorite is a white over (insert color here) clouser with some flash. Catching smallies on a fly rod is a lot of fun!

[d.roy]

I couldn't get any fish to take after the water shot above 70. Hopefully no harm was done to the one I snapped a quick pic of before that - she swam away nicely and appeared healthy. H20 was still about 68 at that point.

It has been interesting to monitor the temps throughout the day on different pieces of water this year. I was surprised at how fast it shot up on saturday, 68 at 9 am and steadily rising to 73 by 1 pm - stopped fishing then (I was overheating ). I imagine some bodies of water go through a daily warming during the day and cooling at night ritual during hot spells like we've had lately. Interesting.

I'm going to have to make a point to get out for some smallie wading yet this year. Does the stream smallie bite continue into the fall? Do they get more agressive as the water cools in the fall? That would be great! The clouser has worked for me in the past on lakes - canadian shield. Lots of fun! Time for some research on productive smallie water down this way. Any suggestions for wadable streams N of rochester? What kind of water do you look for (pools, cut banks, deeper runs, etc)? Feel free to email me [email protected] if you have any pointers. In the mean time, thanks for the temp insight and good luck beating the heat!

[WxGuy]

Smallie fishing can be outstanding in the fall. They'll be bulking up for the winter, and October can be great for smallies.

Tim Holschlag has a great book out on Fly Fishing for Smallmouth. I highly recommend it. He's got a vast list of patterns and techniques.

Smallies tend not to hold in the same places that trout do. Rocky banks are good, and while faster current and riffles can't be totally ruled out, look for slower, deeper water, and eddies for smallmouth.

[d.roy]

It sounds like the fall bite mirrors that of the canadian lakes I'm used to fishing, sounds exciting! Time to hit the maps, books, and water and get in on some of this action - thanks for the insight.

[Hotspotter]

Two summers ago in Yellowstone, I was hook & line sampling for a mercury study (paid to fish - that's right) on the Gibbon River just downstream of the Norris Geyser Basin. The closer I hiked to the basin, the warmer the water was (noticeable through my waders), and the more, and smaller trout I found. They were all rainbows, and they were voracious feeders.

I wish I would've had a thermometer with me, but these fish came out of the water luke-warm to the touch. A warm fish feels disgusting in your hands. How these fish were living, and choosing to be here, rather than the cooler areas downstream is still beyond me. I found some similar conditions in the Firehole during later summer.

And yes, they were full of naturally-occuring mercury. The superheated gases of the geyser basin made the mercury much more mobile, and especially the larger fish were full of it. If catching to eat, think about fishing upstream of geothermal areas (tough to do in YNP).

Joel