Do you fish for trout when the water temp reaches close to 70*F?

[FarmerDave]

I'd consider it (the OP question) if was fishing for a meal, but since I am not a huge fan of trout as a meal, the answer is no.

C&R for trout when water temps are approaching 70? No. Especially not wild trout.

 

[FarmerDave]

For stocked trout my upper limit is about 225. If warmer than that, they dry out too quickly in the smoker.;-)

 

[Hook_Jaw]

I haven't fished in 2 months and won't until we get more water and sustained lower temps guys get one nice cool morning and go thinking there's a difference they are in survival mode.

 

[steveo27]

Mid 60*s is my cut off point.

I dont think theres any stocked trout left in any of the streams here in western PA that hit 70*+ in the summer. Those poor suckers are all on ice in freezers by now

 

[krayfish2]

Its been some time since I fished for trout. Last fly fishing trip for trout....June 10 on Yough. Prior to that, one trip to Tully in early June and May 24 on the Delaware. Killing me but I'll wait for cooler temps and some rain.

In the last season or two, it seems like my trout fishing has been reduced to 4-6 weeks in the spring and 4-6 weeks in the fall thanks to jacked up weather patterns.

 

[Mike]

You don't need to be on a limestoner or wait until fall to find cool water temps. For example, despite the warm temps over the weekend and the warm night on Sunday, Orson Run, York Co was 64 deg F this morning at 10 AM. I would expect that most avg size, wooded Class A and B streams would be cool enough to fish, especially in the morning if not throughout the day. Orson, for instance, was cool through at least 1 PM despite air temps in the 80's today. With the abundance of wild trout waters that stay cool throughout Pa., for many individuals it should not be too difficult to find a cool stream. Finding reasonable flow may be a bigger challenge. When in doubt about temps, carry a thermometer.

 

[JeffK]

I quit these days when the trout get stacked up in a thermal refuge. It means they must be stressed. This may also be due to low water. In years past clobbering the fish when they were stacked up was common and few people gave away their secret "spring holes." I wasn't immune to this behavior when I was young and really can't fault anyone too much for doing it. But these days I am happy to fish for smallmouth, go birding, or play disc golf when the streams are low and warm.

 

[Maurice]

JeffK wrote:
I quit these days when the trout get stacked up in a thermal refuge. It means they must be stressed. This may also be due to low water. In years past clobbering the fish when they were stacked up was common and few people gave away their secret "spring holes." I wasn't immune to this behavior when I was young and really can't fault anyone too much for doing it. But these days I am happy to fish for smallmouth, go birding, or play disc golf when the streams are low and warm.

Jeff,

I called attention to this post because I think it highlights something we have not yet discussed. There is a temperature stress point far below the movement to thermal refuge. I am not singling you out...

Thermal stress is a complex scenario that begins when the trout metabolism drops due to reduced oxygen content. Stressors in trout are additive. Stress can be from
-High water temps,
-Low O2 content, (correlation with rising water temps)
-Feeding behavior (Feeding increases metabolism and therefor stress)
-Water Turbidity (silt in water reduces the ability of oxygen consumption)
-Angler intervention, playing and handling trout.
- Disease

Add two of these together and a third can cause lethal stress. Of course any one of them take to the extreme can as well.

Add a third and the trout may not make it long after.

So we can only control the angler intervention factor.

I have found through temperature analysis that trout (stocked and wild) in a freestone stream with high water temps will maintain their "safe space" or typical holding lies up to 74-75 degrees. Once the temps get higher (up to 80+) they move to a local thermal refuge (trib stream mouth) and hunker down in high sixties-low 70's water temps. Once the main creek drops again they move back out of the vulnerable trib mouth to their normal lies.

So my point is. Waiting for them to move into a thermal refuge is too late, The stress they are under between 70-75 is a big factor if played for long. And, even though they are in a thermal refuge that may be 68 degrees, their stress level is high due to fear of predation and low oxygen due to crowding.

So it is best to understand more than just what water temps to cut off your fishing. You need to know what other factors may be involved in why the trout are where they are. Time of day, expected water temps, etc.

 

[geebee]

I said NO because I don't like Air Temps above 85F. even in shorts and wet wading its too hot for me.

but then, I fish down to 30F all winter.

 

[JeffK]

I don't fish either when the water is above 68 or 70 most of the day (even if it cool in the AM) and also believe in the long term combined stresses. For example, I heard Ed Van Put, fisheries technician for the Catskills for decades, comment on the condition of brown trout in the fall. His claim was that many of the poor condition fish were the result of being caught putting them off the feed for a while when they needed to put on weight. Such poor condition fish in the fall were likely not to make it to the spring. Angling stress can have long term effects and I hate when I see people poorly handle fish in warm water and claim that it is OK since the fish swam away.

I mostly fish in partially limestone streams where the valleys are limestone and create a limestone influence, but the watershed is mostly shale and conglomerate and is more a freestone. Some of the tribs are moderate size and create cold plumes. I spend a fair amount of time watching fish and measuring temps when temp is high. In general, I have seen the fish move into the plumes when the temperature difference is 8F or more, which could be as low as 70/62, but is usually higher. The plumes are a result of temperature difference and flow, since high flow mixes the trib water very quickly and low flows allow longer distances to mix. Even though these tribs can be in the 50's in the summer, biggest concentration of browns will be at the 62F contour. Even if the fish are in 62F water, I wouldn't fish for them until they move.

I've done a fair amount of temp profiling and also hate to hear people who measure surface temperature as too high and still fish saying it's cooler in the bottom. Current mixes the water in streams well and there is no noticeable stratification (except right at a spring) unlike a pond or lake. In a sunny riffle the bottom even be warmer. In clear water the sunlight is absorbed on the bottom not by the water and the rocks on the bottom heat up and warm the water from the bottom. Sometimes, the rocks on the bottom feel much warmer to the touch.

 

[Zak]

I absolutely still fish a few stream as they approach 70 degrees. To me the 68-70 shutoff is a very blanket rule that isn't neccasarily a hard fast reality. First the gradient of a stream plays a huge role in the amount of dissolved O2 in the water at 68-70. I have a large stream that has a very high gradient and the trout act completely normal to about 71 degrees at which point they stop feeding so I stop fishing. They're mostly small trout so the fights are short and I do not feel I'm doing any harm at all. They all dart away as if the water was 61 degrees. On a low gradient stream you may experience the same thing at 67 degrees cause there isn't enough O2 being diffused into the stream.
I'm also a firm belveiver that different streams have trout with different tolerances to water temps. Some streams have trout that generation after geneartion for 100+ years have had to tolerate and exist in marginal conditions. The trout that have survived over the decade have been the ones that can handle it. A Penns Creek brown will handle thermal stress better than a brown that resides in a stream that never gets above 64 degrees. They'll act differently at 70 degrees.
Of course these are just theories but yes, I fish when conditions are considered too warm by most others....but I dont do it everywhere. I fish places I know can handle it from experience.

 

[Canoetripper]

I can't find the original post on here anymore, but it was about the upper Greenbrier river in West Virginia, where I have a lot of experience. These are all stocked trout, but it was June, the water was warming, and I made the long drive to get there, and the long walk deep into the river valley.

A #14 parachute adams was all it took to fool one of the remaining stocked rainbows before it would eventually die. I just didn't want to kill it. All I wanted to do was catch it and release it and let it die another day. I've seen plenty of Ospreys and even some Bald Eagles in that river valley, and also several Mink. I knew some predator would find while it was still fresh floating belly up.

I've done a lot of fly fishing at a private R&G club in the western Pocono Mountains. They stop all fishing altogether right around the 70 degree temperature mark. It is a stocked trout fishing club, and I have caught a lot of warm water fish there as well. What I have noticed about this place is that the stocked trout that are stocked in the spring and make it to holdover status the next spring are very different. They fight a lot harder, and they had to survive both weather and predators. In addition to both Osprey and Bald Eagles, there are a lot of Otters, and probably Mink.

I don't believe in stocking trout over native or wild trout. I know that is the case at this R&G club. I've caught some native Brookies there but only in feeder streams.

 

[afishinado]

Zak wrote:
I absolutely still fish a few stream as they approach 70 degrees. To me the 68-70 shutoff is a very blanket rule that isn't neccasarily a hard fast reality. First the gradient of a stream plays a huge role in the amount of dissolved O2 in the water at 68-70. I have a large stream that has a very high gradient and the trout act completely normal to about 71 degrees at which point they stop feeding so I stop fishing. They're mostly small trout so the fights are short and I do not feel I'm doing any harm at all. They all dart away as if the water was 61 degrees. On a low gradient stream you may experience the same thing at 67 degrees cause there isn't enough O2 being diffused into the stream.
I'm also a firm belveiver that different streams have trout with different tolerances to water temps. Some streams have trout that generation after geneartion for 100+ years have had to tolerate and exist in marginal conditions. The trout that have survived over the decade have been the ones that can handle it. A Penns Creek brown will handle thermal stress better than a brown that resides in a stream that never gets above 64 degrees. They'll act differently at 70 degrees.
Of course these are just theories but yes, I fish when conditions are considered too warm by most others....but I dont do it everywhere. I fish places I know can handle it from experience.

With all due respect, unless you are a fisheries biologist, and study a stream, it's fish, and measure the temperature range in for an extended period as well as the O2 content, it would be impossible to make a judgement on where and when it is okay to fish.

Here is some common sense info and guidelines that I like to go by:

The upper limits of the temperature range within which trout will feed, grow and remain unstressed by thermal conditions varies by species, however not all that significantly. These upper limits -- which may be as high as 80 degrees depending on the species -- can be misleading. These limits characterize thermal conditions under which trout that are otherwise unstressed will die should those conditions persist for a certain period of time (typically 24-48 hours). These limits can be misleading because they don't provide much information about how high water temperatures that haven't reached this lethal range can affect a fish that is about to be further stressed by being hooked and played by a fisherman.

Warmer water contains less oxygen than colder water. As temperature rises and dissolved oxygen decreases, fish begin to experience stress. These stresses begin to set in well before the water temperature reaches lethal limits. For example, rainbow trout are said to be able to survive in temperatures up to and exceeding 77°F (24°C), but stop growing at 73°F (23° C). It stands to reason that a fish, one which is already oxygen stressed while positioned carefully in current that minimizes its energy use, will be dramatically more stressed after being hooked and attempting to fight its way to freedom. In fact, in many cases, a fish otherwise properly handled and released under thermally stressful conditions may be likely to not survive.

So how do you know when the conditions remain comfortable enough to fish your target stream without creating a lethal situation for its residents? Unfortunately, studies vary and there doesn't seem to be any one set of accepted limits. That said, there is a considerable consensus that all three major trout species (brook, brown and rainbow) begin to experience some level of stress at around 68°F (20°C), with that stress increasing rapidly as the temperature rises further. For brook trout, these limits are generally accepted to be a few degrees lower (some sources suggest as low as 65°). For many fishermen, 70°F (21°C) has become a round figure that represents the "don't fish" limit.

Of course these are merely guidelines. Water temperature is not the only determining factor of dissolved oxygen (speed of current also plays a factor, for example). Trout which spend extended periods of time living on these generally accepted thermal margins will likely have a greater tolerance outside these margins. However, 68°-70° represents a valuable limit outside of which -- provided you don't know otherwise -- trout should not be fished to.

On days when temperatures soar, and especially during extended periods of high temperatures, the catch and release fisherman should pay specific attention to stream temperatures throughout the stream he or she is hoping to fish. When temperatures in moving water exceed 68°F (20°C), it's best to call it and return another day.


Link to source: http://www.hatchmag.com/articles/trout-and-water-temperature-how-hot-too-hot/771553

 

[Swattie87]

^ I think you guys disagreed to agree here.

 

[shakey]

No way .

 

[afishinado]

Swattie87 wrote:
^ I think you guys disagreed to agree here.

Quite the contrary:

...I fish when conditions are considered too warm by most others....but I dont do it everywhere. I fish places I know can handle it from experience.

My response:

With all due respect, unless you are a fisheries biologist, and study a stream, it's fish, and measure the temperature range in for an extended period as well as the O2 content, it would be impossible to make a judgement on where and when it is okay to fish.

The guideline I use:

On days when temperatures soar, and especially during extended periods of high temperatures, the catch and release fisherman should pay specific attention to stream temperatures throughout the stream he or she is hoping to fish. When temperatures in moving water exceed 68°F (20°C), it's best to call it and return another day.

 

[Zak]

No, I'm not a fishery biologist and it's not like I'm running around at 75 degrees haha. Are there any studies out there about gradient in relation to dissolved 02. I may not be a biologist but I'm pretty sure that a slow oozing 70 degree stream will have far less O2 then a rough and tumbling stream.

 

[pcray1231]

I said no. But.....

1. Need to specify I'm talking about WILD trout. Stockers. YES! Especially in a stream where I know they won't hold over very well.

2. Even for wild trout. It's not a specified temperature. It's a daily cycle.

For instance, if at midday, the water touches 70 but drops back to the low 60's at night. Yes, I will fish, even at slightly over 70. Stout tippets, quick fights and releases, no pictures, etc.

But, on the other hand, if it's around 70 all day long, nope. Or worse, if it's high 60's or around 70 in the morning and getting to the mid-70's later in the day, no, I won't fish, not even in the morning.

Some streams swing 10+ degrees on a daily basis. Others no more than a degree or two. But if the water temperature at night is dropping to comfortable trout temps and gives them a chance to recover, a short window of warmer temps during the day is less damaging, IMO. So I guess you could say that I want the 24 hour average to be no higher than the mid-high 60's in order for me to fish for trout, but I don't get all worked up over a momentary temperature reading in the low 70's.

 

[whheff]

I am in the no camp. As much as I love to fish, I would hate to kill a fish that could be very stressed by high temps and other factors caused by them.

 

[NJTroutbum]

I fish when i can fish. Most often when trout waters reach 70+ I'm haunting lily pads. OR....I hit streams where water temps remain stable. But in all honesty...don't carry a thermometer. My experiences have been that once the water temp get edgy for trout, they stop feeding for the most part....so fishing stinks.