Time to Leave them Be (TROUT)

[Fredrick]

Just my two cents, time to let the trout be. If your are timing your fishing to the time of the day to were the temps are two degrees cooler than the rest the of the day you are doing it wrong . Expand your horizons and go fish for other fish species .

If you are a stuborn SOB and decided to fish for them anyway follow these tips

As the summer gets into full swing, it’s important to think more seriously about how we handle our fish in the heat. Hot water can be very stressful on its own to any fish, the lower oxygen content can make it very difficult for them to recover fully after a fight with an angler. So here are our 5 Tips for Handling Trout This Summer:

Pay Close Attention to the Water Temperature

If the water is over 67 degrees Fahrenheit, go chase warm water or take the day off, with these temps any trout will be highly stressed out and likely to die due to exhaustion after a fight with an angler.

Keep ‘Em Wet

This is a great practice regardless of the season if you handle the fish while he has water flowing through his gills, not only will he be calmer and easier to hold, he will also have a better chance of surviving.

Nymphs Will Always Catch Tons Of Fish

Fish Barbless

Fishing a barbless hook will make it much simpler to remove the hook from a fish’s mouth (and your skin), reducing the time handling the fish as well as get you back fishing quicker!

Use a Rubber Net

Rubber nets have become more and more common in the fishing scene as they don’t foul up your flies. But they also are gentler on a trout and won’t remove any of the fish’s protective slime layers.

Revive Trout in Faster Moving Water

When reviving trout, move to the moving water in the creek, there will be more oxygen in the water and help them to recover quicker than in slower, warmer water. It’s important to wait until the fish is 100% ready to swim off healthy, some fish may try to swim off but not make it, spend the time to make sure they swim back strong!

https://postflybox.com/blog/2018/06/19/5-tips-for-handling-trout-this-summer/

 

[jifigz]

It is only time to leave the trout be depending on where you live. Most "good" trout streams in my neck have the woods are registering at quite fishable temps..and some of our more true limestoners are in the 50's so it certainly isn't necessarily time to not fish for trout.

With that said, I'll fish for anything that can be classified as a fish.

 

[pcray1231]

It's time for mountain trout in small streams is what it's time for.

Now, some of those streams get on the warm side too and I'm not saying to fish if it's like that. But there's a whole lot of high 50's, low 60's water out there right now.

 

[redietz]

jifigz wrote:
It is only time to leave the trout be depending on where you live. Most "good" trout streams in my neck have the woods are registering at quite fishable temps..and some of our more true limestoners are in the 50's so it certainly isn't necessarily time to not fish for trout.

With that said, I'll fish for anything that can be classified as a fish.

Yep. The stream I fish mot often (Gunpowder Falls in MD) peaked at 55 degrees yesterday.

 

[fritz]

60F where I fished for trout last week last week. There are some other wild brown streams I won’t fish right now though.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

I just fished three higher elevation streams in NCPA on Saturday. Daytime water temps were between 58-62 degrees. The flows were ideal for this time of year, and the fishing was great- I absolutely hammered them. Completely shaded in so didn't need sunscreen, just lots of Deep Woods Off as the biting insects were out in full force.

 

[wildtrout2]

pcray1231 wrote:
It's time for mountain trout in small streams is what it's time for.

Now, some of those streams get on the warm side too and I'm not saying to fish if it's like that. But there's a whole lot of high 50's, low 60's water out there right now.

Yes, this is the very best time for many of the mountain freestone streams! The last three streams that I've fished in the last week and a half were only 58F - 61F. Plenty of pretty cold water out there if you know where to find it.

 

[maxima12]

Leave them be. Sometimes a leave them be attitude can be a huge laugh, joke, memory of a lifetime. Gave a friend a fly, the fish were working on, cut off the hook. "I missed one, I missed another, I missed another again, hey, there is no hook on this fly". We all roared.

Told a pal, try this, a brand new powdered fly float. He did not know I dumped the powder and added powdered concrete. "hey, whats up with this stuff, I don't even see my fly". We laughed so hard, I had to go back a change underwear,.

See that deer, what deer, the one over there. Yea, shoot him. Ready, see that rock by the deer. Yea!---Boom--- What happened, you missed the deer but killed that rock


Friend got to house and forgot deer rifle. No problem have one for you to use. Stepped into woods , loaded up and friend said, "hows this gun work". I said, "point gun towards ground, put bullet in chamber, close bolt, push safety forward, now pull trigger". BOOM. What's your problem, why did you do that. "you asked how to use it". Friend hunted the whole day, but never put a shell in the chamber. Gun shy! Never forgot his rifle after that either.


Let them be, we all know when that time comes. Every person, sooner or later, will just want to let them be. A natural thing were all working closer to!


Maxima12

 

[PennypackFlyer]

What about: Land the fish as fast as you can, and always wet your hands before you handle the fish, as part of the equation?


One time while bass fishing, I had a nice size bass nail my topwater 3 times before I looked to see what was wrong. No Hook

 

[larkmark]

It is not the time to get out the 7x and play the big trout in 70 degree water until they are rolling over dead. Unless you want to provide food for herons and eagles.

 

[maxima12]

Most will never use 7x. Hardly any would think 8x. Only 1 in 5000 will ever try a 18 ft. leader. All who read, have you? You all talk real big on the 18 ft. pa. regulations limit to long leaders. Am I going to get busted with my 20 ft. euro. Probably not! Most likely in your lifetime, no question on leader length using, would never . ever, come into play. Unless a record has been broken. Your eyebrows come on record. Wink once and let's question this guy. Because a lot is at stake!

What I am trying to say here. The loss, or death of a fish using 7x,8x. does not even matter.

Let me point to my view. I will be fishing Big Pine in a day or so. I will be using 6x 7x 8x. Now, say I catch 10. That usually means I hooked 16. Break-offs. Out of 10 how many will die? Out of 96 miles of Big Pine, how many are fishing and any using 7x. Out of 96 miles, how many trout came to pray from other than fisherman. How many died natural, high water, high heat, dosage of filth!


Your rules will never apply, I fish for fun, enjoyment, friendship, streamside hot dogs, wildlife, nature, life! I fish my way only. If i fished your way, I would have been a car salesman! For fun!

Been a long time since i fished on the hunt! Coming home with big fish, lot's of them. Frinds not allowed. I do this alone! Every tactic is used. More like 8 lb. then. You don't want a guy like me on the hunt at your favorite stream. No rules apply! Old tactic. Been known to ty a groundhog on a branch hanging over the hole of a big one. Maggots fall in water and sure enough big one ends up close to hanging groundhog! The hunt, knew where the big ones were. Kept them all. I guess, i would of kept none of them, if i was working the crowd. Benefit, off all yours for me! Money, if i was in it, fish goes back so i sack another client! Money, look Leo, Money!
Leo, thats a true great story in its own. Childhood friend for over 50 years. Fish stories we tell, The only reason i would ever believe them, i was there! And some i still can't believe till this day!

Maxima12

 

[larkmark]

Kill em all.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

My favorite fly fishing of the year is just now starting. I love fishing the trico hatches on a couple of our central Pa. limestoners. Water temps are fine at this point and I am ready. Size 24/26 flies and 7x tippet. Yea point me to the water!

 

[franklin]

Parts of the LL usually hold temps below 65. Even colder. You can wet wade and be blue below the water line and red above.

 

[dryflyguy]

I fished two streams yesterday
Both are NOT limestone or tailwater
One was 60. The other 64.
This was in the afternoon on a fairly hot day.

This annual rant telling people not to fish for trout in summer is getting old

 

[Swattie87]

dryflyguy wrote:
This annual rant telling people not to fish for trout in summer is getting old

The spawn will be shortly upon us as well.

 

[larkmark]

For those who get defensive about anyone suggesting they be cautious about fishing in summer- I believe what the OP meant was when water temp is 70 or over.
Fly fishing is where the whole idea of catch and release began as far as I know and I would hope we would all continue with that tradition.

 

[Fredrick]

dryflyguy wrote:
I fished two streams yesterday
Both are NOT limestone or tailwater
One was 60. The other 64.
This was in the afternoon on a fairly hot day.

This annual rant telling people not to fish for trout in summer is getting old

Don't get your panties in a bunch , I understand that you are a one trick pony doesn't mean you have to take it out on me or those trout gasping for oxygen in some of our streams ;-)

I'm glad for the guys that have year around cold water, but you don't speak for the rest of the trout fisherman in the state .

 

[FarmerDave]

larkmark wrote:

Fly fishing is where the whole idea of catch and release began as far as I know and I would hope we would all continue with that tradition.

Actually, that would be bass fishing. ;-)

 

[RLeep2]

I'm opposed to Nannyism in all its forms and manifestations, regardless of the driving ideology..