When is it too warm to fish?
- Thread starter laurelrun
- Start date
JerryC
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2014
- Messages
- 525
Summer time is time to switch gears and do some warm water fishing. I usually fish for trout from early spring until mid to late May here in SE PA.
After that it's bass and panfish and salt water fly fishing through late fall. If I get the chance I'll go after trout in the fall.
After that it's bass and panfish and salt water fly fishing through late fall. If I get the chance I'll go after trout in the fall.
Carry a thermometer and check water temps.
The traditional "cuttoff" for water temps has long been 70F.
If you want to keep it simple, just do it that way. Quit fishing at 70F.
That's what I did for years, because that's what we were taught.
Just for my own fishing, through experience, I've come to prefer fishing water that is on the cool side, and not push the 70F thing at all.
Just because I've noticed that trout begin to fight less well not right at 70F, but somewhere below that.
I'm not sure just where that becomes noticeable. Probably starting around 65F or so.
The thing to do is to figure out: Where is the cold water? And fish there in the summer. And just avoid the places where it gets warm.
People get in the habit of going to the same famous places, so they still go to the same spot in the summer.
Just break out of that, and specifically choose to go to places where the water is cold, if you want to trout fish in the dog days.
The water is cold where it comes out of tailwater dams. And where it is coming out of the ground in springs.
On the limestoners fish near the major springs.
On the freestoners, fish well shaded forested streams, and fish them way up in the small headwaters. Where the stream about 15 feet wide or less.
And when you get a big storm system come through and you get about 3 inches of rain or so, the freestone wild trout streams will then flow cool. Even in July and August.
When the water gets very low, when the streams get "down in the rocks" then they really warm up.
During a drought, even many of the modest sized freestone streams that hold wild trout most of the year, will get as warm as 80F.
The traditional "cuttoff" for water temps has long been 70F.
If you want to keep it simple, just do it that way. Quit fishing at 70F.
That's what I did for years, because that's what we were taught.
Just for my own fishing, through experience, I've come to prefer fishing water that is on the cool side, and not push the 70F thing at all.
Just because I've noticed that trout begin to fight less well not right at 70F, but somewhere below that.
I'm not sure just where that becomes noticeable. Probably starting around 65F or so.
The thing to do is to figure out: Where is the cold water? And fish there in the summer. And just avoid the places where it gets warm.
People get in the habit of going to the same famous places, so they still go to the same spot in the summer.
Just break out of that, and specifically choose to go to places where the water is cold, if you want to trout fish in the dog days.
The water is cold where it comes out of tailwater dams. And where it is coming out of the ground in springs.
On the limestoners fish near the major springs.
On the freestoners, fish well shaded forested streams, and fish them way up in the small headwaters. Where the stream about 15 feet wide or less.
And when you get a big storm system come through and you get about 3 inches of rain or so, the freestone wild trout streams will then flow cool. Even in July and August.
When the water gets very low, when the streams get "down in the rocks" then they really warm up.
During a drought, even many of the modest sized freestone streams that hold wild trout most of the year, will get as warm as 80F.
pcray1231
Well-known member
70 degree is my rough mark.
That said, how long it stays there means a lot. Streams vary in temperature throughout the day, some more than others. If it stays around 70, that's far worse than touching 70 in the heat of the day and coming back down to 60ish overnight! So there's some wiggle room.
So if I get, say, 68 degrees, it depends on the situation. If it's early morning and 68, no way, I ain't fishing, cause that means it's 68 at it's COLDEST. If it's 68 in the mid-afternoon, I might take part, because that's it's warmest temp of the day.
There are plenty of wild trout streams, yes, even in SE PA, which do not go much above 60 in the summer! No reason to hang it up. Just be aware, and adjust what type of streams you fish to the conditions.
That said, how long it stays there means a lot. Streams vary in temperature throughout the day, some more than others. If it stays around 70, that's far worse than touching 70 in the heat of the day and coming back down to 60ish overnight! So there's some wiggle room.
So if I get, say, 68 degrees, it depends on the situation. If it's early morning and 68, no way, I ain't fishing, cause that means it's 68 at it's COLDEST. If it's 68 in the mid-afternoon, I might take part, because that's it's warmest temp of the day.
There are plenty of wild trout streams, yes, even in SE PA, which do not go much above 60 in the summer! No reason to hang it up. Just be aware, and adjust what type of streams you fish to the conditions.
Agree with Pcray and Troutbert. 70 degrees is the cut-off.
If, however, you enjoy eating fish... this is a good time of year to fish streams that get too warm to hold trout over summer (which is the case for many of the local, stocked waters in my neck of the woods). Morning water temps in June and early July are often in the 60s and fish can be caught. By afternoon, water temps are over 70 and fish don't feed as much. By mid to late July, many of the streams have no trout at all as they have died off from the warm water. I like to take a creel with me and fish in the morning and I'll keep a couple stockies for dinner.
Here in my neck of the woods (southcentral PA) water temps are generally colder and higher this year than is usual for late June in typical years. If current weather patterns keep up - especially if precipitation continues and nighttime temps remain cold - we could have a very nice summer trout fishing season and maybe some survival in streams that normally get too warm.
If, however, you enjoy eating fish... this is a good time of year to fish streams that get too warm to hold trout over summer (which is the case for many of the local, stocked waters in my neck of the woods). Morning water temps in June and early July are often in the 60s and fish can be caught. By afternoon, water temps are over 70 and fish don't feed as much. By mid to late July, many of the streams have no trout at all as they have died off from the warm water. I like to take a creel with me and fish in the morning and I'll keep a couple stockies for dinner.
Here in my neck of the woods (southcentral PA) water temps are generally colder and higher this year than is usual for late June in typical years. If current weather patterns keep up - especially if precipitation continues and nighttime temps remain cold - we could have a very nice summer trout fishing season and maybe some survival in streams that normally get too warm.
The_Sasquatch
Well-known member
Yup carry a stream thermometer and watch for that 70 mark. If you fish small wild trout streams, its usually not a problem. Limestoners are generally not a problem.
Stagger_Lee
Active member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2012
- Messages
- 4,313
Laurel ... listen to these gents as they know their stuff but also think outside of trout.
My 1st summer a couple years ago was all abt trout but last summer I found lotza fun in WW species. Had a blast ysterday evening on poppers. For me it is abt location and sometime I just can't commit to driving X miles to hit up quality trout streams.
My 1st summer a couple years ago was all abt trout but last summer I found lotza fun in WW species. Had a blast ysterday evening on poppers. For me it is abt location and sometime I just can't commit to driving X miles to hit up quality trout streams.
RCFetter
Well-known member
This will be my first summer using a fly rod for warm water.
Just as a point of interest, here's a recent chart on temps for the Pennypack:
Just as a point of interest, here's a recent chart on temps for the Pennypack:
FishInPhilly
Member
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2014
- Messages
- 95
At this point of the year, Most of the trout in pennypack are all but gone. The fishing, is not though. There are panfish, bass, Rock bass etc in there.
jdaddy
Active member
I go with 68 for C&R.
Above 68 on a DHAFLO eat those delicious state planted babies!
Whatever you do please don't go out and use 10x tippet to catch fish that you fight for 30 minutes in order to proudly proclaim victory while releasing a dead fish.
Then again, musky gotta eat. Circle of life and WHATNOT.
Above 68 on a DHAFLO eat those delicious state planted babies!
Whatever you do please don't go out and use 10x tippet to catch fish that you fight for 30 minutes in order to proudly proclaim victory while releasing a dead fish.
Then again, musky gotta eat. Circle of life and WHATNOT.
henrydavid
Member
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2007
- Messages
- 630
That's why god (I mean Bob) invented the Clouser minnow.
dc410
Well-known member
Night_Stalker
Member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2013
- Messages
- 724
Blah, blah, global warming while our winter & spring were below normal temps.
Back to the question......too hot to fish for me is over 82 degrees. Too hot for the trout.....69 degrees or higher puts undue stress on the fish. Time for golf or bass fishing until things let up a bit.
Back to the question......too hot to fish for me is over 82 degrees. Too hot for the trout.....69 degrees or higher puts undue stress on the fish. Time for golf or bass fishing until things let up a bit.
RCFetter
Well-known member
Thanks guys. So far I've only been hitting the Neshaminy in Tyler Park and caught some sun fish. No smallies yet.
Chaz
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2006
- Messages
- 8,455
If the air temperature is over 70 degrees at night or sunrise, it is already too warm to fish most trout streams that tend to warm above 70. I go to spring creeks or simply don't fish anything but the streams that stay below 60. For brookies they don't like to be active above 65 degrees, so that's the threshold for me on brookie streams.
