Why trout in the summer ( july and august) ????

[Fredrick]

So after reading Dave's post I decided to poke around on this subject a little.

WHY TROUT IN THE SUMMER ????????
Besides the select few streams that stay bellow 60 all year round ,If you have to concern yourself about stream temps and having to bring a thermometer with you because you are worried about the temps before you fish, you are in the wrong . Its time to let the trout be and go fish for other quarry were the temps are more optimal for catching that fish. Don't be scared or a snob to fish for something other than trout. Be one with ethical fly fishing and join WWI and stand with our team leader DaveW for ethical fly fishing . I'm sure that we will love to have you aboard .

I'd say that about 50 percent of the people on this forum are guilty of this .

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I agree Fred.

You can fish for brookies in the dense woods or some of the limestoners, but other than that you should be targeting something else.

 

[tomitrout]

So now the cutoff for 'ethical' trout fishing is a stream that remains below 60 for the entire year?

 

[3oh4]

I agree with leaving trout alone that are in summer survival mode but I disagree with calling people who only target trout "snobby".

I only trout fish these days but I have a handful of streams and tailwaters to fish in the summer months that stay frigid. I just don't enjoy targeting warm water fish such as bass like I did in my teenage days.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I think you are over simplifying what he said. If you are measuring a stream day to day to see if the temps are acceptable you should probably not fish it in the summer.

From the other thread:

"
Below is a reprint of some relevant info written on here by Mike concerning water temps and trout mortality:

Mike wrote:

..fish do not respond to thermal averages; they respond to thermal maxima and minima. They also respond to what are, in effect, degree days or other time-based thermal units. Warm temperature caused mortality can be chronic or acute, and the chronic occurs at temps that are frequently viewed as being sub-lethal by laymen.

With respect to lethal water temps, it is important to not focus on just one form of lethality, that being thermal maxima. There is a whole other form of lethal temps: chronically warm temps. Ignoring Brook Trout, that problem begins around 68 deg F...68.1 for hatchery RT and I expect probably a very similar number for Browns. At that point the percentage of the RT that die throughout a late spring and summer due to temp stress alone is directly related to the number of 15 minute periods per month that the water temp exceeds 68 deg F. It does not matter if the temp drops below 68 deg each night, as the tally continues the next day once the temp rises above 68 again. The 15 min periods above 68 deg accumulate daily through the end of the month.

And when fish are in thermally stressful conditions, or in thermal refugia, they are more vulnerable to predation, such as by great blue herons, which are effective predators in daylight and at night."

If you need to start calculating 15 minute intervals, it's time to fish another creek. Math sucks

 

[SurfCowboyXX]

I just posted this reply to the original thread:

If trout streams didn't get above 65 degrees, when would we ever fish for the smallies? Variety, man. The spice of life, as I hear it. If you have a 70-degree trout stream, you're probably just a few miles upstream of a 73-degree smallie stream. That, or go catch some panfish or catfish for culinary purposes. Or fluke or seabass, for that matter. The hot weather of summer should be used to give the trout a break and give every other kind of fish the business.

 

[redietz]

I fish a tailwater that seldom gets to 60 degrees, and never more than 62. I don't fish it during the spawn in the fall, but there's no valid conservation reason for doing so at this time of the year.

 

[McSneek]

I would love to do a little smallmouth fishing but so far the heavy downpours we seem to be getting every few days have prevented it!

 

[mike_richardson]

I switched gears to brookie streams and think it will be tough to switch back. LOL The unknown, and "macro" type fishing is appealing to me these days. I have never fished these streams in the spring as I am always chasing other types of waters.

I will be hitting up some ponds and such for bass as well. I wanted to get on my musky but now the water temps on some of the areas I wanted to target them may be too much for them right now as well.

Im just blessed to live in an area. I thought the same thing about the water temps. I mean, if I am checking it every day, or swing by in the morning just to check and sneak in an hour or so before work, then why not just let them alone, until winter. I would rather catch them in the winter than summer anyway, so it was kind of a no brainer for some of the streams I fish.

 

[redietz]

SurfCowboyXX wrote:

If trout streams didn't get above 65 degrees, when would we ever fish for the smallies? Variety, man. The spice of life, as I hear it.

There's no reason to not do both, assuming you have access to cold water for the trout option.

I'm discovering that the great thing about being retired is that I can fish smallies one day, and trout the next.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

I have been done trout fishing for a few weeks until fall but there's "ALOT" of guys still trout fishing.

 

[Fredrick]

tomitrout wrote:
So now the cutoff for 'ethical' trout fishing is a stream that remains below 60 for the entire year?

These are streams you don't need to check temps on .

 

[Fredrick]

3oh4 wrote:
I agree with leaving trout alone that are in summer survival mode but I disagree with calling people who only target trout "snobby".

I only trout fish these days but I have a handful of streams and tailwaters to fish in the summer months that stay frigid. I just don't enjoy targeting warm water fish such as bass like I did in my teenage days.

People who only fish for trout are in most cases the ones who walk to the stream with a thermometer if there isn't year round cold water for their fishing fix instead of fishing for other species.

 

[tomitrout]

Quote:

tomitrout wrote:
So now the cutoff for 'ethical' trout fishing is a stream that remains below 60 for the entire year?

These are streams you don't need to check temps on .

Right....so now if one thinks they need to check a water temp, then they shouldn't be fishing for trout at all?

The mere fact that someone is using a thermometer to help them make their go-no go decision now makes them an unethical angler in your view?

 

[Fredrick]

tomitrout wrote:

Quote:

tomitrout wrote:
So now the cutoff for 'ethical' trout fishing is a stream that remains below 60 for the entire year?

These are streams you don't need to check temps on .

Right....so now if one thinks they need to check a water temp, then they shouldn't be fishing for trout at all?

The mere fact that someone is using a thermometer to help them make their go-no go decision now makes them an unethical angler in your view?

No, if you know the temps are high to the point were you need to check its time to punch in your WW time card . The temps may be good when you are fishing but what about the rest of the day or the day after or before . And by you catching those fish when they are in thermal refuge mode you just made that's trout's chances of survival allot less then what they were before .

So like I was saying why chance it just jump onto the WWI team int:

 

[NewSal]

Im a trout snob. If water temps are too high I go swimming, warm water fishing doesn't tickle my fancy

 

[geebee]

I have been float tubing for bass for weeks.

SE PA waters have been too low for trout for the last year IMHO.

yesterday I even played golf.

I might hit VC if we get a mild day, but otherwise trout fishing is becoming a vacation or winter sport.

 

[ryansheehan]

I fish for trout year round and pretty much exclusively. I don't like fishing ww, have done plenty of it just don't like it anymore. Call me a snob, I couldn't care less. I will do with my limited time what makes me the most
happy and you can do the same. I will take the four tailwaters I fish over smallies any day.

 

[Fredrick]

ryansheehan wrote:
I fish for trout year round and pretty much exclusively. I don't like fishing ww, have done plenty of it just don't like it anymore. Call me a snob, I couldn't care less. I will do with my limited time what makes me the most
happy and you can do the same. I will take the four tailwaters I fish over smallies any day.

So I take it your tailwaters stay cold all year long ?

 

[ryansheehan]

Fredrick wrote:

ryansheehan wrote:
I fish for trout year round and pretty much exclusively. I don't like fishing ww, have done plenty of it just don't like it anymore. Call me a snob, I couldn't care less. I will do with my limited time what makes me the most
happy and you can do the same. I will take the four tailwaters I fish over smallies any day.

So I take it your tailwaters stay cold all year long ?

Yup