Too cold?

[wildtrout2]

I'm wondering what the general consensus is regarding winter trout fishing? Does the very cold water and having to put up a fight put added strain on a trout during the winter? I always wondered about this, as I don't fish during the cold months.

 

[attackone]

i think they main problem u have to watch for in taking them out of the water and having their gills freeze

 

[mike_richardson]

I agree. Time out of water is the main issue. I try to only let them out of the water for a few seconds then return them. I also try to keep fights to a minimum as to not have them exert a lot of energy that they need to survive with the decreased food supply.

I am not sure that you need to keep fight times down during the months but I would think that it would be a better idea.

 

[troutbert]

Trout are far more likely to get stressed in warm water temps than in cold. Cold water holds much more oxygen than warm water.

 

[Chaz]

Gills Freeze, that's the first time I've ever heard that. They would go into stasis before their gills would freeze.
I won't fish a stream that has ice along the edges and I won't fish when my guides freeze. Cold weather is no concern for trout unless anchor ice is involved. Even anchor ice is uncommon in most of the Commonwealth. As long as the water in a stream is flowing there's seldom anchor ice.

 

[wgmiller]

I think the cold weather has more of an effect on us humans than it does the fish. They are coldwater fish after all...

 

[sandfly]

anchor ice here chaz, on the smaller streams. 6+ inches of snow in the higher altitudes. snowing off and on for the past 4 days. lots of ice and snow and abominables, and polar bears and CABIN FEVER !

 

[gaeronf]

The biggest problem I notice when fishing in the cold is getting sick afterwards...

 

[attackone]

Chaz wrote:
Gills Freeze, that's the first time I've ever heard that. They would go into stasis before their gills would freeze.
I won't fish a stream that has ice along the edges and I won't fish when my guides freeze. Cold weather is no concern for trout unless anchor ice is involved. Even anchor ice is uncommon in most of the Commonwealth. As long as the water in a stream is flowing there's seldom anchor ice.

sorry thought i read somewhere if it was really cold out and if u kept them out of the water for to long that their gills would freeze

 

[JackM]

I am not sure of gills freezing, but at temps too low, the trout are under metabolic stress just as they are in too warm conditions.

 

[wildtrout2]

JackM wrote:
... but at temps too low, the trout are under metabolic stress just as they are in too warm conditions.

This is basically the thinking I had coming up with this thread.

 

[Chaz]

I wasn't picking on you Attackone, I was just curious about the gills freezing. During the ice season many an angler lays trout or other fish on the ice while still fishing. They will just lay there, if you put them back into the water they come back to life, for how long it's anyones guess. Not that I'd do that, if it's out of the water it's going to be cooked. But I usually buy my fish.