It's July 4th weekend and a lot of you will no doubt be heading to the rivers and stream to get some 'much needed' fishing in. Here in the central New York/ Salmon River area we have had a couple weeks now of warm to outright hot weather and virtually no measurable rainfall. The streams are quite low and water temperatures are warm. When water temperatures hit 68 degrees both rainbow and brown trout get stressed. If the water temperature continue to rise and gets in the 75-78 degree range for an extended period, it can be fatal for both species of trout. This means that trout in most rivers and streams are prone to heat stress and are weakened. Here are a few tips to help our trout fisheries from the New York State DEC.
1. Avoid catch and release fishing for heat stressed trout. Trout already weakened by heat stress are already at high risk of death no matter how carefully they are handled.
2. Don't disturb trout when they are gathered in unusually high numbers. It is likely these fish are recovering from heat stress on a pocket of cold water.
3. Fish early. Stream temperatures are at their coolest in the early morning.
4. Go to plan B. Have an alternate fishing plan ready in case the water temperatures are too high at your intended destination. Consider fishing a body of water that is less prone to heat stress or fish for a more heat tolerant species like smallmouth bass.
Tight lines
