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A PSA (Piscatorial Service Announcement) for trout anglers


A bragging-sized rainbow taken beneath a setting sun on Tennessee's Clinch River. But if water temperatures climb too high, anglers should think twice about catching and releasing trout. (Photo: Richard Simms)
A bragging-sized rainbow taken beneath a setting sun on Tennessee's Clinch River. But if water temperatures climb too high, anglers should think twice about catching and releasing trout. (Photo: Richard Simms)
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July is here. Soon there will be cookouts and barbeques to celebrate Independence Day, usually accompanied by warm summer weather. The warmer summer weather is what we are worried about today, especially as trout anglers.

I have been talking to angler friends out west who are experiencing exceptional drought and record high temperatures in Colorado, Montana and Idaho just to name a few states. This made me think about the conditions we have in the South every year and what I do during hot summer weather.

Let me preface this statement by saying this is for catch-and-release trout anglers. If you are a catch, keep and cook type of angler, which is perfectly acceptable, it may not apply to you. If, however, you prefer catching trout and then watching them swim away, pay attention.

You should not fish for trout when the water is too hot. There are several reasons for this.

First, let us define what is warm water for trout. At 65 degrees (Fahrenheit), you need to become concerned. This is getting into the danger zone temperature wise. In my opinion, in 68 degree water or above, catch-and-release anglers should not be trout fishing.

Rainbow trout can survive in water temperatures up to 77 degrees but they stop growing at 73 degrees. This varies by species, with brown trout being able to survive higher temperatures than rainbows and brook trout being the most sensitive species to warm water, not being about to survive above 72 degrees. These higher temperatures stress the trout.

Second, warmer water has less dissolved oxygen. This causes problems for the trout. It stresses the fish and then add the stress of being caught, warm water, and the fish will probably not survive no matter how carefully you handle it.

With that being said, most of our cold tailwaters will stay under 65 degrees year-round. However, the further you go downstream from the dam, the water begins to warm up, so check the water temperatures where you are fishing.

In addition, the further downstream you go, there will be less dissolved oxygen. There are times when even the tailwaters get just too warm and for catch and release anglers.

If you are fishing mountain streams, carry a thermometer and take the water temperature. Mountain streams can remain cooler due to the tree canopy and the spring water that usually flows in, but these waterways can also become too warm very quickly.

So maybe it is too hot to trout fish. What is an angler to do?

Try going to a local creek, pond or lake for warm water species like bream and bass. Carp love warm water and so do gar. All of these fish are fun to catch and provide an opportunity to get out fishing. Once the weather cools off in the fall you can go back to catching and releasing trout.

Lee Wulff said “Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once.”

So, if you practice catch and release, know when it will work and when it will not.

(Robert Prytula is a professional trout guide co-host for the "Tony Sanders Outdoors" on WGOW affectionately known as 'The Trout Professor." He is the East Tennessee Representative for the Mid-South Fly Fishers, past President of the Appalachian Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and a member of the Tennessee Outdoor Writers Association and the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association.)

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