Fishing Articles
Water Temperatures and Fish
Metabolism and temperature go hand-in-hand with
fishing. If the temperature suddenly drops so will the amount of bites
as fish become lethargic and shut down. It's a classic type of natural
pressure.
Timothy Kusherets
The challenge of fishing it trying to time trips with
stable weather fronts. There are many situations where it can take hours
to get to water, which is more than enough time for cold and warm fronts
to move in or out.
In the photograph is a prime example of temperatures plummeting without
any forewarning. The snow began to fall and my mainline kept coating
with a sheen of ice as it's reeled in, which needed to constantly be
shaken or dipped into the water. Ice then began to form on the guides
of the rod requiring constant attention or it would have greatly inhibited
my ability to cast These little aggravations didn't bother me as much
as knowing that any holding fish was going to hunker down and go off
the bite. As temperatures fall they effect the metabolism of fish making
them lethargic and unresponsive to most offerings; however, by adjusting
leader lengths, size of the offering, and making closer casts as visibility
diminishes it’s reasonable to assume that even fish with lock-jaw
will still bite.
Every species of fish responds to temperature changes. All of them
have physiological needs for water temperatuures to fall within a precise
range in order for them to migrate, hold, and propagate. These changes
dictate pressures that will keep fish on the bite or put them off. Anadromous
fish respond to external changes in temperature by as little as two
degrees; when temperatures drop so does their mobility due to slowing
metabolisms. As temperatures rise they become active and go back on
the bite. Extreme temperature changes can put fish off the bite from
waters being too hot to being too cold. Anglers can relatively assume
what temperatures are in the water on levels to figure out when to fish
for each species of fish.
The simplest way to figure out temperature changes is to watch the weather
and for impending falling precipitation, especially in areas that has
not had measurable rainfall for an extended period of time. Water can
be monitored with floating temperature gauges meant for daily fishing;
this tool is helpful for figuring out how long leaders will have to
be presented in order to garner strikes. The warmer it is the longer
the leader should be, which properly presented can make a fish swim
over to it. The colder the water is the shorter the leader must be to
entice holding fish. Just remember, metabolism and temperature go hand-in-hand
with fishing. If the temperature drops so will the amount of bites.
The warmer it gets the more strikes can be expected. Having to adjust
fishing tactics is part of the norm when it comes to recreational angling.
Adjustments that need to be made is largely dependant on the season
and species of fish.
© Timothy Kusherets 2008/09 Copyrighted
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