Keep Em Alive: Should You Stop Fishing When Water Temps Hit 65?

by Mark McGlothlin on July 8, 2015

in Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Just finished a quick conversation with a friend in Missoula (Montana native, 3rd generation fly fisher, working guide) who had what he described as ‘colorful’ interactions with two parties of fishers on the lower Blackfoot over the holiday weekend.

Both groups were fishing in the late afternoon well after the 2 PM hoot owl restriction started, with water temps peaking over 72 and spending a notable part of the day above 70.

(From the graph below, temps have notable improved due to weather changes from the 5th on – flows are still painfully low…)

blackfoot_Temps_longwkend

From the story it appears the fishers, fueled (at least in part) by testosterone and cheap beer, didn’t take well to some directly delivered constructive suggestions about not fishing to temperature-stressed fish in low flows.

There’s been a respite this week in terms of temperature and humidities, though there’s a lot of summer yet to come. We’re glad to hear that at least some of the guide community is talking once again about the ethics of fishing the more heat-challenged waters during summers like this.

Montana TU has chimed in with a very nice Angling During Drought page, well worth a read just for the general principles they outline.

Should you stop fishing when water temps hit 65? If temps have been peaking over 70 and spending a good part of the day there , we say hell yes, stop fishing, have a beer, go get a greasy cheeseburger and work on your great American novel.

Better yet, be on the water when the sun cracks the horizon – that was 5:43 in Bozeman this morning. The world still has dew on it that early, the vast majority of your fellow fishers will still be sleeping it off and your fish will be looking up to start the new day.

MTU_AngDroughCut