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 Copyrighted
|
