Trout Fishing and Water Temperature

By Steven Becker

Water temperature, clarity, flow and weather are all external factors that play a big role in how trout behave. Water temperature is a great tool to use when there are no active hatches or visibly feeding fish. Knowing how to read and interpret the results will increase you success.

Thermometers come in the old style analog and newer digital versions. I prefer the digital as it is easy to read with polarized glasses and the numbers are larger. There is generally also an indicator beep when the thermometer has read the temperature instead of guessing with an old style.

The temperature will determine many things that go into your setup and presentation. It will give you the best time of day to fish the water or know when to fish the shade, what style fly and how to present it. Trout are sensitive to temperature changes. Their metabolism will change to optimize their survival. It is important to know how they will act as the water warms and cools as well as the extreme states. Here are the five ranges that we will look at.

1. Less than 50 degrees

#2 – 50-55 degrees

#3 – 55-65 degrees

Zone 4 – 65-70 degrees

5. Greater than 70 degrees

Water temperature will change over the course of a day. Starting cooler and warming as the sun is on it and then cooling off again towards evening. Keep this in mind when choosing when to fish. Colder water is best fished with the sun on it and warmer water is best fished early or late in the day. The middle zone of 55-65 can be fished throughout the day.

The colder the water the more trout will shut down and slow their metabolism. Fish in the first two zones are almost dormant and couldn’t hit a fast moving bait. They are like a car on a cold day. They need to warm up first. To fish them it is best to use nymphs with as little action as possible. Zone 3 is the normal range for trout feeding. You can fish dries, wets, nymphs and streamers at normal speed. Increases in temperature will force the trout to seek water with a higher oxygen content. They will be looking for springs, tributaries or moving water. They will also prefer the shade to the sun – much like us. These fish are best sought with smaller flies and long leaders. If terrestrials are present this is a good time to use them.

This is all part of thinking like a fish. Trout need to seek their comfort zone for optimal survival. Use this guide and you will increase your catch.

The Fishing Geek features a Pocket Guide to Fly Fishingthat features a single page dedicated to water temperature. It includes all the information in the article.

Article kindly provided by UberArticles.com

Topics: Fishing | Comments Off

Tags: beginners fly fishing, Camping, Fishing, fly fishing, fly fishing books, Fly Fishing Gear, hiking, trout fishing using water temperature, water temperature in a trout stream

Reprint Rights

Comments are closed.