Will oppressive heat result in good fishing this fall?

The Game Room
#1

Follow my thinking here.

It has been hot for a long time; it got very hot early and it basically hasn’t let up since. I expect it to be nastyhot up to or through September.

Casual fisherpersons (self included) are doubtless being kept inside due to the heat. That means that less fish are being harvested than normal, during what would be prime fish harvesting season.

I don’t know how quickly fish grow, but will the reduced harvest during the unusually hot summer months mean that fishing will be better this fall, in terms of available fish and size of fish caught?

#2

I don’t know the answer to your question, but I wanted to drop by because your thread looked lonely. I love fishing with my sons but when its as hot as its been its not as much fun being bored holding a pole.

#3

I know nothing about fishing but there may be a chance that the oppressive heat may have killed off a large number of fish because of the increase in water temperature. Nature has a delicate balance and an increase of even just a few degrees can change the entire ecosystem of a body of water.

Then again, maybe not and fish for all.

#4

A fisheries management type person needs to respond. Harvested fish tend to over-represent “small” sized specimens, and their harvest tends to be a good thing for people hoping to harvest “big” specimens. I don’t know how long this effect takes to be realized, though.

In farm ponds/lakes that have never been fished, it is typical when fishing to find a stunted population.

#5

Good thought, I also wondered about fish dying due to low oxygen levels. No rain, no runoff, no way for oxygen to enter the water? Maybe they’re all hanging out at the bottom where it’s cool.

Good thought. I’d really just be happy to catch anything that feels like a good fight on a medium-light outfit.

#6

Here in Michigan we have had some pike die off due to the heat. The water got so warm in a couple of lakes that the pike moved deeper into colder water. The problem was the O2 levels in the deeper water was insufficient and they died. Im not sure how much of a long term effect this will have.

#7

We’ve been having fish die-offs in my area due to a combination of high water temperatures, ponds drying up, water levels dropping in rivers and lakes, and so forth.

We haven’t been having that in Lake Michigan, which is huge and deep and provides an option for the fish to go to cooler water. On the other hand, there are already fish living in those deeper waters so the shallow/shore fish may be eaten by those deeper fish rather than by human fishermen.

The DNR around here expect fishing catches to drop, not rise.

#8

Ever fish from a kayak? A legal bass can pull you around and is a bit of a challenge.

#9

The oxygen problem is common. It’s a problem that feeds itself as the dead fish decompose more oxygen is consumed. Then there’s some rain, and the cycle starts over.