12 replies to this topic

[GoWithTheFloat]

Here's something that I came across this morning. Thought I would share and invite everyone's comments

"Water temperature and trout feeding habits
Are the textbooks right? On-stream experience indicates "no"
by Clive Schaupmeyer
Adapted from The Essential Guide to Fly-Fishing by the author


Trout feed when there is food to be eaten. The amount they eat depends, of course, on their size, availability of food, and on water temperature. Water temperature affects their metabolic rate and desire or need for food. And presumably their eating habits depend on things we don't understand. Temperature is certainly something that we should not get too anal about ... but still it's interesting.
According to many sources, each species of trout has an ideal temperature range in which it feeds the heaviest. But this is likely of more academic interest than practical use to most of us out for the day or away on vacation. If you've just driven across two provinces (or three states) to fish in a famous river and the water temperature is outside of the reported ideal range what are you going to do? Drive home? No. You are going to fish and make the best of it. Perhaps the temperature may explain why we are not hammering them, but what's the sense in moaning about it - eh?
A few years ago I met a man from Rhode Island sitting on a bridge crossing the North Raven River in central Alberta. He was eating a cigar (yes, eating the cigar) and generally taking it easy while waiting for his partner to come off the stream. I had just stopped by the stream to kill an hour or two in the afternoon while waiting for the main event later that evening on another nearby river. (This was the afternoon matinee. Tonight was the full-length feature.)
Neither of us had caught fish in the couple of hours we were both on the water. It was a nice day. He was heading elsewhere the next day and I was anticipating the night shift. We were happy as clams.
Out of the willow-tangled meadows emerged a local angler all bedecked in the latest gear - right out of the catalogues. He inquired how we had faired and then told us he had caught only seven browns and the fish were decidedly off compared to a few days before when he had caught many more. He told us the water temperature was way down and well below the ideal brown trout range and he might as well go home. Clearly not an option for the cigar eater or me.
The survival range for trout is published at 35 to 75 �F (2 to 23 �C). And the optimum feeding range for most trout species is between about 50 and 68 �F (10 to 20 �C). Cutthroats and brook trout feed optimally at slightly cooler temperatures.
I am doubtful about the reported optimum feeding temperature ranges for trout. On-stream experience does not support the 'facts.' My brother, Gary, has a theory about feeding and temperature: the trend in temperature direction is more important than the actual temperature. At the lower range, he thinks that the exact water temperature is not as important as whether it's getting warmer or colder. If the stream temperature rises from 45 to 50 �F (7 to 10 �C), the trout will get jazzed and increase feeding - perhaps not as aggressively as they might at, say, 60 �F. But if the temperature drops from 55 down to 50 �F (13 to 10 �C) they will go off their feed. So you could have two identical water temperatures in the same creek, perhaps two or three days apart, and the feeding habits could be totally different. It depends on whether the water is getting warmer or colder.
Of course this is complicated by the relative insect activity as well. The bugs may also be turned off by falling water temperatures and therefore will not be as active. So, does trout feeding increase (as the temperature goes up) because they get hungry? Or because there is simply more bug activity?
Gary's theory may or may not be so, but on-stream experience seems to bear this out - sometimes. Trout feed better when the temperature is on the upswing (at the lower range) than they do when the water temperature is falling.
Higher temperatures definitely cause feeding activity to drop off. Trout fishing at lower elevations (and in southern latitudes) can be quite poor when there is a long hot spell. If the water temperature gets too high, the dissolved oxygen content can fall to fatal levels.
There's a final issue about the published temperature and activity ranges for trout. They just don't hold true at the lower end. They imply that trout simply will not eat when the water temperature hovers just above freezing. So why then are we able to catch trout in western streams from November through March when the water temperature is a degree or so above freezing? Sure the fish are sluggish, but they do eat our flies, and I have seen rainbows actually chase nymphs in ice-cold water. (And of course, the reference I found - stating the minimum temperature for survival is 35 �F - is simply wrong. River water can be supercooled to a half degree or so below freezing. The fish are sluggish, but they don't die.)
It gets more interesting yet. Hourly catch rates in winter when the water temperature is barely above freezing are often higher than in spring and summer. Go figure."

[grubman]

I've seen the same. I carry a thermometer in my fishing vest. On a couple of outtings I took the water surface temp at 42F. From my chart that Ontario Out of Doors printed years ago, it was not the ideal temp and the chart stated that it was far too cold for them. Wrong OOoD.

I also set up my rig according to many different magazines and tv shows. Never got a nibble. Then when I went out with another member he showed me his set up and the following outting I got my first steelie.

These so called experts are either pretending to know it all or they are creating misinformation for reasons unknown. The only expert I can trust is someone who has caught alot of trout over many years, and the trout itself. Other then that it's just someone blowin smoke out of their butt.

[GoWithTheFloat]

I've seen the same. I carry a thermometer in my fishing vest. On a couple of outtings I took the water surface temp at 42F. From my chart that Ontario Out of Doors printed years ago, it was not the ideal temp and the chart stated that it was far too cold for them. Wrong OOoD.

I also set up my rig according to many different magazines and tv shows. Never got a nibble. Then when I went out with another member he showed me his set up and the following outting I got my first steelie.

These so called experts are either pretending to know it all or they are creating misinformation for reasons unknown. The only expert I can trust is someone who has caught alot of trout over many years, and the trout itself. Other then that it's just someone blowin smoke out of their butt.

have you monitored the increase in temperatures in a day and noticed an increase in feeding activity ? I did notice a post from Notta Steeler on this topic once that seemed to be consisted.

[grubman]

To be honest, I've never seen it on a really hot bite day. Most of the time I've gone out they are not biting or not many around. I'll consider this theory and take temps in future outings but winter's coming and I can't see the tribs warming up.

[FrequentFlyer]

i've seen it, on cold spring mornings, fishing a pool in the shade first thing, very very slow, but 10 min after the sun touches it, can't keep the fish off my line

[grubman]

I does make sense b/c fish are cold blooded just like reptiles. Once cold blooded animals warm up they become active. I used to have a pet snake, lizards, and caymens. They all needed to warm up before they would get hungry.

[riverhugger]

i've seen it, on cold spring mornings, fishing a pool in the shade first thing, very very slow, but 10 min after the sun touches it, can't keep the fish off my line

I noticed the exact opposite of this this weekend.

I was fishing with a guy (him head, I tail out) on a pool early in the morning. Sun had just come out but was very low in the sky not really casting any light onto the river yet. He hit three in 10 minutes!

We fished together though out the day (yay fishing community!) and noticed that as the sun came up and cast more light on the water we got less and less fish action noticing even less fish moving around as the sun came up.

Was this due to water temps or sun light?

I assume its more due to sun light and clear clear water making them more spookish.

IDK where I am going with this or how it relates to water temp.

XD

[grubman]

But as many animals are naturally timid, this would be more so with trout feeling so exposed in a gin clear river. They may have warmed up and become active, seen one or both of you and got spooked. Instead of warming up to feed they warmed up to be scared/alert of danger. So rule # 1: use stealth when water is clear, expecially when the sun comes out. Less stealth when the water is dirty. Rule #2: always wear natural colours never anything bright, leave neon hoodies at home.....lol.

[FrequentFlyer]

But as many animals are naturally timid, this would be more so with trout feeling so exposed in a gin clear river. They may have warmed up and become active, seen one or both of you and got spooked. Instead of warming up to feed they warmed up to be scared/alert of danger. So rule # 1: use stealth when water is clear, expecially when the sun comes out. Less stealth when the water is dirty. />/> Rule #2: always wear natural colours never anything bright, leave neon hoodies at home.....lol.

greens and browns when fishing in amongst trees and bushes, and blues or greys( for cloudy days) when fishing open areas so you don't get skylined

[Float_On]

greens and browns when fishing in amongst trees and bushes, and blues or greys( for cloudy days) when fishing open areas so you don't get skylined

Colour is not as important as movement.

Any turkey hunter (or GI JOE) will tell you that good camo is important, but a wild animal (or enemy) will notice movement before slight differences in colour.

I got a tip last year on here to try to walk upstream when fishing clear water to stay behind the fish that are likely facing upstream.
When approaching a bank, keep very low, off the horizon to minimize noticeable movement.

[FrequentFlyer]

Colour is not as important as movement.

Any turkey hunter (or GI JOE) will tell you that good camo is important, but a wild animal (or enemy) will notice movement before slight differences in colour.

I got a tip last year on here to try to walk upstream when fishing clear water to stay behind the fish that are likely facing upstream.
When approaching a bank, keep very low, off the horizon to minimize noticeable movement.

http://howtoflyfish....proaching-Trout

great video on how to use stealth

[O.My.Buddy]

Rainbows feed any time all the time...Rainbows are greedy...seen them on the bite on hot sunny July and August days, seen them on the bite -18 in blasting NW wind and snow squall

[Spinninreel]

My experience is that sometimes they will feed like crazy and other times they will not bite anything. I have gone out in the morning and had all kinds of success and nothing in the afternoon, whether lake or river. I find that most fish bite when the air pressure is dropping or stable and bite less when the pressure is going up. Generally speaking, when water temps go down is usually a harder bite then when they go up. Sometimes they stop or start biting and it looks like nothing has changed. It's just the way it goes.