The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is reminding fishing enthusiasts that trout and salmon are cold water species and they experience physical stress when stream temperatures climb above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Summer heat waves impose serious stress and can even cause death. Trout and salmon that are already heat-stressed may not recover after being caught and released.
You can help these fish survive the summer by following a few simple tips:
– avoid catch-and-release fishing for heat-stressed trout. Trout already weakened by heat stress are at risk of death no matter how carefully they are handled.
– don’t disturb trout where they have gathered in unusually high numbers. It is likely that these fish are recovering from heat stress in a pocket of cold water.
– go to Plan B. Consider fishing waters less likely to get too warm, or fish for a more heat-tolerant species like smallmouth bass.
– fish early. Stream temperatures are at their coolest in the early morning.
