Over the last 2 years, I have stopped fly fishing from late June until mid-August, sometimes a bit later if the water temperature is still over 20°C.
This is not just because it’s hot and too bright for me; check out the list below of pros and cons of fishing in the heat versus fishing in the cold. Bear in mind this is only my opinion and what you do is entirely up to you.
Why Hot Weather Harms Fish:
- Low Oxygen: Warm water holds much less dissolved oxygen than cold water.
- Exhaustion: Stressed, warm-water fish fight harder against exhaustion and take a long time to recover when caught.
- High Mortality: The combination of heat and low oxygen makes fish prone to disease, fungal infections, and death.
- Slow Recovery: Exhausted fish cannot process enough oxygen through their gills during a fight to survive release; you may see a fish swim off to belly up later.
Why is cold weather trout fishing better? I personally think it’s just more fun.
Why is cold weather trout fishing good?
Less Pressure: Fewer anglers brave the cold, leaving fisheries uncrowded.
Higher Oxygen Levels: Cold water holds more oxygen than warm summer water, giving trout more energy when they do feed, meaning when you do hook one, the fight is far more enjoyable.
Far lower Mortality: The combination of colder water and far more oxygen makes fish so much less prone to disease, fungal infections, and death when fishing C&R.
Concentrated Fish: If you find one fish, you usually find more; all of my highest tallies have been from winter fishing, and considering the short days, cold weather proves best. The reason is probably that trout will be concentrated where the water is just that bit higher (deeper water), but don’t let this fool you. In winter, the warmer water can be quite close to the surface, due to wind direction and strength circulating the water, and if the sun is actually hitting the surface, so don’t fish deep all the time thinking you won’t catch higher up as you 100% can.
And don’t forget on a mild day in winter (we are getting more and more of) the trout will still come up for a dry fly.
All in all, I prefer fishing when it’s below 17°C. I personally think it is better; the fish survival rate for catch and release is far higher, and the fight you get from the trout can be so much better.
And like the trout, I don’t like the heat either lol.
P.S. Feedback is fantastic, and I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. You can do this by scrolling to the bottom of this page and using the leave a comment lin