Hot water tips
Kingfisher
Posted 8/12/2010 12:42 AM (#454706)
Subject: Hot water tips




Posts: 1106


Location: Muskegon Michigan		Here are a couple of tips many of us know and some do not. Larger deeper lakes have colder water below the warm top layer. A good hard wind will mix things up and cool down temps. Check those bigger lakes after a hard wind. Shallow lakes warm and cool much faster than deep lakes. Several nights in the 60's and days in the 70's and shallow lakes are back to being fishable. Darker bottom stained lakes get hot faster then clear sand bottom lakes. I am seeing some cooler weather coming in the near future. We really need some cooler weather. Mike
Propster
Posted 8/12/2010 9:33 PM (#454918 - in reply to #454706)
Subject: Re: Hot water tips




Posts: 1901


Location: MN		Amen. Next week might do it. Won't fish until it does.
Mikes Extreme
Posted 8/15/2010 10:42 AM (#455252 - in reply to #454918)
Subject: Re: Hot water tips





Posts: 2691


Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin

The best tip is to leave them alone when it gets over 82 degrees.
 

If you fish for them please consider a water release. This is when you just reach over into the water to unhook the fish as it get to the boat. Most fish will come off when you grab the trebble hook shaft and twist it free. The fish will do most of the work as you hold the hook shaft with a good needle nose. You might have to cut a hook with a nipex if its in a bad place. All can be done in the water without touching the fish most of the time.

 BUT this is way less stress than netting, untangling, unhooking, grabbing, vetical hold out of the net, good hold during pictures and back into the water. Trust me, I have did both for over 25 years.


Wind helps as it mixes up the water but that only warms the lower water more. Try and target the windy side because the oxygen level is better but the surface temps will be higher due to the surface water getting pushed all that way.

 Targeting the calm side will have cooler surface temps but less oxygen in the calm stagnant water.

 Bottom line is catching musky in hot water is not good for them.

 

 I try and target shallow water fish when it's high water temps because they are already in that temperature zone when they get caught. Water releases on these fish go very well.

 Targeting deeper water fish will bring them up from cooler water and into the hot water as they are caught. This will cause all kinds of problems when they are caught and released. Most of them will have trouble going back down to where they were. Staying on top for longer period of time and trying to swim back down but keep comming back up like a bobber. This is why I will not fish deep water fish as water temps heat up over 82 degrees.

 The hard part of not targeting those fish is they are easy to catch trolling. Ethically it is not good for the fish or resource. I just wait the heat out and get back to buisness when it cools down.

The month of July was not that bad around here in Southeastern Wisconsin but as August set in I have only been out twice. Both times were night jobs and all the others were canceled. 82 and up water temps are just too hard on the fish in my opinion.

Sorry if any one on this site was part of my cancellations but I feel the guides are examples for others. Some guides are still going out trolling deep water and doing jobs only caring about the money and jobs. It's sad they are hurting the resource they depend on in the future. I feel like calling them and asking why they guide when most people and other guides are not targeting muskies?

 I have seen and measured 16 dead muskies this season. 6 were over 48-inches. Very sad because they were all on Pewaukee Lake. The last 15 days I have only been on the water 2 nights. I don't even want to see whats all floating around now. Friends that live on the lake have said people are still trolling deep water every day. I can't tell the damage that will cause because most of the fish we will never see. Weed cutters will have them picked up as they float to shore.

IAJustin
Posted 8/16/2010 8:03 PM (#455453 - in reply to #454706)
Subject: Re: Hot water tips




Posts: 2017


how about stopping @ 77.5?
pepsiboy
Posted 8/17/2010 5:58 PM (#455608 - in reply to #454706)
Subject: Re: Hot water tips


anyone have a idea of the water temp difference in lets say 20 feet vs 5 ??
Don Pfeiffer
Posted 8/19/2010 11:36 PM (#455964 - in reply to #455252)
Subject: Re: Hot water tips




Posts: 929


Location: Rhinelander.		why not push to make it a no trolling lake?
dogboy
Posted 8/20/2010 12:13 AM (#455965 - in reply to #454706)
Subject: RE: Hot water tips





Posts: 723


wow mike! that is pretty sad, 6 fish over 48"???

i wanted to write a post about how long does lactic acid take to kill a fish,
wondering if an angler really knows if they are doing harm eventhough they watched the fish kick off strong.
guess weve tried to catch skis in 80 degree water temps before, but never were successful. other than canada one year, only place we found them was tight in the grass and temps were 79-81, fish were absolutely nuts and would kill anything that came their way. but there was no deep water anywhere in the area. maybe 10 ft at the deepest. guess back then i didnt really think that would affect them at all,
but it did blow my mind how hot that water was.
now i see the point to catching the fish in shallow water that they are already adapted to,
due to no shock or swim bladder issues, but thats just insane trolling deep water and pulling those fish to the surface!
those guys have got to know that they are pretty much killing those fish.

i would be having words at the landings with individuals i saw purposefully trolling deep like that. educational words of course!

Kingfisher
Posted 8/23/2010 11:47 AM (#456358 - in reply to #454706)
Subject: RE: Hot water tips




Posts: 1106


Location: Muskegon Michigan		The tips I mentioned were for guys who are like me waiting for water temps to drop. This was in no way a post to tell guys to fish hot water. Deep lakes turn over during high winds mixing up the water and cooling them off. Shallow lakes cool faster and warm faster. During this coming cooler weather shallow lakes will be the first to came back into the temp ranges where we can fish them again. My post was simply to point out to the average angler where to (LOOK ) FIRST. Even on St. Clair there have been areas this season that are away from the flow coming out of the north end(St. Clair River) where temps climbed into the upper 80's making them unfishable. However near the Shipping channel where the water is refreshed all the time from the colder waters of Lake Huron temps are much cooler. Our deeper lakes in the north also have maintained cooler surface temps due to depths of 200 and 300 feet. High winds mix colder water with warmer surface temps. Most experienced anglers know that these bigger deeper lakes take much longer to heat up and much longer to freeze. So what I am saying is when your little 800 acre puddle gets too hot to fish take a look at a much bigger deeper lake especially after a good hard wind. Chances are you will find much cooler water. Rivers also can give you an option for cooler water when smaller lakes are too hot. So instead of just ending your season take a look at some of the bigger lakes in your area. If temps are good go out and fish. If they are too warm try another one. We have some nice coming up next week here in Michigan. Day time temps in the low 70,s and nights in the 50,s. This going to bring water temps down fast in the smaller shallow lakes. The bottom line is this, what does your temp sensor say? If its good? fish if it isnt ?move. Kingfisher
Mikes Extreme
Posted 8/26/2010 6:24 PM (#456874 - in reply to #456358)
Subject: RE: Hot water tips





Posts: 2691


Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin		Good stuff Kingfisher.

I new what your intentions were. I also wanted to help some and explain heat issues to others. Pewaukee lake in Southeastern Wi will get to 80 now and then. Most of the time it's only for a week or so. This season has been hot and calm. No wind made it heat up to 84 at one time. It's back to 78 and lower already.

Every lake is not the same. The question of why I fish up to 82 was thought by some Im sure. Well, with water releases the fish have not showed any signs of exhaustion until the water gets into the 82 degree range. Thats where I notice they will slowly swim away. I believe if I was to net them and handle them it would be far worse.

Now for pictures I stop at around 80.

It's a fine line when you run a guide service and try to be an good example. In a perfect world I guess you should not fish muskies from June to September.

I think guys like Kingfisher are great for this site. This topic is one that is hard to post on because lot's of people BASH the poster but they will not do anything to help others. Information is the key to help everyone who wants to learn.

I see lots of people going up north and fishing in 80+ degree water and taking pictures. I think the key to catching fish in hot water is water releasing them. The net and pictures take a lot out of the fish. Bottom line is do not touch them at all if the water is hot. Release tools are key and boatside "not touched fish" will be better off by a long shot.

The hardest part of the season is letting a real big fish go without a picture. A water picture is just not the same as a good ol properly supported muskie dripping water and slime under a huge smile. A lot of people talk the talk but can you walk the walk if you catch a huge fish and not take a picture of it while fishing hot water? If you can then you can fish that 80 to 82 drgree water in my opinion.