WET WADING ON A HOT SUMMER DAY

The bandito stealing a small brown from the water.

I was able to sneak off on July 4th for a little fly fishing adventure on a local water. The week long 100 degree temperatures sent me to the water for some wet-wading. I expected the river water temperature to be warmer than usual, but it felt too warm. I've been to the river in mid to late August on hot years and witnessed brown trout acting very lethargic, and also finding a few that had died. I think this may be another one of those years where we will lose some trout to warm, less oxygenated water. I saw several fish that already looked to be stressed. I decided to stop fishing sooner than I wanted to hopefully not stress the fish anymore than they already seemed to be.

 

I managed a couple of fish and had a few that took a peek at my offering, but for the most part, the fish just didn't want to play.

 

I did enjoy the wet-wading even though I expected cooler water. All of the typical places that snow melt runoff enters the river were pretty low. The lower water and large exposed rocks sure heat up quick and add to the waters warmness. This particular river has a lot of brown trout and the brown trout seem to handle the warmer water temps a little better than other species of trout. This river also runs through a canyon with a good gradient. The riffles and cascades keep the water churned and oxygenated. Hopefully, this will help keep the majority of the trout alive until some cooler weather comes our way. The Wasatch Front is entering the hottest time of the year. This makes me a little nervous for my fishy friends.

Wet-wading on a hot day is the only way to fish.

Typical brown trout for this river--although, bigger ones can be found.

Fly fishing always puts a smile on my face!

I might have to start fishing some of the higher elevation streams where the nighttime and daytime temperatures are about 10 to 15 degrees cooler. No reason to add to the stress of the fish by chasing them up and down the river.