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Cool Tactics for Hot FishIn Summer’s Sizzling Water By Capt. Tony Petrella Rivulets of sweat had drizzled spf40 sunblock into my eyes. I was blind, and it hurt like hell as I stumbled my way to the chest cooler for some cold water to flush the gunk out of my eyes. “Why,” I asked myself, “am I frying on a flats skiff in Bull Bay at one o’clock in the afternoon in brilliant sunshine and 97-degree August heat?” The answer came back to me in an instant. “Because you’re stupid! You know better. Besides, you haven’t caught one danged fish in the past three hours because they’ve got a LOT more brains than you do!” My vision was still blurry when I fired up the Hewes and pondered my foolishness. I’d been working hard. Long hours without any days off for the past few weeks. No time to fish. Just dreams of big snook, bulky redfish and maybe even a tarpon that decided to hang around after the spawn was over. The deck was burning my feet and there was a shimmery haze in the air as I eased the skiff next to the dock at the Placida ramp. The place was empty except for an old-timer leaning against one of the rails. “Motor trouble?” he asked politely. “Uh, no,” I replied. “Just coming in after a day of fishing.” The old man shoved his Braves cap back on his head and looked at me quizzically. “You been out in THIS heat?” “Well, you fish when you can,” I said, stubbornly. “What time’d you wake up this mornin’, son?” “About seven.” “Humph. Shoulda been on the water for two hours by that time!” And he was absolutely correct. Water temperature plays a key role in the success of any angler, any place. It was something I certainly had been very much aware of when planning March steelhead trips in Michigan. Trips where I’d stick the rod into the water to free ice from the solidly frozen guides. I simply never considered that heat can have as much of an adverse effect on fish and fishing as cold. During the past 30 years, I’ve conducted countless seminars on fly fishing for virtually every gamefish that fins-around in North America. And, at every single one of those clinics, I’ve sagely intoned “a thermometer is the most important piece of fishing gear you can own.” How had I forgotten that? Well, I suppose because that particular incident in Charlotte Harbor took place a decade ago, when I was new to fishing in Florida. “Don’t these tropical fish like warm water?” I remember thinking. “Certainly, they do!” Well, like most everything in life, too much of a good thing can ruin you. Consider that over the past 30 years, mean temperatures for the State of Florida in July and August have averaged 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 75 degrees at night. By comparison, February averages 70-degree highs and 51-degree lows. As spring comes March-ing in, those climb to 75 and 57 degrees, respectively. Now consider your fishing techniques when it’s “cold.” I’ve written magazine articles and conducted seminars on winter-time fishing and my advise always is to move the fly “low and slow” because fish are cold-blooded and their metabolism slows way down. Ironically, the same holds true when water temperatures crash past the 90-degree mark. Very few fish—tarpon and mangrove snapper are the exceptions—prefer or even tolerate water that warm. Snook, redfish, bonefish, and even jack crevalle “hit the wall” at 85 degrees. Permit are a little more tolerant. Trout, on the other hand, start looking for deeper, cooler water when the temp hits 80. “All fish have a comfort zone,” says Dr. Aaron Adams, a fisheries biologist who’s the author of two books on gamefishing in southwest Florida, and heads Mote Marine Laboratory’s Charlotte Harbor field office. “They have minimum and maximum tolerances, and because they’re cold-blooded animals, temperature has a direct effect on their physiology. “For instance,” Adams continues, “snook prefer water between 75 and 80 degrees. During the winter, that pushes them onto sunny flats. During the summer, when water temperatures get really hot, those same snook will either move into deeper water or drop into the shade of mangroves to get out of the sun and regulate their body temperature. “Redfish are no different. When it gets too hot, you sure won’t find them in skinny water. They’ll move elsewhere, into deeper water where temperatures aren’t changing rapidly.” What that means to you as an angler is obvious. Look for thermoclines, and keep a sharp eye on the thermometer readings on your depth-finder. If you don’t have one, tie a six-foot cord, or a length of old fly line, to a freshwater trout thermometer and drop it in the water at different depths. Use a black Sharpie to mark the line every foot, and remember to leave the thermometer in the water for a full minute at each depth. If that sounds like “too much work,” remember that it could be absolutely crucial to your fishing success. Next, consider the time of day you’re getting on the water. That old-timer was right on the money when he admonished me for sleeping in. Once the water temps skyrocket in July, my fishing day usually starts around 5am and ends around 10am. Sometimes, you might want to start and end an hour earlier. Fly patterns, as always, are dictated by the prevalent baitfish. Bottom-dwelling gobi and blennies are always good. Glass minnow imitations and threadfin herring also should be in your fly box, along with some crab patterns that you can slowly crawl along the oyster bars. Typically, tides and wind direction/velocity will play an important role in your success. For instance, St. Petersburg Tides, which effect Apalachicola and the water from Tampa to Estero Bay, have early morning incoming tides nearly every day in July. In August, however, most mornings will have an outgoing tide in those areas. Check the tables for the area where you live or expect to fish, and plan your day accordingly. That might mean the last few hours before dark—or even snook under the lights—could be more productive than the crack of dawn. If you have easy access to a computer, another invaluable tool is the National Data Bouy Center (NDBC) web site operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). I loaded http://ndbc.noaa.gov/maps/Florida.shtml into my computer and it immediately pops up as the Home Page when I click onto the Internet. The map of Florida is displayed, with 47 weather observation stations along both coastlines and in offshore water. Simply click on the box in the area you plan to fish. The first thing I check is the latest National Weather Service (NWS) Marine Forecast, which provides a synopsis of frontal boundaries and pressure tendencies, along with small craft advisories, if any. That gives me forecast wind direction and velocity, height of seas, estimations of chop, and the potential for showers or thunderstorms both within 20 nautical miles of the coast, and 20-60 nautical miles offshore. If the forecast seems favorable, I scroll down to the Hourly Readings. Here’s a sample of what that looks like: Previous observationsMMDDTIME
(EDT) WDIRWSPD
ktsGST
ktsWVHT
ftDPD
secAPD
secMWDPRES
inPTDY
inATMP
°FWTMP
°FDEWP
°FSAL
psuVIS
miTIDE
ft05158:00 am ENE810----30.10+0.0470.275.666.0--2.1505157:00 am ENE710----30.08+0.0269.875.765.8--1.7805156:00 am ENE911----30.07+0.0069.875.766.6--1.3305155:00 am ENE1416----30.06-0.0370.775.967.6--1.06 This chart details hourly wind direction (WDIR), wind speed (WSPD), wind gusts (GST), barometric pressure (PRES), rising or falling pressure tendency (PTDY), air temperature (ATMP), water temperature (WTMP)—which is what this whole thing is all about, after all—and dew point (DEWP). The dew point, by the way, is important because if it’s within a few degrees of the air temperature there’s going to be fog. Since the information details the previous 24 hours, you can see what’s actually been happening. But always remember what my flight instructor told me the first day I sat behind the throttle of a Piper Cherokee: “Weather FORECASTS are merely semi-educated guesses.” I review the NDBC chart last thing before going to bed, and first thing in the morning, to try and determine trends in water temperature and winds. As a charter captain, I’ve learned to never cancel a trip based upon forecasts (see above), but this information certainly helps plan my day—or even change it entirely. If it looks like water temps and winds are going to be more favorable in Pine Island Sound, or even Everglades National Park, than the Venice area where I live, that often makes me switch to Plan B if possible. Simply put, there’s a lot more to becoming a consistently successful angler than buying a new TFO rod or the latest-and-greatest fly patterns. Knowing where and when to fish is absolutely critical. So do yourself a favor and make your next purchase a thermometer! >)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) > Capt. Tony Petrella is a Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Casting Instructor who guides out of Venice. He can be reached through www.tightloopsflyfishing.com. |
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