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Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Summertime and the living's difficult for trout, salmon
Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||
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"The fish aren't biting today; they're full," is one of my favorites. It's one I've heard frequently while out striper fishing on the Kennebec. "Too much bait in the water, fish aren't hungry," they tell me. What do you mean they're not hungry? They're fish. Of course they're hungry. Or are they? Another one is "It's too hot out, fish won't bite in this weather." Well, if they're hungry, they'll bite, right? It doesn't matter how hot it is. They need to eat. When I'm stuck in the office, instead of out on the water where I'd rather be, I may be miserable but I don't go on a hunger strike. I still need to eat, and so do the fish -- or at least, that's my theory. But even outdoors writers make mistakes, so I decided I'd run my theory by someone official to be sure. I talked with Bobby Van Riper, one of our local fisheries biologist from the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife regional office in Sidney. Tuesday afternoon, Van Riper was cooped up in his office. It was 96 degrees out in Augusta and oppressively humid. I guessed that fisheries biologists, who spend almost every day on the water, would likely be inside on a day like this, happy to be out of the sun. "The fishes' environment dictates where they'll be," said Van Riper. Just like humans, I thought. "Not entirely," said Van Riper. Fish, he explained, are cold-blooded. Their body temperature changes with the temperature of the water around them. Humans, on the otherhand, are warm-blooded and can regulate their own temperature, regardless of what happens around them. We also have the option of wearing clothes, or taking them off. In essence, we can adapt to our environment. Fish can't. The way Van Riper explains it, fish have limited options in the confined area of a lake or pond -- especially salmonids, like trout and salmon, which are particularly sensitive to hot weather. Generally speaking, they can either go up or down. Sometimes feeder streams provide respite from warm water, but in central Maine, spring brook and seepages are relatively rare. If water temperatures reach 80 degrees for an extended time, brook trout will die. Brown trout and salmon are a bit more resistant, but not much. "This is a very stressful time of year for fish. They get bunched up in a narrow sliver of water," says Van Riper. That sliver, he says, is near bottom, but not too close, because the farther down you get in a pond, the less oxygen there is. Bacteria from decomposing organic matter eats up the oxygen, so even if the water temperature is ideal, the fish might not be able to survive. Fish need two things, says Van Riper: good oxygen levels in the water, and suitable water temperatures. Usually, one leads to the other. But in the summer, particularly with the hot weather we've had, that combination is hard to find, so the fish get stressed. "So do they stop feeding when they get stressed?" I asked. "They begin maintenance feeding, rather than opportunistic feeding this time of year," he replied. When fish get stressed because of lack of oxygen or high water temperatures, or both, their metabolisms slow way down. Everything takes more energy, so they have to be careful not to use as much. For fish, it's a matter of life and death. Yes, they still feed, but no, not anywhere near as much as they did earlier in the season. So even if you're putting your lure in front of them, they might not hit. And if they do, the fight might be too much for them to handle. Van Riper's conclusion: this isn't a very good time of year to fish for trout or salmon. But in this part of Maine, we're lucky to have a great alternative: warm-water species, like bass, pickerel, pike, or perch. These fish, says Van Riper, remain active at much higher water temperatures. So when trout fishing slows down in the Belgrades, often, bass fishing continues to be good. A stop at the boat launch at Cobbossee or China Lake proves that theory. Bass boats swarm the lakes like bees, taking advantage of the continued good fishing. That was the long answer, straight from the fisheries biologists. The short answer from your local outdoors writer? Get out there -- there's still some great fishing to be had. n n n If you are fishing this time of year, particularly for stressed trout, salmon or even striped bass on the Kennebec River, take good care of your fish while handling them. During Hallowell Day last weekend, numerous reports came in of belly-up stripers floating like corks down the river. It's a shame to see fish die that go uneaten -- particularly when someday, these might have become the 40 inch trophies we all hope to catch. The fish in Hallowell were likely caught then released dead -- likely outside of the slot limit (20 to 26 inches) or under 40 inches. Warm water means fish are far more likely to die from rough handling. This time of year, it's best to play a fish quickly, then leave him in the water while removing the hook. To make it easier on the fish, pinch down the barb on your hook for a quick release, or try circle hooks with bait. These unique hooks nearly always catch a fish in the lip, making releasing easy. Next year, when the big schools come back and the stripers are that much bigger, you'll be thankful you made the extra effort. Dave Sherwood 621-5648 dsherwood@centralmaine.com |
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