Outdoors

Go deep, keep cool for summer angling

Fish don't like it hot, but that doesn't mean summer is off limits for hauling in good catch.

By DAVID A. BROWN
Published July 21, 2007

The dog days of summer have sunk their teeth into the area angling scene. Fish and fishermen feel the heat and if you think living in the water means constant coolness, think again.

Fish have one basic tactic for temperature modification - depth.

Temperatures will rise and fall most rapidly in shallow water. Deep water heats and cools, too, but it takes longer to change the temperature at 4 feet than 10 inches.

Picture a glass of iced tea. Pouring room temperature tea over ice cubes and sipping slowly fills your mouth with cool liquid. That's because the ice floats up and cools the top end of the glass almost immediately.

A fast guzzle, however, brings up the warm tea from the bottom of the glass.

The analogy works in both temperature directions. When it's hot outside, the deeper water will be cooler, while cold months mean warmth increases with depth. All things being equal, it's about stability - fish avoid the extremes to maintain a livable scenario.

This time of year, when midday heat simmers shoreline shallows into a briny broth, your best luck may await in a nearby trough, cut or deeper grass bed.

Live shrimp under popping or rattling corks may entice gamefish to rise topside, but you'll find better success with jigs, suspending twitch baits and soft plastic jerk baits. As the day heats up, probing deeper into the water column usually works best.

Also consider these points when planning your summer fishing trips.

RIGHT TIMES: Sundown through sunup holds the coolest time in a 24-hour period, but you'll have a couple hours of moderate temperatures with soft light before and after darkness. You'll find the most comfortable conditions, and generally the most active fish, during the early-morning and late-afternoon hours.

FLATS AMBASSADORS: Look for mullet, either milling around in loose schools or traveling in scaly columns. Mullet stir up crustaceans and baitfish, which predators like to eat, so their presence usually means gamefish are close.

Mullet are among the sea's hardiest fish, so use their absence as a gauge of potential. If it's too hot for mullet, it's too hot for gamefish.

BAIT CARE: Summer's extreme heat is especially tough on small baitfish such as the scaled sardines ("whitebait") common for snook, trout and redfish pursuits. Baitfish will hold in depths with their preferred temperature, but when anglers net the sardines and carry them into shallower areas, the baitfish may weaken and die in the hot, live well water.

Invest in a strong baitwell pump, possibly even an oxygen infuser to ensure bait health. To alleviate the heat issue, place frozen, bottled water in the well. This adds a cooling element without releasing freshwater into the well.

Also consider that congestion will magnify the stress and weakening effects of heat, so don't stuff your baitwell. Go with half a regular load in the morning, then re-bait at midday and continue fishing with a fresh supply.

Storm effects

Meteorological mayhem is just part of summer life in Florida. Dense, dark thunderheads build quickly so don't get caught off-guard when a hot bite monopolizes your attention.

The good thing about summer storms is their freshening effects. Cool air combined with a good downpour will revive an area that has slumped under the heavy heat of midday. This presents more pleasant conditions for fish and anglers after a storm clears.

But beware of the drawbacks. First, storms mean lightning, so don't push too far on the front side. From snook on the beach to tarpon over deep grass flats, fishing often spikes dramatically within 20-30 minutes of a storm's arrival.

The bite can be incredibly hot, but a lightning bolt is much hotter. Don't risk another hookup when the downdraft is puffing hard and the air turns chilly. The next one might have your name on it.

Also, post-storm air and water temperatures will be lower, which may invigorate fish. But a large influx of rainwater will lower nearshore salinity and stir up the bottom. Both factors can stymie the shallow-water action for a few hours, so you may need to fish deeper until conditions stabilize and the overall heat subsides.

[Last modified July 21, 2007, 07:15:52]