Too Hot

That was the temperature on the Connecticut River’s Trophy Stretch yesterday morning, taken by NH Fishing Guide Mickey Cunliffe. Simply put, that water’s too hot to safely catch and release trout and salmon, and it’s irresponsible to fish water in these conditions if you’re an angler. Fishing and releasing fish in water over 62 degrees is dangerous to trout and salmon.

Fish are stressed enough after being caught and released by us under good conditions, never mind when the water is this warm, and a fish released under these conditions stands little chance of surviving their ordeal. The options? Find cooler water that is more conducive to the long term survival of the fish we catch and release, or take the day off from the river and go golfing or get things done around the house.

The good thing here in northern New Hampshire is that we have an excellent alternative in Murphy Dam. The water temp here rarely goes above 60 degrees, and remains the coldest water in the state, deep in to the summer. The fishing can be difficult here, as any angler familiar with this area will attest – the trout can be exceptionally picky, but a good angler never runs away from a challenge …

Even below the junction with Indian Stream, the water temp on the Connecticut is approaching 65 degrees, so warming river temps are a concern anywhere a major tributary is joining the river. If you can comfortably wet wade, or notice that the water is noticeably warmer with your waders on, it could be too warm to fish – get out your thermometer and take a temp and you’ll know for sure.

We all want to catch fish, but we need to protect the resource too, or there might not be any fish to catch at all.

UPDATE: The water temperature on the Connecticut River below the junction with Indian Stream has moderated back to 59 – 60 degrees, as of Thursday morning, August 11. The rising temperatures in this section earlier this week were undoubtedly due to hot and humid weather, as well as several heavy rainstorms that dumped warm water in to the system. Please take a temperature when going to fish any river in August, especially the Trophy Stretch. We might need consistent cooler nighttime temperatures to see a downward change in this stretch.