HEAT WAVE!- PLEASE TAKE NOTE

(my image: dark blotches on the bottom of image are hundreds of wild Atlantic Salmon all pooled up on Quebec's Dartmouth River by a cold water spring during a nasty and unusual drought and heat wave years ago)

PLEASE TAKE NOTE!. We are going into a 9 day plus run of temperatures in the mid 90's F, A VERY RARE SUSTAINED HEAT WAVE FOR MICHIGAN! ( what else could possibly happen this year right? 😟)...PLEASE! refrain from trout fishing since most streams will heat up in mid/upper 70's F . I have worked a few days in a row this week with biologist Tonello of the DNR where he and his FERC staff have notified Consumers Power to turn on the bottom- draw bubbler at Croton and elsewhere ( Manistee/ Mio- don't know the situations there so you should inquire with your local DNR biologists) They (Consumers Power) don't always do it according to the rules and always need a strong nudge to get them up and running ) which we did and they had the thing up and running yesterday at Croton on the Muskegon ( notice the huge spike down in temperature on the graph when they turned it on!) It is mandated by FERC law from July 1- thru Sept. 1( Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) Keep in mind this is not a complete cure and fix but keeps water temps down to several degrees and adds dissolved oxygen .They run the things from late in the day through the night to provide a buffer thermal/oxygenated refugee the best they can. Keep in mind that when you are in the 70 F degree range, a matter of 1 or 2 degrees and dissolved oxygen content can make the difference between life and death for trout! The rainbows and browns in the system can tolerate a lot, and will actually feed aggressively when the water temps are in the low 70's as long as dissolved oxygen content is there ( its been going on for my 25 years of guiding). Its the fighting and release they cant handle.

If you must fish, bass. bluegill , carp , perch. musky etc ( even these fish will start to feel it!).....or fish very tiny ice cold groundwater spring creeks that sustain water temps in the mid-upper 50's F, ( they will heat up regardless in the hot sunny afternoons ) And ONLY fish from dawn to no later than 9 am.

We gave had an amazing spring with cold weather, lots of water and lots of thick hatches. The trout grew very large, and its your turn to give back to them and be responsible -PLEASE!!!! ( and don't fish near spring creek tributaries where the trout stack -up clinging to life) I have canceled guide trips for two weeks and ask all responsible ones to do the same, which many have already done!
Also, on another note, have a happy and safe socially distanced 4th of July! This thing ain't over with yet and being stupid is no way to end it! We didn't ask for this mess, but we sure as hell have total control in stopping it! Looking at what just happened down south/out west when arrogance and ignorance dominate behavior - enough said...cheers! ( sorry for the preach!, but if it saves an every human or trout life, those lives matter!)
 #troutunlimited #atlanticsalmonfederation #internationalfederationofflyfishers #michiganDNR Kirk Deeter Martin Silverstone #PMTU #Schremswesternmichigantroutunlimited Ross Purnell

Posted in: gray drake lodge , michigan 4th July Heat Wave , michigan fly fishing , muskegon fly fishing