Syracuse.com - Warm weather impacting CNY in-land trout streams

[HuntingNY-News]

The reality, though, is that it is mid-July and streams normally drop and get warmer this time of year.

Dick Blume/The Post-StandardSkip Adams, who is the Episcopal bishop of Central New York, trout fishes in Skaneateles Creek earlier this year.

Many local, in-land trout streams – particularly the smaller ones -- are taking it on the chin lately due to the lack of rain.

“We haven’t had a reports of trout mortality yet, but this continued hot weather without much rain is setting things up,” said David Lemon, the regional fisheries manager from the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Cortland office. Trout need cool water to survive, he said.

He said as the water level in the inland streams drop and the temperatures continue to go up, fish tend to concentrate in the deep holes -- particularly spots that are spring-fed and shaded. A further decrease in the water level would make them more vulnerable to predators, such as herons and raccoons – and anglers.

Lemon said when it’s this warm anglers should keep in mind that a caught fish is in most cases a dead fish, because of the stress of the hooking and fight put on them.

If you’re not going to keep the fish, he said, “be careful and keep them in the water as you unhook them.

The reality, though, is that it is mid-July and streams normally drop and get warmer this time of year. Nine Mile Creek, for example is among those streams able to withstand this type of weather, primarily because of its large amount of cool water from springs constantly pouring into it, Lemon said.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog