Weekly Round-Up: Hot-Weather Trout Handling
We're heading into a long, hot summer (the best kind of summer) and as water temperatures climb it's time to assess our fishing opportunities.
I’m fresh off the plane from Belize as I write this, having landed at 0200 yesterday morning after a long delay in DFW. On the upside, I found strong coffee and got a lot of work done in the airport, so that was a win. On the downside, I’ve slept something like four hours a night the past two days, so please excuse any rambling. I fell asleep working last night with The Guns of Navarone playing on my laptop in the background (never owned a television; never really wanted one). Too many articles on deadline, not enough time! I’m wrapping up and filing a few pieces on this most recent trip to Belize, and busy prepping for a slew of upcoming shoots in both 2025 and well into 2026.
I have about a week here at home base in Missoula, then hop on another plane and bounce over to Iceland to see my friends at Fish Partner. We’re going to have a busy few weeks, shooting and fishing two of their lodge operations, so stay tuned for a couple weeks of reporting from trout / char / salmon land in the Land of Fire and Ice. I had a stellar time visiting Fish Partner’s Battle Hill Lodge in September 2023 for sea-run brown trout, and can’t wait to see what fish, adventures, and images are in store this time.
For now, however, my few days at home are a routine of gym-work-walk-pool-meal prep-sleep. Rinse and repeat. I’m always delighted when I’m home long enough to hit the grocery store and actually cook, and all around me Montana is swinging into the full-bore summer tourist season. Suddenly it’s mid-June… cliche as it is, the days are flying by.
Handling Trout in Hot Weather: What You Need to Know
Summer’s here and the days are getting hot. Here are a few tips on how to know when it’s time to call it a day and leave the trout alone.
For many anglers, summer brings out the best in us. Early dawns and late sunsets mean more time on the water, we can stow away the waders and wet wade, and trout eat dry flies with an urgency that’s only matched by our own enthusiasm riverside lunch spreads. Summer was made for fly-fishing, but while those hot summer days might not bother warmwater species such as bass or perch, warm water temperatures can pose a danger to trout.
Trout are considered a coldwater species, and typically thrive in water temperatures ranging from 54 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Once water temperatures begin to crest over 70 degrees, trout become stressed, and when compounded with the stress of being played for too long while being caught, that stress can be fatal.
Water temperature often reaches its highest points in the late summer months, when lakes and rivers have had long, hot days under the sun, soaking up the thermal heat. If you’re fishing for trout in a region where water temps are pushing into the mid-60s and higher, this is a great time of year to let the trout rest and consider chasing warmwater species such as carp, bass, perch, bluegill, and pike, all of which tolerate warm temperatures better than trout.
But if you’ve been planning the trip of a lifetime to chase trout, there are still a few steps you can take to help mitigate the risk of overstressing the fish.
Go Early, Leave Early
Consider putting on the water at dawn, when water temperatures can be cooler after an overnight drop, then get off the water by early afternoon, which is when many rivers begin to heat up again. You’ll stay more comfortable fishing during the cooler part of the day, and you’ll likely catch the morning hatch. Then pull off the water in time for an afternoon siesta.
Hike High
Ambitious anglers can find success hiking into high-altitude lakes and streams, where water temperatures tend to stay cooler even during the hottest summer months. As a bonus, you’ll likely leave behind summertime crowds on popular rivers, and have more open water to yourself. High country trout are different beasts than their lowland counterparts, often more aggressive and willing to take a fly. Embrace the experience and seek a new adventure high in the mountains.
Carry a Thermometer
Keep a thermometer in your pocket or in the boat bag. It’s an interesting science experiment to test the water temps every few hours (a great project to put kids in charge of!) and you can monitor when water temperatures pop into a range that’s just too high for responsible trout fishing (typically over 70 degrees Fahrenheit).
Land Fish Quickly
When you do hook up, don’t play the trout for too long. Consider rigging up with one size stronger leader / tippet so you’re not worried about breaking the fish off. This isn’t the time for finesse; get the fish into the net, keep it in the water while you slip the hook out, ensure it’s revived, and then let it go. The faster you play the fish, the less stress it receives. A savvy guide will instruct their anglers to help the process along.
Keep ‘Em Wet
You’ve likely seen bumper stickers or social media posts with the phrase “KeepFishWet.” This campaign centers around a simple principle: fish belong in the water. Forget the grip-and-grin hero images; get creative with photographing your fish half in the water, be it in the net or handheld. Most modern smartphones are waterproof, and high-quality waterproof housings are available for a very reasonable price, providing anglers a stellar opportunity to start playing with underwater photography. Images of fish in the water are far more interesting than the outplayed grip-and-grin, and keeping the fish in the water with minimal handling can improve a stressed trout’s chances of survival immensely.
Take Care of Yourself
When the fishing is good, it’s easy to focus entirely on the next rise and forget one of the most important factors in a good day of fishing: managing yourself! When the weather is hot, it’s important to keep hydrated. Aim to drink plenty of water, adding in an electrolyte blend once or twice throughout the day. Slather on sunscreen often (especially if you’re wet wading) or cover up with sun-protective long sleeves and long pants. You’ll stay more comfortable, maintain fishing performance, and come off the water feeling better—especially important if you’re heading off to celebrate a successful fishing day with friends!
2026 Hosted Trips
In case you missed it last week, I’ve added a few hosted trip destinations for 2026:
Estancia Laguna Verde (Jurassic Lake), Argentina: January 24-31, 2026
Bolivia Heli-Fishing (Trophy Golden Dorado): June 28-July 5, 2026
Estancia Laguna Verde 2026
I’ll be returning January 24-31, 2026, with a hosted group. Three slots have already filled with returning guests, so get in touch quickly if you’d like to join us. This is a top-notch lodge in a wonderfully unique fishery. Expect some of the world’s best guides, excellent lodging and food, a stellar lodge team, and wonderfully large, healthy rainbow trout in an environment that will make you think you’re fishing on the moon.
This PDF has more details—give it a read, and then get in touch to secure your spot!
January 24 - 31, 2026
Estancia Laguna Verde, Lago Strobel, Argentina
$7,950 (7 nights / 6.5 days fishing)
Bolivia Heli-Fishing For Trophy Golden Dorado
Only ONE SPOT Remaining
I’ve got just one rod left to return to Untamed Angling’s Tsimane Pluma Lodge Heli-Fishing Program June 27-July 4, 2026—an exclusive program in the Bolivian Amazon, designed to target trophy golden dorado. We’ll have the opportunity to fish not only for large dorado but also pacu, yatorana, and even moturo, in incomparable quantity and quality. The rivers and tributaries where we will fish every day are wild, untouched waters seldom seen by human beings.
Read more info HERE about this limited trip.
June 27-July 4, 2026
Tsimane Pluma Lodge, Bolivian Amazon
$17,250 ($16,000 plus $1,250 indigenous Indian fees)
Want to learn more about any of these trips?
Send me a DM on social media or shoot over an email.
Q&A
Keep on sending in your questions via Instagram or by commenting by clicking the button below. Each week I’ll pick one and give a longer, more thought-out answer here than those I give on Instagram.
This week’s question came in via email.
Q: I want to book my first fishing trip at a lodge, but I don’t know how to find the right place. Please help.
A: Congrats on being ready to book your first destination fishing trip! Welcome to a fun—slightly addictive—world. First question first: what species are you wanting to chase? Do you have other things you’d like to do on your holiday other than fish (maybe sightsee, dive/snorkel, hike, experience new foods?). Are you looking for an all-inclusive lodge experience, or want to book your own lodging and meet up with your guide every day in a more à la carte experience? Do you prefer freshwater or saltwater? All of these factors go into narrowing the field of potential destinations.
Once you’ve narrowed down by answering a bit of the above, spend some time exploring! Instagram is actually a great way to check out potential lodges, and a good old internet search will often bring up not only the lodge’s website but also independent reviews. Do a bit of digging, narrow your focus, and then have a lot of fun on your first fishing lodge adventure!
Recently Published
I wrote a forthright piece for The Field Ethos Journal about the good, the bad, and the ugly of fishing in the Darien Gap in Looking For a Few Good Men.
The Big Sky Journal just published a photo essay and article about the romance of Montana summer fishing in their latest issue. Pick it up and give “The Simple Things in Life” a read.
Pick up the winter issue of The Fly Fish Journal for words + images about fly-fishing off Colombia’s Darien Gap.
The Field Ethos Journal recently ran this piece about having a beer on a stormy night in one of Pablo Escobar’s former bars… a life goal I didn’t know I had.
Hook & Barrel ran a gorgeous feature about fishing for large rainbow trout at Argentina’s Estancia Laguna Verde.
It’s not all fishing. I recently penned a hotel review on the exquisite Langham in Boston for travel industry B2B publication Travel Market Report.
Pick up the latest issue of American Fly Fishing and peek at the cover. I shot this image of friend Jackie Jordan on the Battenkill River in Vermont nearly ten years ago. Peek inside the issue for a photo feature on New England fly fishing (and some unexpected adventures you can find in the region’s waters).
Read the latest issue of Fly Fisherman magazine for an article and images on the Golden Dorado River Cruiser, as well as a series of images from Colombia’s Darien Lodge accompanying an article from fly-angling great Jeff Currier.
Photography on the Water: Help Your Buddy Nail the Hero Shot ran on Epic Fly Rod’s blog this past week.
In Mind the Gap: Fly Fishing the Darién Gap for InsideHook, I talked about the realities of pelagic and inshore fly fishing off Colombia’s northwest coast in the famed Darién Gap.
Hopping cargo planes filled with concrete and beer in order to go fishing? Sounds like an Australian thing. Read Concrete, Beer, and the American in The Tom Beckbe Field Journal.
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