Hot temps can hinder fishing

A few days ago, the optimal tide for inshore fishing was in the early afternoon. With the heat index above 100 degrees, Brody and I had not fished for a couple of days. It was just too hot.

 

So, on Thursday, Brody and I decided to fish for the first hour or so of the incoming tide. We figured the influx of cooler ocean water would trigger the fish to bite.  

 

We launched the skiff about 1:30, just as the tide began to rise. At the dock, the surface water temperature was 88 degrees. As we ran the skiff into the Wando River, the water temperature dropped to 87.5 degrees. It was just too hot for man, dog and fish.

 

Brody was drinking water nonstop and there was very little shade created by the skiff. He looked miserable.

 

So, I rigged a beach towel between the console grab rail and a Yeti cooler on the deck. It looked wonky but it created a shady spot for Brody.  

 

With Brody safely in the shade, I decided to fish in open water around depth transitions from 2 to 15 feet.

 

My theory was predators would hang around in the deeper and cooler water then move shallow when ready to feed. It was a sound theory but not one told the fish.

 

I did catch a few trout in 15 feet of water by slowly bouncing a Z-Man Finesse TRD along the bottom. Brody looked reasonably comfortable in the shade, so I kept on fishing.

 

As the flow of the incoming tide increased, the water temperature dropped to 87 degrees. The bite began to turn on. Trout, ladyfish and redfish moved out of the deep and into the shallows to feed.

 

After releasing several fish, the heat began to take a toll on me. I asked Brody if he wanted to go home. He immediately jumped up and moved to the console where he sits when we are underway. I took that as an emphatic yes.  

 

Back at the house, Brody took a nap under an air conditioning vent. Watching him sleep, it occurred to me that it was too hot to take him fishing.

 

So, in the dog days of summer, Brody and I will only fish in the early mornings and late evenings.