Nebraska has fish species that thrive in cold water, warm water and everything in between. In the heat of summer, though, compromises sometimes must be made just to get fed — and survive.
The behavior of fish species during the summer is information anglers could use to conquer tough fishing days of July and August.
Coldwater species like trout can’t survive when water temperatures get too warm. But warmwater species like largemouth bass and channel catfish, which can survive Nebraska winters, are at their metabolic peak when water temperatures are their warmest.
The metabolism rates of Nebraska fish increase as temperatures rise. During the heat of summer those fish eat more food than when the water is cooler. They must eat more to fuel higher metabolism rates.
Daryl Bauer, fisheries outreach program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, said finding cold and coolwater species during the summer is not as simple as finding cooler water.
“Those species may prefer areas where they can find water temperatures closer to their ideal, but they still must find food,” Bauer said. “If they can find enough prey in or near water at ideal temperatures, they can grow fast and fat.”
He said they often are forced to compromise and stay in warmer waters where there is prey. Even near lethally warm temperatures feeding activity will continue right up to the point where they die.
Fishing becomes more difficult during the heat because that’s when the entire aquatic food chain is functioning at peak productivity. The abundance of a variety of natural prey for the fish anglers are trying to catch peaks during the summer.
“In some cases, all a fish needs to do to find something to eat is almost literally just open its mouth,” Bauer said.
Summer fish feeding activity can be summed up in two words — intense and brief.
“Fish capture all the prey they need in a short period of time, then they conserve energy until the next feeding window,” Bauer said.
Bauer says successful fishing strategies during the summer heat will be to spend as much time as possible fishing during prime times — typically the low light of early and late in the day, perhaps after dark.
“Fish that are activity feeding are always easier to catch than those who are not,” he said.
Bauer says anglers should identify the spots where the fish they are pursuing are likely to feed; there should be an abundance of prey there. Then, they should plan to be on those high-percentage spots at prime times and be ready to take advantage of brief feeding frenzies when they occur.
Fish often become most selective when prey is abundant. Bauer says it can be critical to match the size, shape and behavior of the prey on which the fish are feeding when that prey is abundant.
Faster retrieves often work better during the summer heat and peak abundance of natural prey. Why? Panicked, fleeing prey items become easier targets for fish to catch, and fast retrieves give the target species less time to identify phony presentations.
Nebraska fish from least tolerant of warm water to most tolerant
The following is Daryl Bauer’s list of some common Nebraska fish species, from least tolerant to warm water to most tolerant:
Trout
Northern pike (especially large pike)
Muskellunge
Wiper (especially large wiper)
Yellow perch
Walleye
Sauger
Smallmouth bass
Blue catfish
Crappie
Bluegill
Largemouth bass
Channel catfish
Redear sunfish
Flathead catfish
Common carp