Water temperature
How actively does it feed at this water temperature? Pick the mode first: the same number means a different fish on the way up than on the way down.
Slow · Feeding · Prime
Warming (spring)
Water climbing toward the spawn and on into summer
| Largemouth Bass | Smallmouth Bass | Walleye | Northern Pike | Muskellunge (Muskie) | Trout (Rainbow · Brook · Lake) | Yellow Perch | Crappie | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice water | ||||||||
| 0–2 °C (32–36 °F) | — — Low metabolic demand, not zero feeding. Depth and activity windows depend on local current, oxygen and habitat. | — — Low metabolic demand, not zero feeding. Depth and activity windows depend on local current, oxygen and habitat. | Feeding — Keeps hunting at 0–4 °C (32–39 °F): premier ice fish; short chases, dusk bite | Feeding — Feeds all winter under ice: fewer, larger meals; below ~4 °C (39 °F) in slow motion | Slow — Deep and nearly dormant below ~8 °C (46 °F); northern seasons closed by law | Feeding — Laker: cold water is comfort water — roams and feeds all winter under the ice | Feeding — Feeds from near 0 °C (32 °F): small frequent snacks in short midday windows | Feeding — Feeds all winter: basin schools cruise mid-column; dependable last-hour-of-light bite |
| 2–4 °C (36–39 °F) | — — Low metabolic demand, not zero feeding. Depth and activity windows depend on local current, oxygen and habitat. | — — Low metabolic demand, not zero feeding. Depth and activity windows depend on local current, oxygen and habitat. | Feeding — Late ice: adults drift toward spawning-river mouths — a quiet big-female window | Feeding — Late ice: the biggest females stage off spawning marshes — the crown jewel of winter | Slow — At 2–4 °C (36–39 °F) digestion takes many days — one substantial meal a week or less | Feeding — At 2–4 °C (36–39 °F) Laker hunts as actively as all year · Stream rainbow: small items, no chase | Prime — Late-ice jumbo run starts near 4 °C (39 °F): pre-spawn schools on 2–6 m (6–20 ft) flats | Feeding — Last ice: schools lift off bottom, drift toward basin edges, oxygen and the coming spawn |
| Cold | ||||||||
| 4–6 °C (39–43 °F) | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | Feeding — Ice-out staging 3–6 °C (37–43 °F): egg-heavy fish feed in bursts; season often closed | Slow — SPAWN at ice-out, 4–10 °C (39–50 °F): no nest to fish; bite usually poor, often closed | Slow — Still deep and idle; southern reservoirs at 4–10 °C (39–50 °F) are in their prime trophy window | Prime — Ice-out, whole lake at 4 °C (39 °F): big lakers cruise shorelines in 2–5 m (6–16 ft) | Feeding — Ice-out: pre- and post-spawn feeders in the shallow weedy bays | Feeding — Still the deep-school winter pattern: soft bites, baits that barely move |
| 6–8 °C (43–46 °F) | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | Slow — SPAWN at ice-out, 6–10 °C (43–50 °F): night broadcast over rock; big females shut down after | Slow — SPAWN band, then a thin recovery phase while water sits below ~8 °C (46 °F) | Slow — Below ~8 °C (46 °F): deep, nearly dormant, legally protected in the north | Prime — Rainbow SPAWN run 6–12 °C (43–54 °F); ice-out lakers still shallow; Brook wakes at 7–10 °C (45–50 °F) | Feeding — SPAWN 7–12 °C (45–54 °F) right after ice-out: the bite dips only briefly | Feeding — Reliably shallow only from ~12 °C (54 °F); until then fish the deep schools |
| 8–10 °C (46–50 °F) | — — Read sustained warming and local reproductive signs. Different areas may be at different stages; temperature alone does not predict catchability. | — — Read sustained warming and local reproductive signs. Different areas may be at different stages; temperature alone does not predict catchability. | Slow — SPAWN band 6–10 °C (43–50 °F): males linger and bite, big females recover deep | Feeding — Post-spawn in warm dark bays: feeds harder as water climbs 8–15 °C (46–59 °F); fish slow | Slow — SPAWN 9–15 °C (48–59 °F) about to start: no gorging window on the way in | Prime — Laker comfort 8–12 °C (46–54 °F) begins; rainbow run on; brook pocket water turns on | Feeding — SPAWN band: ribbons laid at night and dawn; by day the same fish still eat | Feeding — Not yet staged: the breaks outside spawning bays load at ~12 °C (54 °F) |
| Cool | ||||||||
| 10–12 °C (50–54 °F) | — — Read sustained warming and local reproductive signs. Different areas may be at different stages; temperature alone does not predict catchability. | — — Read sustained warming and local reproductive signs. Different areas may be at different stages; temperature alone does not predict catchability. | Feeding — Females re-enter the game one by one as water climbs through 10–15 °C (50–59 °F) | Prime — 10–15 °C (50–59 °F): recovered and gorging in the shallows — every size class together | Slow — SPAWN 9–15 °C (48–59 °F): spawning or days from it; northern season closed | Prime — Group optimum 10–16 °C (50–61 °F) begins; Brook feeding peaks 10–14 °C (50–57 °F) | Feeding — SPAWN band to 12 °C (54 °F); finished fish go straight back to eating | Feeding — Staging waves build toward ~12 °C (54 °F): up with each warm front, back with each cold one |
| 12–14 °C (54–57 °F) | — — Read sustained warming and local reproductive signs. Different areas may be at different stages; temperature alone does not predict catchability. | — — Read sustained warming and local reproductive signs. Different areas may be at different stages; temperature alone does not predict catchability. | Feeding — Post-spawn recovery: warming flats near the spawn sites, 2–5 m (6–16 ft) transitions | Prime — Late spring 12–18 °C (54–64 °F): arguably the easiest good-fish period of the year | Slow — SPAWN band: eggs broadcast in bays a step deeper than pike used — scout, do not fish | Prime — Stream peak 12–17 °C (54–63 °F): hatches stack; Laker leaves the shallows past ~13–15 °C (55–59 °F) | Prime — No post-spawn funk: schools on the first green 2–6 m (6–20 ft) flats — a best, uncrowded window | Prime — Staging breaks 3–6 m (10–20 ft) are loaded at ~12 °C (54 °F): easiest big-female window |
| 14–16 °C (57–61 °F) | — — Read sustained warming and local reproductive signs. Different areas may be at different stages; temperature alone does not predict catchability. | — — Read sustained warming and local reproductive signs. Different areas may be at different stages; temperature alone does not predict catchability. | Feeding — First reliable open-water pattern: insect hatches and minnow schools on warming flats | Prime — Hardest feeding 13–18 °C (55–64 °F): prime moving-lure water, big fish still shallow | Feeding — Spawn ends ~15 °C (59 °F); recovery 15–20 °C (59–68 °F): lean fish, small frequent meals | Prime — Brook sweet spot 11–16 °C (52–61 °F): the most cheerful stream fishing of the year | Feeding — Grazing season: loose fronts work new weed growth on a strict daytime schedule | Prime — SPAWN 14–20 °C (57–68 °F): colonial nests; guarding males crush a jig — easy fishing |
| Warm | ||||||||
| 16–18 °C (61–64 °F) | — — Read sustained warming and local reproductive signs. Different areas may be at different stages; temperature alone does not predict catchability. | — — Read sustained warming and local reproductive signs. Different areas may be at different stages; temperature alone does not predict catchability. | Feeding — Climbing toward the 18–22 °C (64–72 °F) sweet spot; settling onto summer structure | Prime — Prime moving-lure water to 18 °C (64 °F): developing weed flats at 1–3 m (3–10 ft) | Feeding — Recovery: smaller, faster baits on new weed; big females lag a couple of weeks | Feeding — Top of the optimum; Rainbow feeds well 13–18 °C (55–64 °F); Laker stressed beyond ~18 °C (64 °F) | Feeding — Approaching the 17–23 °C (63–73 °F) comfort band; schools spread across the weed flats | Prime — Heaviest spawning ≈ 16–18 °C (61–64 °F); spring 15–22 °C (59–72 °F) is the easiest fishing of the year |
| 18–20 °C (64–68 °F) | — — Read sustained warming and local reproductive signs. Different areas may be at different stages; temperature alone does not predict catchability. | — — Read sustained warming and local reproductive signs. Different areas may be at different stages; temperature alone does not predict catchability. | Prime — Metabolic sweet spot 18–22 °C (64–72 °F): growth, digestion and feeding all peak | Feeding — Small and mid-size fish fine at 19–21 °C (66–70 °F); big females want 10–15 °C (50–59 °F) | Prime — 18–21 °C (64–70 °F): the most generous stretch of the year — hot follows convert | Slow — 18–20 °C (64–68 °F): early morning only, land fish fast; Laker long gone below the thermocline | Prime — Comfort band 17–23 °C (63–73 °F): metabolism and feeding peak | Prime — Spawn waves run to 20 °C (68 °F); slabs hold on the break 2–4 m (6.5–13 ft) out |
| 20–22 °C (68–72 °F) | — — Shallow and deep patterns can coexist. Check water quality, cover and prey rather than treating this temperature as an offshore trigger. | — — Shallow and deep patterns can coexist. Check water quality, cover and prey rather than treating this temperature as an offshore trigger. | Prime — Sweet spot; Shield lakes that stay in the low 20s °C (low 70s °F) are comfortable all season | Feeding — Above ~21 °C (70 °F) the big-fish bite thins: trophies leave the weedline for the thermocline | Prime — Growth and activity peak 20–25 °C (68–77 °F): a big meal clears in a day or two | Casi nunca — 20 °C (68 °F) RULE: stop — released trout die at high rates; for Brook chronic exposure above it is lethal | Prime — Comfort band: growth and feeding peak; schools graze hardest mid-morning to mid-afternoon | Prime — Post-spawn females feed willingly but softly on the staging breaks, 3–6 m (10–20 ft) |
| 22–24 °C (72–75 °F) | — — Shallow and deep patterns can coexist. Check water quality, cover and prey rather than treating this temperature as an offshore trigger. | — — Shallow and deep patterns can coexist. Check water quality, cover and prey rather than treating this temperature as an offshore trigger. | Feeding — 22–25 °C (72–77 °F): metabolism near peak, but fish disperse and feed dusk to midnight | Slow — Weeds give only hammer-handles; big females 8–15 m (25–50 ft) down. Far north: never this warm | Prime — Hardest feeding 20–25 °C (68–77 °F): still hunting weed edges while big pike retreat deep | Casi nunca — Upper limit ~21–24 °C (70–75 °F); post-release mortality climbs sharply at 20–23 °C (68–73 °F) | Feeding — Top of the 17–23 °C (63–73 °F) band; past 23–24 °C (73–75 °F) schools follow cooler water down | Prime — Comfort band 18–24 °C (64–75 °F): every rise speeds digestion and forces more feeding |
| Hot | ||||||||
| 24–26 °C (75–79 °F) | — — Shallow and deep patterns can coexist. Check water quality, cover and prey rather than treating this temperature as an offshore trigger. | — — Shallow and deep patterns can coexist. Check water quality, cover and prey rather than treating this temperature as an offshore trigger. | Feeding — Past 24–25 °C (75–77 °F) it gets uncomfortable: coolest water, feeding shifts hard toward night | Slow — Surface ~24–25 °C (75–77 °F): leave big pike alone — delayed mortality rises sharply | Feeding — Top of the peak; as 26–27 °C (79–81 °F) nears, compress effort into dawn, dusk, night | Casi nunca — In 24 °C (75 °F) water a brook trout is dying; Rainbow survives only brief spikes past it | Feeding — Still feeding, but jumbos slide to 6–12 m (20–40 ft) flats where deep water holds oxygen | Feeding — Top of the band: shallow bite dies sooner than for bass; schools suspend above the thermocline |
| 26–28 °C (79–82 °F) | — — Check oxygen, acclimation and cooler or flowing alternatives. Heat tolerance is not a feeding promise or a universal departure threshold. | — — Check oxygen, acclimation and cooler or flowing alternatives. Heat tolerance is not a feeding promise or a universal departure threshold. | Slow — Tolerates peaks toward 25–27 °C (77–81 °F), then manages heat: deeper, thermocline, strictly night | Slow — Real physiological stress approaches around 29 °C (84 °F); warm-water fights kill big fish | Slow — STOP SIGN 26–27 °C (79–81 °F): released fish swim off "fine" and die hours later | Casi nunca — Water to avoid: anything above ~20 °C (68 °F) | Slow — Working range ends about 26–27 °C (79–81 °F); above ~26 °C (79 °F) big fish seek cooler flats | Feeding — Past ~26 °C (79 °F): stacked at the thermocline, 4–8 m (13–26 ft); feeds hard in short low-light windows |
| 28–30 °C (82–86 °F) | — — Check oxygen, acclimation and cooler or flowing alternatives. Heat tolerance is not a feeding promise or a universal departure threshold. | — — Check oxygen, acclimation and cooler or flowing alternatives. Heat tolerance is not a feeding promise or a universal departure threshold. | Slow — Prolonged water much past 29 °C (84 °F) is genuine physiological stress | Casi nunca — Stress limit ~29 °C (84 °F) | Casi nunca — Do not target: a long fight above ~27 °C (81 °F) can kill a released giant | Casi nunca — Water to avoid: anything above ~20 °C (68 °F) | Casi nunca — Approaching the ~30 °C (86 °F) upper limit | Slow — Midsummer doldrums: a narrow band over open water — early, late and after dark only |
| 30 °C+ (86 °F+) | — — Check oxygen, acclimation and cooler or flowing alternatives. Heat tolerance is not a feeding promise or a universal departure threshold. | — — Check oxygen, acclimation and cooler or flowing alternatives. Heat tolerance is not a feeding promise or a universal departure threshold. | Casi nunca — Beyond its ~29 °C (84 °F) upper limit | Casi nunca — Beyond its ~29 °C (84 °F) limit | Casi nunca — Tolerates to ~32 °C (90 °F) — survival water, not fishing water | Casi nunca — Water to avoid: anything above ~20 °C (68 °F) | Casi nunca — Upper limit ~30 °C (86 °F) | Casi nunca — Near its ≈ 32 °C (90 °F) upper limit |
Cooling (fall)
Water falling from the summer peak toward winter
| Largemouth Bass | Smallmouth Bass | Walleye | Northern Pike | Muskellunge (Muskie) | Trout (Rainbow · Brook · Lake) | Yellow Perch | Crappie | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice water | ||||||||
| 0–2 °C (32–36 °F) | — — Low metabolic demand, not zero feeding. Depth and activity windows depend on local current, oxygen and habitat. | — — Low metabolic demand, not zero feeding. Depth and activity windows depend on local current, oxygen and habitat. | Feeding — Keeps hunting at 0–4 °C (32–39 °F): premier ice fish; short chases, dusk bite | Feeding — Feeds all winter under ice: fewer, larger meals; below ~4 °C (39 °F) in slow motion | Slow — Deep and nearly dormant below ~8 °C (46 °F); northern seasons closed by law | Feeding — Laker: cold water is comfort water — roams and feeds all winter under the ice | Feeding — Feeds from near 0 °C (32 °F): small frequent snacks in short midday windows | Feeding — Feeds all winter: basin schools cruise mid-column; dependable last-hour-of-light bite |
| 2–4 °C (36–39 °F) | — — Cold autumn is not shutdown: check healthy shallow weeds and prey as well as deeper shelter. | — — Low metabolic demand, not zero feeding. Depth and activity windows depend on local current, oxygen and habitat. | Feeding — First ice: slower but still hunting; digestion takes days | Feeding — Early ice on the last green weed flats can be as fast as any time of year | Slow — At 2–4 °C (36–39 °F) digestion takes many days — one substantial meal a week or less | Feeding — At 2–4 °C (36–39 °F) Laker hunts as actively as all year · Stream rainbow: small items, no chase | Feeding — Basin schools graze bloodworms all winter; a meal takes days to digest | Feeding — First ice: still shallow-ish on green weeds and basin edges, 3–8 m (10–26 ft) |
| Cold | ||||||||
| 4–6 °C (39–43 °F) | — — Cold autumn is not shutdown: check healthy shallow weeds and prey as well as deeper shelter. | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | Prime — Trophy season, 12 °C (54 °F) down toward 4 °C (39 °F): big-female night bite right to ice-up | Prime — Ciscoes and whitefish spawn on shallow rock at 4–7 °C (39–45 °F) — the biggest pike follow | Feeding — Ciscoes and whitefish spawn shallow at 4–7 °C (39–45 °F): the biggest muskie meet them | Feeding — Brook SPAWN band 4–10 °C (39–50 °F), most waters closed; at 4 °C (39 °F) trout will not chase | Prime — Feeds well down toward 4–7 °C (39–45 °F), long after fair-weather boats are on trailers | Feeding — Tight, huge schools on deep structure feed daily — afternoons and the last hour of light |
| 6–8 °C (43–46 °F) | — — Cold autumn is not shutdown: check healthy shallow weeds and prey as well as deeper shelter. | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | Prime — Big females feed heavily and predictably: shallow rock, 1–3 m (3–10 ft), after dark | Prime — Fall crown 7–13 °C (45–55 °F): biggest females shallow, feeding hard until ice | Feeding — Big rubber crawled at 5–10 °C (41–50 °F): few windows, each one violent | Feeding — Brook SPAWN on upwelling gravel; rainbows gorge on eggs drifting below the redds | Prime — Jumbo gangs mow shell and gravel in 8–12 m (26–40 ft) — personal-best season | Prime — Late fall: one sonar mark can be two hundred fish on 8–12 m (26–39 ft) structure |
| 8–10 °C (46–50 °F) | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | Prime — Cold suits a coolwater metabolism: daytime schools tight on 8–15 m (26–50 ft) breaks | Prime — Cold water is pike water: big baits crawled, hung and glided; dead bait keeps improving | Feeding — Cooling through 10 °C (50 °F) and below: heavy feeding, shrinking daylight windows | Prime — Laker SPAWN as water falls through 8–11 °C (46–52 °F): shallow, aggressive — many seasons closed | Prime — Late-fall jumbo pattern runs absurdly late: vertical over sonar-marked schools | Prime — Regrouped after turnover: the best numbers of the year for those who find the school |
| Cool | ||||||||
| 10–12 °C (50–54 °F) | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | Prime — Trophy season opens at 12 °C (54 °F): the weeks between turnover and ice-up | Prime — Fall crown 7–13 °C (45–55 °F): trophy effort concentrates here and holds until ice | Prime — THE season, 10–15 °C (50–59 °F): ciscoes push shallow, giant females follow onto rock | Prime — Turnover at 10–12 °C (50–54 °F) hands lakers the whole lake: scattered, but easy to move | Prime — 10–15 °C (50–59 °F): the defining big-fish pattern — jumbos gang up on deep shell beds | Feeding — Turnover recovery: the first clean, stable week regroups schools on deep structure |
| 12–14 °C (54–57 °F) | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | Feeding — Transition ramp-up: follows bait to steep structure and wind; turnover can blank areas for days | Feeding — Turnover at roughly 10–13 °C (50–55 °F): one to three vague weeks; big females roam | Prime — Giant window: at 10 °C (50 °F) a meal takes several days — fewer, violent windows | Prime — Surface falling 15 → 12 °C (59 → 54 °F): lakers climb to 10–20 m (33–66 ft); bite improves weekly | Prime — Best open-water window of the year for a true 30 cm-plus (12 in-plus) perch | Slow — Turnover, roughly 10–13 °C (50–55 °F) on stratified lakes, erases their band: one to three poor weeks |
| 14–16 °C (57–61 °F) | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | Feeding — Surface cooling out of the mid-teens °C (upper 50s °F): depth ceiling lifts, fish follow bait | Prime — Hardest-feeding band 13–18 °C (55–64 °F): big females back in castable water — upsize | Prime — Toward 15 °C (59 °F) fish stack on the last green weed; basin giants drift structureward | Prime — The jailbreak: refuge boundaries dissolve, stream trout spread out and feed hard | Prime — Settling through 10–15 °C (50–59 °F): tight, mobile gangs form on hard bottom | Feeding — Dissolving basin: some suspended, some drifting to structure — marks thin, bite streaky |
| Warm | ||||||||
| 16–18 °C (61–64 °F) | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | Feeding — Just under the sweet spot: structure by day, evening rise onto the flats | Prime — Falling through ~18 °C (64 °F) ends the summer size split: front edge of trophy season | Feeding — Transition: streaky and wind-driven — dead for hours, then a flurry; start upsizing | Feeding — Dropping back through 18 °C (64 °F): trout leave summer refuges, all-day fishing returns | Feeding — Transition: schools fold together on the last green weed; a muddying blow shuts them down | Feeding — Surface cooling toward the thermocline: the summer band comes apart, schools scatter |
| 18–20 °C (64–68 °F) | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | — — Follow prey and remaining usable cover through cooling. Cold does not automatically empty the shallows or end feeding. | Prime — Metabolic sweet spot 18–22 °C (64–72 °F): growth, digestion and feeding all peak | Feeding — Small and mid-size fish fine at 19–21 °C (66–70 °F); big females want 10–15 °C (50–59 °F) | Feeding — Comfort band 17–25 °C (63–77 °F), but already below the 20–25 °C (68–77 °F) activity peak | Slow — 18–20 °C (64–68 °F): early morning only, land fish fast; Laker long gone below the thermocline | Prime — Comfort band 17–23 °C (63–73 °F): metabolism and feeding peak | Prime — Comfort band 18–24 °C (64–75 °F): suspended schools feed at dawn, dusk and night |
| 20–22 °C (68–72 °F) | — — Shallow and deep patterns can coexist. Check water quality, cover and prey rather than treating this temperature as an offshore trigger. | — — Shallow and deep patterns can coexist. Check water quality, cover and prey rather than treating this temperature as an offshore trigger. | Prime — Sweet spot; Shield lakes that stay in the low 20s °C (low 70s °F) are comfortable all season | Feeding — Above ~21 °C (70 °F) the big-fish bite thins: trophies leave the weedline for the thermocline | Prime — Growth and activity peak 20–25 °C (68–77 °F): a big meal clears in a day or two | Casi nunca — 20 °C (68 °F) RULE: stop — released trout die at high rates; for Brook chronic exposure above it is lethal | Prime — Comfort band: growth and feeding peak; schools graze hardest mid-morning to mid-afternoon | Prime — Comfort band 18–24 °C (64–75 °F): suspended schools feed at dawn, dusk and night |
| 22–24 °C (72–75 °F) | — — Shallow and deep patterns can coexist. Check water quality, cover and prey rather than treating this temperature as an offshore trigger. | — — Shallow and deep patterns can coexist. Check water quality, cover and prey rather than treating this temperature as an offshore trigger. | Feeding — 22–25 °C (72–77 °F): metabolism near peak, but fish disperse and feed dusk to midnight | Slow — Weeds give only hammer-handles; big females 8–15 m (25–50 ft) down. Far north: never this warm | Prime — Hardest feeding 20–25 °C (68–77 °F): still hunting weed edges while big pike retreat deep | Casi nunca — Upper limit ~21–24 °C (70–75 °F); post-release mortality climbs sharply at 20–23 °C (68–73 °F) | Feeding — Top of the 17–23 °C (63–73 °F) band; past 23–24 °C (73–75 °F) schools follow cooler water down | Prime — Comfort band 18–24 °C (64–75 °F): every rise speeds digestion and forces more feeding |
| Hot | ||||||||
| 24–26 °C (75–79 °F) | — — Shallow and deep patterns can coexist. Check water quality, cover and prey rather than treating this temperature as an offshore trigger. | — — Shallow and deep patterns can coexist. Check water quality, cover and prey rather than treating this temperature as an offshore trigger. | Feeding — Past 24–25 °C (75–77 °F) it gets uncomfortable: coolest water, feeding shifts hard toward night | Slow — Surface ~24–25 °C (75–77 °F): leave big pike alone — delayed mortality rises sharply | Feeding — Top of the peak; as 26–27 °C (79–81 °F) nears, compress effort into dawn, dusk, night | Casi nunca — In 24 °C (75 °F) water a brook trout is dying; Rainbow survives only brief spikes past it | Feeding — Still feeding, but jumbos slide to 6–12 m (20–40 ft) flats where deep water holds oxygen | Feeding — Top of the band: shallow bite dies sooner than for bass; schools suspend above the thermocline |
| 26–28 °C (79–82 °F) | — — Check oxygen, acclimation and cooler or flowing alternatives. Heat tolerance is not a feeding promise or a universal departure threshold. | — — Check oxygen, acclimation and cooler or flowing alternatives. Heat tolerance is not a feeding promise or a universal departure threshold. | Slow — Tolerates peaks toward 25–27 °C (77–81 °F), then manages heat: deeper, thermocline, strictly night | Slow — Real physiological stress approaches around 29 °C (84 °F); warm-water fights kill big fish | Slow — STOP SIGN 26–27 °C (79–81 °F): released fish swim off "fine" and die hours later | Casi nunca — Water to avoid: anything above ~20 °C (68 °F) | Slow — Working range ends about 26–27 °C (79–81 °F); above ~26 °C (79 °F) big fish seek cooler flats | Feeding — Past ~26 °C (79 °F): stacked at the thermocline, 4–8 m (13–26 ft); feeds hard in short low-light windows |
| 28–30 °C (82–86 °F) | — — Check oxygen, acclimation and cooler or flowing alternatives. Heat tolerance is not a feeding promise or a universal departure threshold. | — — Check oxygen, acclimation and cooler or flowing alternatives. Heat tolerance is not a feeding promise or a universal departure threshold. | Slow — Prolonged water much past 29 °C (84 °F) is genuine physiological stress | Casi nunca — Stress limit ~29 °C (84 °F) | Casi nunca — Do not target: a long fight above ~27 °C (81 °F) can kill a released giant | Casi nunca — Water to avoid: anything above ~20 °C (68 °F) | Casi nunca — Approaching the ~30 °C (86 °F) upper limit | Slow — Midsummer doldrums: a narrow band over open water — early, late and after dark only |
| 30 °C+ (86 °F+) | — — Check oxygen, acclimation and cooler or flowing alternatives. Heat tolerance is not a feeding promise or a universal departure threshold. | — — Check oxygen, acclimation and cooler or flowing alternatives. Heat tolerance is not a feeding promise or a universal departure threshold. | Casi nunca — Beyond its ~29 °C (84 °F) upper limit | Casi nunca — Beyond its ~29 °C (84 °F) limit | Casi nunca — Tolerates to ~32 °C (90 °F) — survival water, not fishing water | Casi nunca — Water to avoid: anything above ~20 °C (68 °F) | Casi nunca — Upper limit ~30 °C (86 °F) | Casi nunca — Near its ≈ 32 °C (90 °F) upper limit |
Read the conditions in each bass cell: local temperature trend, clarity, light, current, cover and prey guide the search. Check both the precise feeding feature and nearby habitat; shallow and deep patterns can coexist.
Los niveles son juicios basados en las notas de especies de este sitio: tendencias, no garantías. La nota de cada celda indica en qué se apoya el nivel.
Tablas rápidas de especies
Capítulos relacionados
- Lobina · Temperature & metabolism — Every 2 °C band for every fish — and warming vs cooling water