No Fish Dry July encourages anglers to rethink their interactions with fish during hot summer months and challenges everyone to make a month-long commitment to “do better”. Whether it is by not taking a single photo of fish for July, using best practices for each fish we catch, or by only targeting warm water species each angler can find a way to participate.

With many places across North America experiencing extreme drought and higher than average water temperatures, the way we handle fish during the hottest time of year is crucial to their well-being. Instead, we will be posting other artful shots of the summer angling experience, and we encourage you to do the same. This simple shift in the fishing community’s catch-and-release behavior could do years of good for our fish’s home water.

At Keep Fish Wet, we are challenging ourselves to make a 31-day commitment to not take a single photo of a fish or to post a photo of a fish on social media.

Are you up for joining us?

water temperature, Angling, and Fish

Have you ever wondered why 68F is the recommended water temperature to stop fishing for trout? Yeah, us too.

We recently did a deep dive into the science on the impacts of water temperature and fishing on various trout species and did not find anything to support the idea that 68F should be the stopping point. We did, however, find that we need to start being aware of what’s going on with trout at lower water temperatures…like MUCH lower.

It turns out it’s not as simple as recommending a single “stop fishing here” temperature. There are nuances. So instead, we are coining the phrase “angling threshold” — the water temperature at which the chance of a fish dying due to the impacts of water temperature and angling goes from being low and steady to rising exponentially. This is the water temperature at which we believe anglers need to start paying attention, use our science-based Principles and Tips more diligently, and at which some may choose to stop fishing altogether.

Check out the latest Finsights to discover the angling threshold for your favorite trout species and stay tuned throughout July to learn more and participate.