Indiana Open Country

I don’t know if you have noticed, but here in Indiana we are in the midst of a severe drought and it is not looking to get much better in the near future. After doing a little bit more fishing this weekend, I realized that the weather and the drought is really starting to affect how many fish are coming back with me to my house.

So what does any good fisherman do when they need some help?

They do some research.

So I decided to hop on Google and figure out what the heck happens to the fish when the weather reaches such severe heights.

So here goes.

Without me actually realizing this there are a few positives to drought conditions during the fishing season. Here are some things that are actually good for the sport overall.

1. Less people are out on the water fishing, which means less fish are harvested during the season.
2. Conservation efforts can be taken care of easier because of lower water levels.
3. Repairs to docks, ramps and structures that are typically underwater can be done.
4. Less boats in the water releasing fewer toxins.

The real reason I wanted to write this article is to share with you the downside of the heat and the drought conditions on our favorite hobby of fishing.

1. With water depleting from the rivers, lakes and ponds the fish are going to be concentrated closer together which is going to reduce the amount the oxygen the fish have to share. Lower oxygen decreases feeding.
2. The heat increases the temperature of the water. When the temperature of the water increases, again, the amount of oxygen that the water will hold goes down
3. Hot water drives the fish to deeper water to keep their bodies cooler, making it more difficult to reach them.
4. Fish stick tighter to structure to keep cooler, and structure can make retrieving fish very difficult.
5. The growth of algae’s will increase 10 fold. Algae that typically hold close to the banks and edges structure starts to extend into deeper water because the temperature can now sustain it. Some algae is good for fishing, but the rest of it just hurts.
6. Fish will die. With all the things that have been mentioned above, depending on how bad it gets will start to kill off fish in areas affected the worst.

While your fishing area is in a drought zone, you need to make sure that before you head out you want to check a few things.

Here is a simple checklist.

1. The temperature of the water
2. The water level of the fishing area.
3. Dusk and dawn (best fishing time of the day)
4. The lunar tables (the moon phase determines everything)
5. If possible get information on the oxygen levels.

There you have it, just a little bit to help you understand what the drought is doing to your fishing.

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