4 ways anglers can help fish beat the heat

Ecology experts with the Grand River Conservation Authority are reminding anglers to cast their lines with care as the summer's hot, humid weather has taken a toll on the heath of local fish populations. 

If they can't find cold water, then they start to get stressed ... It can make them more susceptible to diseases. They start to slow down.- Crystal Allan, Grand River Conservation Authority

"Fish are cold-blooded animals," said Crystal Allan, natural heritage supervisor with the conservation authority. "Their body temperature is regulated by the temperature of the surrounding environment outside their body."

If the water around it heats up, then a fish's body temperature will also heat up, and if its body temperature becomes too warm, Allan said certain life functions -- feeding, movement and reproduction -- will become impaired. 

"If they can't find cold water, then they start to get stressed," she said. "It can make them more susceptible to diseases. They start to slow down."

It's at times like these that Allan said anglers can help the fish weather the heat by changing their own fishing practices.

1. Change the time

Fish in the morning or evening, when water temperatures are cooler. She said the fish have a better chance of recovering from the shock of being caught if they are released into cool rather than hot or warm water.

2. Change your gear

Choose gear that allows you, as the angler, to release your catch quickly. For example, it takes less time to release a fish from a barbless hook and, as a result, the fish spends less time out of the water and will exert less energy in captivity.

3. Change your goal

Some fish can handle the heat better than others, so consider fishing for warm-water fish like carp or bass, rather than cold-water fish like river trout. This may mean changing your location: leave your favourite fishing hole and try out one of the conservation authority's reservoirs.

4. Change your post-catch practices

After landing your trophy fish, release it as quickly as possible. Allan said you want to minimize the time it is out of the water. That may mean foregoing the urge to take multiple selfies with your catch.