The Two Biggest Enemies of Trout Fishing

 When I headed out to the Swan River recently to look for a trout or two I was aware of the fact that the temperatures had been quite hot, but hoped that if I got to the river early in the morning I still may be able to catch a rainbow or two. Truth be told, I didn't get there as early as I would have liked and was on the water by 10 am. I was fishing the river in a ravine or sorts, so the air temperature wasn't that excessive at all. I would guess it was in the high sixties? But when I felt the water, "uh oh", I thought to myself, "this water is way too warm".

 Then I made my first cast using a 16 oz jig head tipped with a power worm and immediately noticed the wind. As my jig drifted, I could see the bow in my line and immediately knew that it was going to be too windy to feel any subtle bites. I kept fishing for a little over an hour before giving up and calling it a day. In that hour I caught one small pike minnow (squaw fish) and had a nibble or two from what I assumed were finicky trout. So, while I didn't technically get "skunked" it sure felt like I did.

As I was walking back to my vehicle, I couldn't help but think that I had encountered the two biggest enemies of trout fishing on this morning. High water temperatures and wind. As a trout fisherman, when I encounter just one of these enemies, it can usually be dealt with.  When both are present, catching trout is almost always a difficult proposition.

But hey, not all is lost though, because a did get to spend a little time on the river (the place that I love) which makes for a better time than most anything else.  And the fall is right around the corner, which means that the trout fishing will really start to heat up, which is always a good thing.