Water temps over 80 degrees.

[Red Childress]

I was reading a huge thread on another site about water temps over 80 and musky fishing. For what it is worth, here is my take on the matter.

After spending the past 15 years researching the Esocid species, it is my understanding that the reason muskies have a whiteish meat color is that they lack the amount of mitochondria that a trout or other cold water fish has. That being said, muskies are the "spinters" and trout are the "marathon" runners if drawing a human analogy. Trout can fight for an extended period of time due to their capability of metabolizing oxygen much quicker whereas muskies fight hard for a much shorter length of time. When a musky is pulled up to the surface which lacks insufficient amounts of oxygen (especially after an extended fight), they can have difficulities recovering quickly enough to survive.....kinda like punching themselves out too fast and being unable to get oxygen quickly enough at the end of the "round". We have all heard about fast twitch vs. slow twitch muscle fibers....the same holds true with fish and animals. Different muscle colors from various species can give you an insight into how and where they live. (Ever see how dark the muscle fiber is in the chest portion of a migratory bird?? (More mitochondria equates to longer activity without needing a rest.)

In other words, muskies may deplete their oxygen levels (during the battle) to a level that can be fatal, most notably in hot surface temps where their post-fight recovery begins. How hot is too hot?? I guess it depends on the length of battle/photo session in which we subject these fish. There is scientific documentation giving you the parts per million of dissolved oxygen at different depths and 80 degrees seems to be the number that we see a significant change in the amount of dissolved oxygen present.

There is no doubt that we must modify our normal "boatside ritual" when surface temps are hot enough to pose a threat to the fish during the "post-battle recovery phase". IMO, if you must fish in surface temps exceeding 80, horsing the fish to the surface is a great idea. Get the fish unhooked, take a pic (or not) with fish still in the water, and release immediately. Just because she swims away does not mean she will be ok. Delayed mortality created by Lactic Acidosis can occur within the first few minutes or several hours after release.... long after you have left the lake.

Soapbox is back in the closet.

[crittergitter]

Good post Red. As a simple follow up. I think one problem that occurs this time of year and during hot water temps is that anglers get complacent at the wrong time. Ok, she is in the net and all is well so long as I keep her in the water. NO, it is not all is well. There is little to no oxygen in the surface water. Basically, the fish is in the water and it is breathing but it is not getting any oxygen. So, if you can't find the pliers, then fool with the hooks and finally get them out after a struggle, then untangle the net, and then take a picture and then put her back and back in forth on the surface.........you're talking about 2 to 3 minutes or more of NO oxygen. Here's a good analogy. Let's have you run a 200 yard dash at full sprint as fast as you can. Then, we'll plop you under water in a hot tub and keep you there for 2.........3 and maybe 4 minutes. How would that be?

I am not against anglers pursuing musky when the water is warm. I strongly believe a quick water release gives the fish it's best chance to stave off delayed mortality and live to fight another day.