It’s true. Even back in 2012 at this time, the Captain was talking about the “Dog Days of Summer” and getting ready for archery season–AND also talking about the hot, dry conditions that the hunters with the 900 antelope tags have. So, that is similar.
Here is what he had to say about river fishing:
Fishing is good on the rivers in the morning but reports that I have received indicate that the afternoon is a great time to take a nap or read a book. Then if you still have the itch to go fishing try it just before dark.
Back then, here one negative effect the heat had on some fish in particular:
State fisheries biologists say that hot weather has caused the death of hundreds of Cisco, a prevalent forage species, in the Fourchette Bay and Narrows area of Fort Peck Reservoir. Cisco, also known as lake herring, is typically found in the deeper, colder areas of the reservoir. Warm water temperatures — recently documented as high as 84 degrees Fahrenheit in the Fourchette area – and subsequent low levels of dissolved oxygen take their toll on some types of fish, especially Cisco. “We’re getting reports of hundreds of Cisco floating and washing up near shore,” said Heath Headley, the reservoir’s lead biologist with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. “While the numbers of dead fish may seem like a lot to anglers, they should remember that the area where the die-offs are occurring is quite small when compared to the rest of the reservoir.” Headley said Cisco die-offs have occurred in the same part of Fort Peck Reservoir in past years. Shallow depths make the water more susceptible to large fluctuations in temperature.
