How To Read Accurate Water Temperatures With Your Cling Temperature Tape

The Cling Temperature Tape was designed to be easy to use, easy to read, and provide you with an accurate water temperature reading for safe trout fishing. Its easy placement onto items you’re already using like wading staffs and nets is convenient to simply your gear. 

Why is water temperature important for trout fishing? For one, fish health and safety is directly tied to water temps. As the water temperatures rise, oxygen levels decrease and stress on the fish goes up exponentially. Their recovery processes after landing becomes more difficult the warmer the water is, and if they are played for a long period they often don’t survive. 

Secondly, having an accurate water temperature reading can help you time the hatch and find the best fishing of the day. Hatches can be very temperature dependent, and getting an accurate reading can help you present the right pattern at the correct time. 

Reading your Temperature Tape is simple. Dip your Temperature Tape in the water, and almost instantly you'll see a number. Wait 5-10 seconds for the best reading. A green number is a spot on temperature, yellow indicates slightly warmer, and blue indicates slightly cooler. 

The three sections on the tape indicate whether or not fishing is safe and also the style of fishing you should choose to use. The green zone means that temps are cooler and fishing is a go. You can fish as normal, and know that trout are healthy, active, and will recover normally.

When water temps are in the yellow zone, this means that fish are going to be more lethargic and oxygen depleted. This means that you will need to step up your tippet size, fight fish quickly, and release them as quickly as possible while keeping them wet the entire time. Be sure to release them as soon as you can, and recover the fish before letting them go.

Once temperatures are in that red zone it's time to pack things up. Head back into town, get lunch, meet a friend for a beer, you know the drill. Let the fish live to catch another day. 

What can anglers do to keep our fish healthy when temperatures are high? First, get out there early. The earlier you can get on the water the better because water temps will be lower in comparison to mid day heat. This is the logic behind the hoot owl restrictions, which close fisheries from 2pm to midnight. 

Second, use a thicker and stronger tippet so the fights are short and sweet. The longer the fish is battling the more energy it loses and the harder it is for them to recoup lost oxygen. Poor handling of a tired fish often ends up a dead fish. 

Lastly, keep the fish in the water at all costs. Fishing pictures are great and all but if you can keep that fish wet for as long as you can its likelihood of survival goes way up. If your fish is struggling after a fight, try using your net to splash the water in front of the fish to introduce more oxygen. This is especially important when water temps are in the yellow zone on your Temperature Tape. 

Let's all be conscious anglers and keep our fisheries alive and well. With the Temperature Tape on your net this season you can be sure to keep an eye on rising water temps and know exactly when to stop fishing for optimal fishery health.