With the heat embroiling middle Georgia this entire summer, many anglers have given up on their desire to fish. We likely will not get a break from the summer heat until late September at the earliest. This week’s forecast for more very hot weather can cause even the most diehard angler to just concede to the heat and stay home.

I have continued to fish throughout the hot weather and have continued to catch fish even on days when the temperature was at or above 100 degrees, and I admit it has been hot. I remember the days of my youth when I picked cotton on my uncle’s farm in south Alabama during August and did so with no hat and barefooted in the month of August. I do not remember the heat being that bad but I was 50 years younger then and that likely made a great difference.

This summer has been very hot and uncomfortable but with a slight breeze on the water and plenty of water to drink, sunscreen, and a hat, it has been bearable on the water. As the summer has deepened, the fishing has gotten slower for all species on the lakes.

Much of that has to do with the temperature of the water and as I have discussed in previous articles, Lakes Sinclair and Oconee do not stratify like other lakes due to Georgia’s pumpback operation and the heated water discharge from Plant Branch. The water is now around 90 degrees in both lakes and that is the temperature throughout the water column.

The fish become stressed due to the hot water temperatures and there is no place in the water column where the fish can get any relief. We are now approaching a period in August when conditions get very bad for anglers because the fish seem to be much harder to catch. This period in August when fishing really gets tough is often referred to as the Dog Days.

However, rather than completely give up fishing during the hot weather associated with Dog Days you might want to consider some options. The first option is to hit the water at daylight and fish for two to three hours until it gets hot. Sometimes the fish will bite best early but that is not always the case. Slightly cooler overnight temperatures can cool the surface water a few degrees and the water’s surface is where the fish will find more oxygen.   

Another option is to fish the last couple of hours of daylight when the sun is low and its rays are not as hot. Sometimes the fishing can be good late in the day. You might also go early in the day for a couple hours and then go back late in the day for a couple of hours.

Angling at night when the air temperatures are slightly lower is another option. I once loved to fish at night and went on a regular basis. Nighttime was just a pleasant time to fish, avoid the sun and the boat traffic. However as I have gotten older, the nighttime fishing is not as appealing to me as it once was.

Another option for fishing at night might include visiting a farm pond where you have permission to fish. You do not have to worry about boat traffic but you still need to be careful and remember if you fish anywhere at night always wear your life jacket.

The fish are still biting albeit somewhat slower now so do not let the summer heat completely stop you from fishing. You do have some options for avoiding the heat but if you are serious about fishing, look for me somewhere on the lake about noon any day of the week. I will likely have on a wide bream hat, be lathered up with sunscreen and I might be downing a Gatorade but I will be fishing and I will gladly let you know what the fish are biting (if they are biting). Good fishing and see you next week.     

Outdoor columnist Bobby Peoples can be contacted via e-mail at brpeoples@windstream.net.