You can obviously take the title of this story a couple of different ways, but the first thought is probably the temperatures hovering around the 90-degree mark — that definitely makes for some hot fishing. Hats, sunglasses, sunscreen and cold drinks help make the heat more tolerable. Admittedly these recent hot, sunny summer days have made catching fish more of a challenge, but it’s not impossible.

I’m a “die-hard,” I’ll fish in almost any kind of weather, and I fish in all twelve months of the year including these hot summer days and I fish for a variety of fish species all year long. Most anglers have given up on trout, but I’m still hitting a number of different trout streams with fair success. Granted, the fish are spookier and harder to catch from fishing pressure, warmer water, and sometimes clear water but many streams still have good numbers of trout. The fact that there are still good numbers of trout in many streams is probably due to the high, discolored water during the earlier going in trout season which kept a lot of fishermen off the streams. While the temperatures have been hot, to say that the trout fishing has been “hot” lately may be a bit of a stretch, but all things considered, it’s been very rewarding.

The mid-summer bass fishing in the river has also been a bit of a challenge with often higher water levels than we are used to and often murky or even muddy water and of course the 90 degree plus temperatures. I wouldn’t describe the river bass fishing as “hot,” but if you pick and choose your timing carefully, it’s possible to take some good numbers. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had some decent action, but I’m hoping for even better results as the summer progresses.

The fluctuating water flow and often murky or muddy water has made stream and river fishing challenging at times so what about lakes for some “hot” fishing? Well, it will definitely be hot sitting in an aluminum boat on a bright, sunny day with temps in the 90s but the same may not apply to the fish catching. Again, I have had some fair success catching bass but warming water temperatures on a hot, sunny day can make catching more difficult. Going early or late or heading out on overcast or even rainy days may improve your chances. You may also want to fish deep or even after dark for bass.

Of course, anywhere you go this time of year the act of fishing will be hot, but the catching may not be “hot.” To be honest, some of the “hottest” fishing right now may well be in farm ponds. I would still watch my timing; early or late in the day may be best but farm ponds can actually provide some good mid-summer fishing, and this is especially true if you are willing to be versatile. I’ve said it before; my approach to fishing is very versatile — I fish for a lot of different species of fish, and that includes panfish. Panfishing in farm ponds in summer can be downright hot both temperature wise and from a catching standpoint.

Not only can the fishing be great for a youngster or someone new to fishing it can be fun for the experienced fishermen. I love to fly fish, and a fly rod for bluegills has provided non-stop action in some cases on farm ponds; it’s also been a great choice for bass. Don’t rule out some good largemouth fishing with other gear either. A Texas-rigged plastic worm, a creature bait or under the right circumstances a surface lure can provide some “hot” fishing.

Hope you find some hot fishing this summer, and I don’t mean just temperature wise.