Water Temperature on Small Feeders

The water temperature of mountain trout streams is very important to the feeding habits of the trout. Early in the spring and late in the fall the streams are cold and we seek areas with slightly warmer water. In the summer the streams get warm so we look for areas with cooler water. What I do to give me help here is to take the water temperature of all of the tiny feeders I come to as I’m walking up the trails and fishing up the streams. For example, it is not at all unusual to find a feeder ten degrees cooler than the main stream in the middle of August. Downstream of where this feeder enters the stream the fishing will be excellent.