Hadley, New York

#Catch23 Oxygen. Not the first thing we think about when it comes to life below the surface…but the oxygen saturation in water affects everything we do while fishing. Two basic principles determining the amount of oxygen in the water are the temperature and the turbulence. Cooler water can hold a higher concentration of oxygen than warm water. Turbulence, as pictured above at Rockwell Falls on the Hudson, physically mixes oxygen into the water as well as lowering the temperature slightly due to evaporative heat loss. This matters to us because the bigger the fish, the greater the oxygen saturation is needed to provide oxygen to all that muscle. Let’s take Pike as an example: Northern Pike require water temperatures below 75 degrees Fahrenheit to live, and pike over 6-7lbs prefer water temperatures closer to 65 degrees. Trout, won’t survive long in temperatures above 70. So what does this mean for strategy? Well, keep track of your water temperature, learn where springs and hard to spot side creeks are. Sometimes springs are on the bottom of the lake, making a cold patch. Fish below a good riffle as the big boys need that O2! What are your observations on oxygen conditions? Ever notice if an area gets an algae bloom on the bottom the fish are gone? Good luck everyone!