Rick Bramwell Column: Summer heat brings new fishing challenges

Summer heat is reshaping fishing conditions on Indiana waters, with anglers adjusting tactics as temperatures push fish deeper. In a report by Rick Bramwell, the “dog days” of summer brought about a week when fishing was too hot unless done at night. Bramwell explains how lakes develop a thermocline: a warm, low-oxygen surface layer around 3–4 feet deep, a middle layer down to roughly 3 feet in shallow ponds or 10–16 feet in deep reservoirs, and a cold bottom with little oxygen. He fished Geist after a weather break on Monday with Bob May and Kaden Kovacs, finding redear moved off shoreline and followed zebra mussel-dependent weeds. Most fish came from 5–6 feet, using 1/32-ounce jigs near weed edges while trolling, and setting hooks often required patience.