child labor,    fly fishing small streams

The Underground's Take On Water Temperatures And Child Labor

By Tom Chandler 9/3/2013

In a move that likely violated child labor laws, on Saturday I dragged both the Underground's tax deductions up to one of my local small streams, where -- between rock throwing sessions -- I forced Little M to take water temperature readings.

Unlike Hollywood, I wasn't looking for free labor; I was trying to find water cool enough to fish.

The Underground's child labor force The Underground's underage workforce demanded a trip to Burger Barn... Or else. 

A hot summer and a dismal snowpack have left very little water in my nearby small streams, and what's been left has been too warm.

Afternoon water temps have regularly spiked into the 70-degree neighborhood -- which I consider too warm for fishing.

Happily, cooler nights and lower daily temperatures have arrived, so I wasn't surprised when Little M's stream thermometer registered 60-62 degrees at midday.

That's not perfect (temps in the late afternoon would be higher). But it's good enough.

Suddenly, I'm a small stream fly fisherman again.

I'm getting ready for a shooting competition this Saturday, but with the L&&T taking the tax deductions south for a family visit, there will be time for a few trips.

And yes, after all the recent drama a little stream time is not a bad thing.

See you on a small stream (on second thought, stay the hell off my small streams), Tom Chandler.
AuthorPicture

Tom Chandler

As the author of the decade leading fly fishing blog Trout Underground, Tom believes that fishing is not about measuring the experience but instead of about having fun. As a staunch environmentalist, he brings to the Yobi Community thought leadership on environmental and access issues facing us today.

12 comments
Write a Comment
Not all of us teenagers are that bad but then again I'm biased. I would equate raising teens to playing russian roulette; it just depends on luck of the draw.
Reply
0
0
Just wait till they’re teens ….. practice saying now “son I have a shovel and a shotgun and won’t hesitate to use them” I have a friend with twin 14 year olds….. fortunately he’s a crazy old jarhead like me and times gun cleaning strategically…. We have a standing arrangement that if the police ask about a fishing trip it means I’m his alibi b/c he’s had to kill a teenage boy…. After I won a local ... more action pistol match, a friend noted how useful that kind of information could be in the future. After all, telling a teen "this is the most powerful fly rod ever built, and in the right circumstances probably still couldn't take your head clean off" just isn't the same as the original Dirty Harry quote.
Reply
0
0
Lazarus Long once said that boys should be raised in a barrel and fed through the bung hole. When they become teenagers the bung hole is sealed up. My father would have agreed at the time.
Reply
0
0
Just wait till they're teens ..... practice saying now "son I have a shovel and a shotgun and won't hesitate to use them" I have a friend with twin 14 year olds..... fortunately he's a crazy old jarhead like me and times gun cleaning strategically.... We have a standing arrangement that if the police ask about a fishing trip it means I'm his alibi b/c he's had to kill a teenage boy....
Reply
0
0
Once again, the Undergrounders paint a grim picture of my future.
Reply
0
0
My observation of friends and acquaintances that have female children is that you should *pray* for "sullen". Sullen seems manageable. Awkward. painful, and annoying but manageable. Cute kids, btw.
Reply
0
0
It's interesting how the bite just seems to turn off when the temps start to reach the upper 60s (at least on the local small streams). Maybe there's something to all this science stuff after all.
Reply
0
0
Did M learn that look from LT? It’s the same look I get from my wife when I say I’m going fishing. M2 has even already mastered the finger wag in case "The Look" isn't enough. I suspect I'll be out fishing a lot when they hit the sullen teenage years...
Reply
0
0
Just a quick comment to say: What beautiful children you have. I managed to catch them in one of the rare moments when they're not beating each other senseless.
Reply
0
0
Did M learn that look from LT? It's the same look I get from my wife when I say I'm going fishing.
Reply
0
0
Just a quick comment to say: What beautiful children you have.
Reply
0
0
My favorite small streams here in New Mexico are suffering a similar fate. We've had only slightly low snow pack and average rain but the water is still down. Weekend before last I helped with a fish tagging experiment on the Valles Caldera National Preserve and one of the spots chosen to sample fish was 68 degrees F. Unsurprisingly we only found two trout in 300 meters and hundreds of dace and suckers. ... more Surprisingly, the trout were large (for that water) and fat. I guess they found the only cooler spots to rest while gorging on the little warm water fish.
Reply
0
0

Discover Your Own Fishing and Hunting Adventures

With top destinations, guided trips, outfitters and guides, and river reports, you have everything you need.

Help