The prolonged high temperatures and low rainfall of summer 2006 are raising the water temperatures of many southern trout streams to levels that might threaten fall stocking plans. "Ideally, you'd like to see water temperatures in a stream no higher than the mid-60's, but in a number of cases we're seeing low to mid-70's," says Georgia’s Trout Stocking Coordinator Perry Thompson.
"At those temperatures, the survival of stocked fish becomes questionable, so we often have to wait until we reach our stocking site and check water temperature before deciding whether we can release fish. If it's too warm, we have to search for cooler temperatures upstream or stock in another stream altogether."