When a good fisher friend texts you that the water temperature is 68 degrees at 7 a.m., you know it’s July in the San Gabes. Dawn Patrol is a great way to get into lots of our beautiful, wild trout before the summer hordes descend. But, remember the limit for safe fish handling is 70 degrees.

I broke my water thermometer and need to buy a new one. For those who care about our local waters’ health in summer, it’s as important a piece of equipment as a leader billfold or a hemostat.

Many of you savvy anglers already know what “hoot owl” restrictions are. I first heard about them on Montana’s Big Hole River, a waterway that struggles each summer with allocating enough water for ranchers, fishers and trout. They’ve done an amazing job over the years, sharing their watershed and keeping it alive and healthy.

Hoot Owl restrictions recommendations, according to CDFW, mean being active as an angler during times of day when owls can still be heard hooting. These times are typically earlier in the day when weather conditions are cooler.

Keep Fish Wet goes farther with its “No Fish Dry July” campaign .

“No Fish Dry July encourages anglers to rethink their interactions with fish during hot summer months and challenges everyone to make a month-long commitment to “do better”. Whether it is by not taking a single photo of fish for July, using best practices for each fish we catch, or by only targeting warm water species each angler can find a way to participate.”

Whatever you decide to do, remember that once the water hits 70 degrees, it’s better to hang up the rod for a bit, grab a cold one and wait to hear that hoot owl. The trout will thank you and so will your fellow conservation-minded fishers.

See you on the river, Jim Burns