While fishing this summer can be a great way to relax and socially distance, the warmer weather can make it difficult to snag that trophy fish. Similar to humans, fish do not like the hot and humid weather, so they continually seek out cooler parts of lakes and ponds to maintain a cool body temperature. This search for cooler water can make fishing difficult during the hotter parts of the day. Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Biologist Chad Dolan gives anglers some advice, “If anyone has been fishing a lot, and they have probably heard it from their grandpa, it’s best to go fishing in the morning and evening. I would say especially so when we’re dealing with these hot temperatures because of the inactivity of fish during the hottest part of the day. You’re going to want to target those early mornings when temperatures are cooler. Water temperatures have lowered overnight. As the sun goes down, temperatures are cooling off a little bit, fish have been sedentary all day, not moving a whole lot. That might pique a little bit of a feeding event. By targeting those cooler parts of the day, that’s going to increase the level of success for an angler.” Dolan also reminds anglers to take care of their own bodies, just like fish do on a hot summer day, stay cool and hydrated. Individuals can visit the Iowa DNR website to check up on lake and fishing conditions and receive weekly fishing reports.