How Heat Affects Fishing

Summer in Kuwait shows no mercy: temperatures pass 45°C in the shade and the sea warms to over 30°C. That completely changes fish behaviour. You cannot fish in July the way you fish in January — you need to understand how heat changes the game so you do not come back with an empty cooler.

What fish do in the heat

• Fish slow down at midday. In the hottest hours most species stop feeding — fish are smart enough to know heat costs energy.
• They go deeper. Surface water heats up fast, so fish drop to cooler depths where oxygen is more available.
• They look for shade. Under boats, around ledges, anything casting shade in the water — shade equals fish in summer.
• They move at dawn and dusk. In the two hours when the water cools, activity doubles.

Best fishing times in summer

The golden rule in Kuwait: from dawn until about 9 a.m., and from 5 p.m. until sunset. Night fishing is also good, especially with moonlight. Midday is for resting — or for slow, deep jigging. But do not waste energy working the surface while the sun is directly overhead.

Algal blooms and red tides in the heat

Heat increases the chance of red tides and algal blooms: the water changes colour, develops a smell, oxygen drops, and fish either flee the area or die in severe cases. If you see oddly coloured water, an unusual smell, or floating fish, move away and do not eat catches from that area until it clears.

Protecting yourself and your bait from the heat

• Yourself: plenty of water, a sunshade, a cap, sunscreen — and heat-stress symptoms (dizziness, nausea, headache) mean you head back immediately.
• Your bait: extra ice in the cooler, kept in the shade — bait spoils in heat faster than you expect, and fish can tell the difference.
• Your boat: check engine temperature and stay close to shore with an older engine — breaking down in the summer heat is not the time for it.

Before you set your trip time, check sea conditions in the B7R app — it gives you water conditions and temperature, so you know whether the day suits surface fishing or is better taken at night.

And if you run into an unusual bloom, note it and log your catches in the B7R fishing log — you will notice that summer fishing has its own rhythm, and those who understand it head out in July and out-fish the people staying home.