Q.
What does pH stand for, and how does it effect fishing?
A.
This could get long and technical, but I’ll
not bore you with a lot of chemical talk.
Basically, pH is a number that reflects the
relative acidity or alkalinity of water. pH
ranges from 1 to about 12, but the extreme
values are rarely found in nature; the lower
the number, the more acid the water. Neutrality
is around pH 7. Most natural waters not impacted
by some outside source will generally range from
pH 6 to a little over pH 8. Thus, if you find
water having a pH near the extremes, it is
likely a pollution situation or some very
unique natural situation. Chances are that
most of the waters you fish will be on the
alkaline side of neutrality.
How pH affects fishing is a bit harder to
answer. Different fish can tolerate different
levels of pH, so rather than affecting the
fishing, pH governs what fish species might
be present.
If you have a question, please feel free to contact me.
~ C. E. (Bert) Cushing, aka Streamdoctor
105 W. Cherokee Dr.
Estes Park, CO 80517
Phone: 970-577-1584
Email: streamdoctor@aol.com
The ‘Stream Doctor’ is a retired professional stream ecologist and
author, now living in the West and spending way too much time
fly-fishing. You are invited to submit questions relating to
anything stream related directly to him for use in this Q & A Feature
at streamdoctor@aol.com.
Originally published October 31st, 2004 on Fly Anglers Online by Robert Younghanz.