Why won't fish feed when the water is very cold or very hot?
Fish are cold-blooded, so water temperature directly affects how much they need to eat and how fast they can react — extremes at either end slow feeding down.
Last reviewed 26 September 2026 · Editorial policy
What you're seeing
Little or no response to bait or lures during a cold snap, a sustained heatwave, or in water that's clearly very cold or unusually warm to the touch.
Run these before changing anything
- What is the water temperature, or how long has the current hot or cold spell lasted?
- Has the temperature changed sharply and recently, or has it been stable at an extreme for some time?
- Is fishing concentrated at the warmest or coolest, most oxygenated depth for the conditions?
- Has the retrieve speed and bait size been adjusted down for slower, less active fish?
Most likely causes, in order
Metabolism has slowed right down in cold water
Check the water temperature if you can, or note recent air temperatures and how long the cold has lasted. In cold water many species feed less often and need less food, and they also react and move more slowly, so a bait needs to sit longer and be worked more slowly than usual.
Warm surface water in a heatwave has pushed fish deeper or driven oxygen down
In sustained heat, surface layers can warm and lose oxygen, especially in still water. Fish often move to deeper, cooler, better-oxygenated water, or shelter near shade and inflows, and feed mainly in the cooler hours around dawn and dusk.
A rapid temperature swing rather than a stable extreme
A sudden sharp change — a cold snap after mild weather, or a hot spell after cool — is widely reported by anglers to affect feeding more than a stable, even extreme temperature that fish have had time to adjust to. If conditions have just changed sharply, expect a slower spell until things settle.
The bait or lure is being worked at a pace that doesn't suit the conditions
In cold water, a fast retrieve or a bait fished for a short dwell time may simply be moving faster than a sluggish fish will chase. Slowing down, downsizing, and giving a bait longer in front of a fish tends to help in these conditions.
Things that make it worse
- Fishing the same depth and speed used in mild conditions without adjusting for the temperature extreme.
- Expecting a quick change in tactics to overcome a genuinely poor feeding spell — patience matters more than method at the extremes.
- Releasing fish carelessly in very warm, low-oxygen water — always keep handling time to a minimum and revive fish fully in calm water before letting go, and check the rules that apply to the water you're fishing.
Guides that fix this properly
Techniques involved
Common questions
Is there an exact temperature where fish stop feeding?
No single figure applies across species and waters, and anglers' experience varies. It's better to treat very cold or very hot water as a general signal to slow down and adjust depth than to fish to a specific number.
Do fish feed at all in winter?
Yes, most species continue to feed through winter, usually less often and more slowly, often concentrated into a shorter window during the warmest part of the day.
Should I fish deeper in a heatwave?
Often, yes — many anglers find deeper, shaded or moving water holds fish better than warm, still shallows during sustained heat, though it depends on the species and the water.