How fast does lake water heat up?

[bdorman]

I think it's fair to say we've all had an unusually warm winter. Here in northern Illinois we're actually supposed to get some 70-deg weather next week (with overnight lows in the mid-50s). For us, that's like early-May weather in mid-March.

That got me to wondering how quickly my home lake will reach 60-deg. It's a 100-acre lake with an average depth of about 9 feet and a deepest point of only 15 feet.

My fish-finder is a portable (HB Piranha Max 160 PT), so I guess I could drop the transducer in the lake every so often.

Any knowledge (or guesses) to shed on the subject?

Thanks

[Locator79]

The overnight low is the key.

[jaxsprat]

The overnight low is the key.

X2, that said the north shore lines will heat up faster during the day due to angle of sun. On a not windy day the warmest times to be on water --water temp wise-should be between 3 & 5 pm especially in shallow water say 3-5 feet with dark black bottom. U may find some male craps moving in this water for the warmth. Just my 2 cents before inflation..................