Thermocline

[Sickle Hook]

In the image the thermocline appears to
go all the way to the bottom. Is this possible
or is there something I’m missing?
Thanks
SH

[SKs Crappie Catching Adventures]

I'd be fishn and hanging round that 16fow area for sure......

[skeetbum]

Thermocline, as i understand it, isn’t a line but a separation of layers and yes, it will go deep. Low oxygen below keeps everything active above the layer and almost nothing below. Try this; put on a minnow and let it down 10 feet for 5 minutes. If it doesn’t catch a fish and screw up my demonstration, it will still be alive when you bring it up. Next put a fresh minnow on and drop it say 3 to 5 feet below the line on your graph for a few minutes. I’ll bet it comes up dead. It did when I tried it. No oxygen. If you’re trolling cranks, try to stay 2 or 3 feet above it and you’ll find fish when you find bait. Worked well for me in the TN summers.

[Nutbush]

I’d be trying to run along that ridge. Seems most of the time in the Summer, the fish love to hang out right at that point where the thermocline starts and stops.


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[tstone]

Is the drop-off a creek channel? Reason I ask is that on one of the lakes I fish I found an almost identical scenario and it was "within" the edges of a small creek channel (if that makes sense). Looked liked a thermocline layer but shouldn't have been one within the current of the channel, or at least I don't think it would.

[Yak Fish]

I have been scuba diving and encountered some serious thermoclines before and they are just as described. The water in the top of the water column is warm (~80 degrees F) and quite full of fish life. The thermocline itself is a fairly distinct sort of hazy line, where the visibility is blurry from the separation. The water below the thermocline can be downright chilly (~50 degrees F) and it is absolutely devoid of fish.

Several years ago I did a few technical dives to a downed Blackhawk helicopter that was in around 60 feet of fresh water and the thermocline was at around 22 feet. The water was comfortable above the thermocline, but bone chilling cold below. Visibility was bad, but worse at the mix line. After 25 minutes at the wreck I was losing feeling in my fingertips, the bare skin below my mask was numb, and it was time to go. On the way up there was a school of crappie holding on a submerged treetop off the bank a couple of feet above the thermocline.

Jim

[river scum]

interesting discussion!

does the thermocline show on DI better or worse?

[Redge]

interesting discussion!

does the thermocline show on DI better or worse?

Thermocline is readily apparent on di, and si, I don’t notice one being better than the other


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[Sickle Hook]

Here are my thoughts on the the OP image.
Im thinking that graph is showing only the top
portion of the thermocline. The bottom edge
of the thermocline is deeper than the 28.8 ft
shown on the graph, therefore we would have
to move out to deeper water to see the
bottom of the thermocline and the cool layer
of water underneath it.
SH

[trypman1]

Good subject,