Thread: Thermocline

Originally Posted by crappiedoc

Technically its freshwater, so the correct term would be chemocline.

I enjoyed your post. What role does the pycnocline play in all this? All of the clines play a role in where fish will be in the water column.

For us land locked lake fisherman, all of the clines, and stratification all go together. To state your winter argument more clearly, it might be easier to say that the reason stockton is the way it is right now is because there isn't a large variance of temperature from the 5ft of water to 50ft. It's so close in temp that the cline could form with any stability.

Good post sir. I think we are getting close to having a real explanation of this topic.

Originally Posted by mduncan62

I enjoyed your post. What role does the pycnocline play in all this? All of the clines play a role in where fish will be in the water column.

For us land locked lake fisherman, all of the clines, and stratification all go together. To state your winter argument more clearly, it might be easier to say that the reason stockton is the way it is right now is because there isn't a large variance of temperature from the 5ft of water to 50ft. It's so close in temp that the cline could form with any stability.

Good post sir. I think we are getting close to having a real explanation of this topic.

What would make Stockton unique with the small temperature variance?Loz and truman are putting out huge numbers of fish as shallow as 3' it would seem all three would be similar because of them being so close,my dog aint in this because i could really care less about any of the cline's with the exception of the heat of summer,i tend to fish more than to try to overthink every detail and up to this point it has worked for me.

I'm more partial to Patsy Cline but not her cousin, Calvin:p

Seriously though, I just had a report from Kinkaid Lake in Illinois that yesterday they were catching some nice ones bottom bouncing in 30-40 feet of water. I think after the water cools in the fall, the thermocline dissolves until the next summer when surface water temps rise.

My understanding from the research I have done, is that in winter when the Clines are no longer present, satisfactory levels of Oxygen will be found throughout the water column. This appears to allow fish to survive at any depth in the column also. This would not be true in the months were the clines are present, because when the water stratifies, the acceptable level of oxygen will be at or above the level of the clines.

Why crappie in some lakes prefer to be, and are active in 30+ ft of water is probably the next question. You can probably catch fish in stockton at the same depths as LOZ in winter, but the water clarity may play a role, and I'm sure there are other factors too. This is not to say that a guy couldn't catch fish that deep in LOZ in winter also. I'd be willing to bet you could find them. In the Jackson Co lake in winter, I normally fish in 20-30ft of water in winter, and some days they'll be on the bottom, some days they'll be at 10ft. Hopefully this discussion with everyone helping out will shed more of a light on this subject then what Whitey stated.

Thanks to all, and Happy New Year to everyone!

this whole thing started cause I posted I was catching crappie in 40 ft of water, boys I do not make this stuff up, I just fish where the fish are, up middle bottom it dont matter to me, I do not think longliner believed me, and he made it clear that he thought I was wrong, because as he stated the thermocline does not get that deep in missouri. Just because someone does not believe me does not make me wrong, or make me catch fish any shallower than they are, forget the science, just follow me arround and I will show you what I know,

Originally Posted by beagle man

this whole thing started cause I posted I was catching crappie in 40 ft of water, boys I do not make this stuff up, I just fish where the fish are, up middle bottom it dont matter to me, I do not think longliner believed me, and he made it clear that he thought I was wrong, because as he stated the thermocline does not get that deep in missouri. Just because someone does not believe me does not make me wrong, or make me catch fish any shallower than they are, forget the science, just follow me arround and I will show you what I know,

If the thermocline gets to 40+ feet in NY, I think it can in stockton lake also. There's no doubting what you say Beagle. At this point though, it would appear that there is no thermocline due to the water temps, so you are OK to believe that you are catching crappie in 30-50 feet of water. I believe it! And they can have mud on the belly also.

Imho i don't think thermoclines or any clines are at all relevent in the winter my question is why is everyone fishing so deep on stocton?we have plenty of clear water up here i've been fishing in it but have yet to fish any deeper than 12' there's simply no need for me to fish deep when i'm catching all i want much shallower.....even the shad are above 20' up here,i just can't think of any reason why the fish would be so deep down there and so shallow up here.