Thermolcline and Eyes.

[W.W.IV.]

Does Erie get a thermolcline?

 

[huck42]

Yes

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[W.W.IV.]

Thanks Huck42.

Do you local fishermen look for suspended fish in warmer water over the cline,say the temp.is55deg. down in 70FOW or would you work in shallower in say 65deg.water.I don't know the preferred temp. for Eyes.

[huck42]

In PA waters where I fish the cline sets up about this time of year in the summer stable weather patterns. You can see it on your depth finder if you turn up the sensitivity. The fish usually will be below it but feed in and above it. If the water is really warm and the weather has been stable for a few days the cline really sets up and you will see the fish stacked up just below it. A big blow from the north or east will turn over the lake and mess up the cline.

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[W.W.IV.]

Hey Huck, you saying the Eyes are hanging out in 49deg. water.

[problem child]

7 hours ago, W.W.IV. said:

Hey Huck, you saying the Eyes are hanging out in 49deg. water.

the steel are...

[W.W.IV.]

For the record I'm only interested in walleye and there comfort zone after the cline sets up.What I was wondering is where the eyes are generally located according to temp.

Thanks for your replies.

[mike m.]

Thermocline is definitly something to pay attention to when hunting walleyes. I ihave found that active eyes are usually in 60-65 degree temps this time of year. I run a fish hawk and always check to see where the cline is. Seldom do we pull an eye out of water lower then 58.

[jimski2]

Southwest winds stack warm water to the eastern end of the lake in the summer. Ohio is south of Pennsylvania and the warm air and sun conditions create a lot of warm surface water there and the SW wind blows it to NY waters. It piles up here all the way to the bottom of the lake. Sturgeon Point to Point Abino is nine miles across and the sixty mile breadth of PA and OH has a lot of warmer surface water that moves to NY where it piles up to the bottom especially east of Sturgeon Point. After July first the colder bottom water is found some years all the way west of Silver Creek. This cold water attracts the cold water seeking smelt, emerald shiners and forage for the walleye, trout and perch. Usually it is found around sixty to seventy foot depths and the fishing is fantastic out there from mid July to mid August.

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[problem child]

the eyes usually are above the thermo, yesterday 45 was thermo. we caught 8 eyes fishing clean reefs over 78 fow and dropped riggers to 50fow with DW SS for steel. only took 2 steel both down 50 and even caught eyes at the same time on the reefs down 30-35fow.

[W.W.IV.]

Thank you, thats what the info I was looking for.Now all I have to do is get up there and try and find then. 

[glowgetter]

Is it possible that a thermocline can  set up in different parts of the lake . Saying 5 to 10 miles apart ? Do they usually set up in the same parts of the lake every year. Saying based on the bottom contour ??

[J. Sparrow]

my experience is it's based on the wind and currents...... surface and subsurface..... 

so yes it can be different in different areas of the lake....... 

[jimski2]

There are upwelling conditions where an off shore wind blows all the warm water away and cold bottom waters reach the surface. Some below thermocline waters become dissolved oxygen scarce as decay of organisms consume the oxygen. White capping wave action adds oxygen to warm surface waters as below thermocline waters become dead zones from the decaying organisms and a lack of surface activity is blocked by the thermocline barrier. You may expect to find fish devoid areas after the season extends and the mixture is surface water declines.

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[justtracytrolling]

I run a probe too and find fishing below 60 degrees to be a waste of time as mentioned above. 65-67 degree water is a good starting point.

[justtracytrolling]

Active fish will often be way out of temp...