Bass Fishing And Surface Water Temp Question

[Eccs]

So I have been reading articles about bass and their tendencies in certain water temperatures. I have read that a surface water monitor for your boat is something good to have however I don't do a lot of boat fishing. I do when at the cottage but not enough to invest in a Surface temp monitor. I mostly do bank fishing and fishing out of  a canoe and was wondering if a Infared thermometer would be useful for reading water surface temp. This way I can use it on the bank, in the canoe or when I'm on a boat. Here is what I was thinking of getting. http://www.amazon.ca/Huayuan%C2%AE-Digital-Infrared-Non-Contact-Thermometer/dp/B00QTH1PFW/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1423074871&sr=1-4&keywords=infrared+thermometerWhat are peoples thoughts on this?

[fishballer06]

I'm not sure how those will work, but you could always run to your local store and pick up a swimming pool temperature stick. Probably won't cost you more than $5. 

[primetime]

I like to throw topwaters all year long and if they want a topwater, and if you are near fish, you should know right away if they will strike. If they do not hit the walking lure, try a smaller popper, maybe something faster like a buzzbait or even working a prop bait like a torpedo or double prop during the spawn is a great way to catch fish over flats...I think Shad and baitfish dye all year round, float to the surface, struggle on the surface, lizards, frogs fall in the water all year long in the south, so I have had success on lures like a Rapala Floater F-9 silver black, or gold, or the smaller Walkers in 50-90mm in cold as well as poppers, I tend to use small one's but I am sure larger one's would work. My best fish this year came on a colder morning and on a 90mm Sebile Splasher which is the biggest Popper in my box, and I wasn't walking it but causing a rucus, so it was a pull, pause, yank, pause...and it worked for about an hour and landed me a nice 6.5-7lb fish...My friends would say 4lbs. but they need glasses.

[Scott F]

Almost any thermometer will do. Go to a kitchen store and buy a cheap one.

[smalljaw67]

You could use that and it will give you an idea of the range the water is in. 20 years ago my old Jon boat didn't have a temp gauge but I had an old Minn Kota portable water temp gauge with a probe attached to a 10' long cable that you would lower into the water and then get a digital read out of the water temp, it was accurate + - 1 degree F. I think a place called Nu-Temp sells something similar but being on the bank you really don't need it. Late fall, winter and early spring are the times when water temp can be critical,

[Paul Roberts]

I've wondered about those too. Could be time savers. But...they also could be just adding another clunky electronic gizmo that requires batteries. How about durability and do they require calibration?

 

I'd read IR thermometers don't work well on reflective surfaces, which may mean the angle they strike at the water may matter a great deal. I see they've come way down in price however. If I were to try one out, I'd first test it for accuracy in multiple places, angles, and distances with a regular thermometer. Afterwords, do let us know yours worked out.

[Eccs]

I've wondered about those too. Could be time savers. But...they also could be just adding another clunky electronic gizmo that requires batteries. How about durability and do they require calibration?

 

I'd read IR thermometers don't work well on reflective surfaces, which may mean the angle they strike at the water may matter a great deal. I see they've come way down in price however. If I were to try one out, I'd first test it for accuracy in multiple places, angles, and distances with a regular thermometer. Afterwords, do let us know yours worked out.

I may be willing to drop some money on one and test it out. I know people use them for cooking to check water temp so I don't see why it wouldn't work in a lake setting

[Paul Roberts]

I may be willing to drop some money on one and test it out. I know people use them for cooking to check water temp so I don't see why it wouldn't work in a lake setting

I Googled it a bit and typically had to weed through the "new toy reviews" to find a couple people that had actually used them; one guy even tested his. And both found their units gave inconsistent results in field conditions, due to beam reflectance one thought. Might want to do a few searches yourself before you lay down your money.

[ColdSVT]

When i bank fish i carry my laser thermometer with me.

works great!

Wasnt all that expensive and i use it for all kinds if stuff

[Dylcook91]

IR guns are not accurate on reflective surfaces as stated above thus it would pass though water giving poor results. It only works in cooking because a pot of water is very shallow, and its reading the temp at the bottom/sides of the pot.It needs a surface to bounce off, and shouldn't really be used more the a foot or two from the the object being tested(closer=accuracy). The lazer dosent actually do anything other then show you where you are aiming the gun.

I use them for auto repair, for the price of one worth buying you can buy lots of fishing gear. I stick with the cheap pool thermometer for fishing.

[ColdSVT]

IR guns are not accurate on reflective surfaces as stated above thus it would pass though water giving poor results. It only works in cooking because a pot of water is very shallow, and its reading the temp at the bottom/sides of the pot.It needs a surface to bounce off, and shouldn't really be used more the a foot or two from the the object being tested(closer=accuracy). The lazer dosent actually do anything other then show you where you are aiming the gun.

I use them for auto repair, for the price of one worth buying you can buy lots of fishing gear. I stick with the cheap pool thermometer for fishing.

True but it gives me a general idea of what im dealing with