Bass In 175+ Feet

[Paul Roberts]

18 minutes ago, You_Only_Live_Once_Fishing said:

This thread got a little more confusing than i thought it would, probably no fish down there

Nope, probably no fish down there. And if there were bass down there you'd not be able to pull them to the top without barotrauma issues.

[You_Only_Live_Once_Fishing]

35 minutes ago, Paul Roberts said:

Nope, probably no fish down there. And if there were bass down there you'd not be able to pull them to the top without barotrauma issues.

Just like high altitude climbing and skydiving, right?

[Paul Roberts]

28 minutes ago, You_Only_Live_Once_Fishing said:

Just like high altitude climbing and skydiving, right?

Or if the water's clear enough -vertigo.

[WRB]

Unlike trout that have air bladder valves to release bladder expansion, bass can't release air bladder gasses when they make fast upward depth changes.  The maximum depth change from deep water to shallower water is  about 1 atmosphere of pressure change, about 30', without serious air bladder expansion.

So where are those thermocline answers?

Tom

[SlappinKraken]

33 minutes ago, WRB said:

Unlike trout that have air bladder valves to release bladder expansion, bass can't release air bladder gasses when they make fast upward depth changes.  The maximum depth change from deep water to shallower water is  about 1 atmosphere of pressure change, about 30', without serious air bladder expansion.

So where are those thermocline answers?

Tom

I think the first significant decrease in temp relative to a small decrease in depth indicates the thermocline. So somewhere between 15' and 20'.

[Team9nine]

The thermocline is usually a band of water, not a distinct line. It also is often technically defined as a drop in temperature of at least 1 deg. C per meter of water column, or about half a degree F per foot. As such, in the example given, the top of the thermocline would be around that 15' mark and the bottom of the thermocline would be near the 45' level (though likely somewhat shallower given the visibility reading at that depth). Hard to get much more specific given the large variances between recorded depths. Could be more accurate with readings every 1, 2 or 5 ft throughout the water column.

-T9

[WRB]

T9, I agree there isn't enough detailed temperature information to be exact. Today we use our sonar units to read differences in water density to indicate a thermocline and fairly accurately.

What I see in the chart is a gradual temperature transition until the 20' reading of 73 degrees. Mid 70 water temps are preferred by bass so they will be around that depth,  but 73 degrees isn't that big a difference in density. My guess is the faster water temperature change that would indicate a thermocline is below 20' maybe 25'-30'.

Also keep in mind that wind can bend or tilt thermoclines and current can mix the water temperatures. The most important factor is what is the life zone depth where the bass and baitfish are located.

Tom

[You_Only_Live_Once_Fishing]

LOL im so lost!

[Onvacation]

Team9nine and WRB, it has been years since I dove here, but if I remember correctly, there was a very distinct line normally right around 40 to 45 feet. They have the plane from the movie US Marshalls sunk in the quarry and the cockpit is below fifty feet if I remember.   The change in water temp is so distinct that if you suspended yourself vertically at the line, the upper portion of your body would bo OK and your legs would feel as if they were dipped in ice water.  That is only this particular body of water though.  I cannot recall diving anywhere else that it was so distinct.  Then again, once I discovered Aruba, Cozumel and Barbados, quarry diving became about as appealing as bobbers for little bluegills.  

[Onvacation]

43 minutes ago, You_Only_Live_Once_Fishing said:

LOL im so lost!

It's all part of learning how to catch a predator that doesn't really want to be pulled out of the water by a hook in her mouth.  Fishing is really all about learning behavior and what neighborhoods the big bass prefer.  To paraphrase a quote I recently read, people don't catch 10 pounders on accident

[Firefish Alumacraft]

On July 24, 2016 at 0:34 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

I've seen videos of divers 100+ feet at Table Rock. It's like a desert that deep, no signs of life anywhere. 

I've been a Technical scuba diver for 14 years but lost the itch about 4 years ago. I dove quarries in IL/Wi year round. Ive seen most aquatic life in the 2-35ft range, deeper yeah but very far in between for lake/river sport fish.  Only time Ive seen life deep was Lake Michigan at 150+ ft was Salmon/ berbots ( slimy eel looking catfish monster) .

[You_Only_Live_Once_Fishing]

18 minutes ago, Firefish Tracker said:

I've been a Technical scuba diver for 14 years but lost the itch about 4 years ago. I dove quarries in IL/Wi year round. Ive seen most aquatic life in the 2-35ft range, deeper yeah but very far in between for lake/river sport fish.  Only time Ive seen life deep was Lake Michigan at 150+ ft was Salmon/ berbots ( slimy eel looking catfish monster) .

cool!

 

 

[Airman4754]

Almost every lake I fish clears 100', some well over that. The deepest I've every marked a non-spotted bass was last week in 68'. There were two of them suspended on a small hump and they were monsters. 

I know they are bass because our lakes here have littls hatchery trout that stay at 15 feet until they die and pan fish. 

I've marked spots blowing up shad balls at Shasta down to 120' in the winter. Unless there is a mud line you rarely catch anything decent that time of year shallower than 40'.

 

[Fish4bigfish]

2 hours ago, Mosster47 said:

Almost every lake I fish clears 100', some well over that. The deepest I've every marked a non-spotted bass was last week in 68'. There were two of them suspended on a small hump and they were monsters. 

I know they are bass because our lakes here have littls hatchery trout that stay at 15 feet until they die and pan fish. 

I've marked spots blowing up shad balls at Shasta down to 120' in the winter. Unless there is a mud line you rarely catch anything decent that time of year shallower than 40'.

 

Lake Oroville  the spots will do the same