Fishing thermocline bass

[win300mag1]

Hey everyone, just joined the site. This is my first serious year bass fishing the hot summer months of NC. I live just about 30 min from shearon harris reservoir so I spend most of my time there. The lake has developed a very pronounced thermocline that I can see on my downscan clear as crystal. It usually shows up in about 30-40 feet of water and it sits at about 20 feet. I cant see just a ton of fish stacked up on top of this band of water but I can seem to catch them. I typically love to drag a Carolina rig, Texas rig, jig, or anything else you can work along the bottom but that bite has gone dead almost completely. Any tips would be very helpful. Thanks guys!

Edited September 2, 2016 by win300mag1
Typo

[WRB]

You don't want to fish below the thermocline; 20' thermocline fish the 15' to 20' depth zone.

Drop shot or split shot, vertical structure spoons, Little Goerge type tail spins or Sworming Hornet type Underspins in baitfish colors are typical mid to late summer lures that work.

Tom

[win300mag1]

Thanks! I will give some of those techniques a try. I appreciate the help!

[Hot Rod Johnson]

Fish a "Shad Color" Picasso Double Barrel Underspin Gamakatsu Version with a 4" Zoom Fluke in Albino, Disco Violet, Smokin Shad, White Ice, or White Pearl...Also you can Dropshot a 4 1/2" and 6 " Roboworm - Straight Tail Worms in Prizm Shad, SXE Shad and Purple Punisher on a 3/16 Oz. and 3/8 Oz. weight..Both by casting the lures and vertical presentations...Just keep the lures above the bottom of the thermocline...

[Catt]

Goto to your settings screen, find "depth alarm", set the depth at 20'!

Ya good to go!

[senile1]

I would add that if you can find them on the bottom in the water just above the thermocline they will be easier to catch with bottom hugging baits.  If you can't find them there, then they may be suspending above the 20 foot thermocline in any water that is deeper such as the 40 foot depths you mentioned.  I've read that this lake has a great population of threadfin shad which are a pelagic baitfish.  If some of your bass are suspending in open water following the shad, the vertical spoons, tailspins, and underspins mentioned by @WRB are useful lures to attempt to get those suspending bass to bite.  

[NYWayfarer]

I like the drop shot in situations like this.

I have also used swimbaits with a slip bobber rig. I cast past the area I intend to fish and drag the bait through the desired depth for suspended bass.

[Team9nine]

A thermocline is nothing more than a breakline, and the best breaklines are usually those that are somehow connected to structure. So don't just "fish the bottom," but instead fish the bottom where the thermocline and structure meet. Either find several areas like this to rotate around on, or just find one good one and wait 'em out. Either way the result is usually better than chasing fish suspended out in the middle of nowhere.

-T9

[WRB]

Lakes are not homogenous throughout the entire water column and thermoclines can change depth or dissapear in some areas of a larger size lake. Wind or any current can mix the water changing or breaking up a thermocline so you need to check the depth all the time.

Tom