Small Lake Temps & Turnover

[AJ Hauser]

Hey guys,

So this year was the first time I was able to get the water temps using the new side imaging unit installed on my jon boat (special thank you to everyone here that helped me with that project!). In the last 3 weeks, I have watched the surface temp drop from 68 to under 50 degrees. Yesterday I fished for 3 hours in the afternoon because it was our first warm day in a week (75 degrees afer no more than 50 degree air temps, down in the 30's at night here in Illinois) without a bite using what had been working:

 

1. Shallow Crankbait across rip rap

2. Spinnerbait out a bit deeper from the bank

3. Jig worm

 

I hit two small lakes that were close to one another (50 acres and 25 acres respectively) and fished from shore without getting a single tap. This has not happened since April of this year when it was similarly cold. 

 

So I wanted to ask all of you smart handsome people if you thought the bass were simply inactive or moved out deeper based on the water temps? Do smaller lakes experience turnover? Where do bass go in smaller lakes when it's cold? Do they sit on top of one another in mid-lake deep holes?

 

The max depth in each is only about 8 feet. 

 

Very confused - but hoping to learn a thing or two. 

Thanks!

[Spankey]

That may be way too shallow for that to happen. 

[BigAngus752]

1 hour ago, AJH said:

I have watched the surface temp drop from 68 to under 50 degrees.

I am also in Illinois. You must be far north if you have water below 50 degrees. I’m central and our smallish lakes are still high 50s. 
Generally when the water is 55-45 I’m using moving baits like lipless, squarebill, bladed jigs relatively shallow and near anything that is still green or near rock/wood. At about 45 degrees I put away everything but the Ned rig. I have great success on a slowly twitched Ned from 45 degrees to ice. I’ve broken thin ice to throw a Ned and caught bass. 

[Fallser]

58 minutes ago, AJH said:

o I wanted to ask all of you smart handsome people if you thought the bass were simply inactive or moved out deeper based on the water temps? Do smaller lakes experience turnover? Where do bass go in smaller lakes when it's cold? Do they sit on top of one another in mid-lake deep holes?

 

The max depth in each is only about 8 feet. 

Not sure I fall into the smart handsome people category, but I'll give it a shot.  There may be some turnover in a lake that shallow.  I think it would depend on how clear the lake is.  How much vegetation there's.  There's not going to be that much of a difference between the surface temperature and the bottom temperature.  Since you're talking a 3 week period, odds are whatever turnover there is has happen and you're probably looking at 50 degree temperatures through the water column.

  Where did the bass go?  Probably not far.   They're going to be wherever the food is.  They're cold blooded.  It slows them down.  They don't need as much food and they're definitely not going to chase after it.  They'll be in the vegetation, near structure.  They may migrate to deeper holes, but if there is no food there they won't be there long.

 I mainly fly fish and once the water temperatures get into the 50's in both fresh and salt water it's time for me to pack it in for the year.  The water temps around here are still in the mid to upper 60's in both fresh and salt water.  I'm recovering from knee surgery.  So I'm not doing any fishing this fall

  Slow your presentation down.  You may have to change up baits.  Probably the shallow running crank bait needs to go.  You can slow roll the spinner bait.  Slow down the retrieve of the jig worm.

[AJ Hauser]

15 minutes ago, BigAngus752 said:

You must be far north if you have water below 50 degrees.

Good call - I'm probably upper-mid (about an hour outside Chicago) but these lakes are small and not very deep, so I think the cold weather is really having a fast impact on them. Maybe not - maybe it's just these ones?

 

Both have a surface temp of just under 50 degrees now. 

Thank you for the temperature info too - this is the first year I have ever actually kept track of that. Very helpful! I was thinking that I needed to be launching a BIGGER bait out deep and working it super slow... might have to try down-sizing a bit more and twitching a Ned along a bit. 

Clinton Lake is about 2.25 hours from where I fish usually. I'd like to get over to Shabbona this coming spring. 

Good Lord I'm already talking about Spring... 

7 minutes ago, Fallser said:

Not sure I fall into the smart handsome people category, but I'll give it a shot.

Nah man, don't short-change yourself! 

 

This makes sense, thank you. Regarding vegetation... that's an odd thing, because the only thing green in these lakes and some mucky algae and the leaves that fall in off the overhanging trees. They're mostly soft bottom (soft bottom girls you make the rockin' world go round! Oh excuse me) with rocks that extend out a bit from the banks that are rip rap as well. There are some sticks and things but I need to search more for underwater stumps and things like that. 

 

All in all, I better slow down and I think I'll look in areas that are not as far away as I thought. Thanks!

[Spankey]

This may be a stupid suggestion but you could sink a pool thermometer to the depths and see what it is. 
 

I’ve used my floating live well thermometer and done that before. Will get you below surface temps. Quick, easy and cheap. Even if it off a degree or two who cares. 

[scaleface]

 

 

On your 8 foot deep lakes , there really isnt going to be a turnover like on deeper bodies . The water is not deep enough to form layers .

[Paul Roberts]

Shouldn't be any turnover in such a shallow lake. It should heat and cool through. By the time it's in the 40's the water column should be pretty much isothermic -all the same temp.

 

Here, I find bass may visit shorelines until the first ice in shallows comes on.

 

Find the food, find good prominant objects. In the 40's, you'll probably need to slow way down: longer pauses on jerks, lighter more buoyant jigs to slow horizontal retrieves.