After seeing Steelytom’s reply joking about the Turnover Tx, I got a little paranoid as my date selection hasn’t been so stellar in the past. This morning, I did a little research and found some interesting results I figured I’d share here.
I went back and looked at this point in time for the last 5 years and recorded the water temps and the turnover date for that year. The turnover dates are approximate as on some years there was a slow turnover and other years there was a quick flip.
The numbers in () are the order of temperature difference from least to greatest. Interesting that there is an exact correlation between top/bottom delta and the date of turnover. Throwing out 2013 for a ridiculously high bottom temp (I believe that’s the year we had above avg rainfall and the water was being dumped down the river all summer), it looks like we are good till at least late Oct, unless we have some really crazy cold temps before then.
Good stuff Tim! I was talking with a fellow club member and poster on this board yesterday at the weigh-in and cookout. We got to talking about when to move waaay upriver, and I mentioned catching some good fish near the resort the week before Halloween one year. He said, “C’mon Fogman! You know when the turnover is going to happen.” I told him we are a ways off, and I would look at the data mid next month. How timely is it that you made this post? If the pattern holds true, we’re in for a late turnover, but we’ll see.
I had a 30 fish day above 121 at the end of oct last year. Prob would have been more than that but my TM ran out of juice around noon. I was “pulling” against the current. Only made it 4 miles on my batteries…lol…never know what’s up there…lol…
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
Was out yesterday and found out that my finder is totally done - transponder I think. But the surface temps have dropped tremendously in the last 3 weeks. 78-80 everywhere.
Good thing you never fish or that would be a problem
quote:Originally posted by TRITON225CC
Was out yesterday and found out that my finder is totally done - transponder I think. But the surface temps have dropped tremendously in the last 3 weeks. 78-80 everywhere.
As a general rule, the turnover has happened within 10 days of Veteran’s Day, either side of that date for the past 15 years. And yes, there have been exceptions. A better indication that it is happening is to look at the dissolved oxygen, top and bottom. The temps and O2 levels will be approximately the same when the lake turns over.
I knew that small fish would bring in Steverino. I would have used the griper on him but he was too small. The dam thing swallowed the hook somehow. I’m heading up to a buddies camp to fish the upper Allegheny river towards the mountains. It’s loaded with big smallmouths and walleye, but it still doesn’t compare to stripers. Salmon, steelhead and lake run browns will be in the great lake tributaries soon, that’s always fun. I’m going to try and make it back down there for the spring planer board season.
You know I don’t like when the bigger fish pull to hard. I did try the triangle last Sunday with the kids, but the water was 83 with no real signs of activity. Hopefully the rain this weekend will get them moving up.
