James RickardCoping with turnover
January 15th 2009 02:39
I hate to get very scientific where fishing is concerned but sometimes you have to do so in order to have success.
"Turnover" is one of the terms you hear about if you live in temperate areas and you have to understand it if you want to catch fish.
Basically, turnover is where the lower layers of water mix with the upper layers of water. Normally, you have three layers of water in a lake or reservoir. There's the bottom, poor in oxygen, where all the leaves, twigs, and dead animals fall and you have the top which is what most people know. However, there's a middle layer known as the thermocline where fish often hang out because it has the right amount of oxygen and temperatures to make things comfortable for the fish.
One of the things you hear about turnover is its duration. In large reservoirs or lakes, turnover is probably only two or three days at the longest. But, on small waters such as farm ponds, it could be a matter of hours, as in overnight.
One thing you have to remember is that turnover doesn't make a good excuse for not catching fish unless you mention it to someone who doesn't want to expose their ignorance and takes your words at face value. As mentioned earlier, turnover only occurs in temperate areas or in certain bodies of water.
A myth you often hear about turnover is that it happens everywhere. This is simply not true. Reservoirs or large natural lakes that have frequent wind or a constant current usually don't experience turn over. If there is turnover, it won't be as dramatic as what you find on smaller bodies of water. You'll find that wind and currents keep the water well mixed so there's not much difference when the upper and lower layers of water collide. When it comes to rivers or flowing stream, it almost never happens.
The exact timing of turnover depends upon your location. Even if you do live in temperate areas, turnover may occur in one location and not happen until a couple of weeks later only 150 miles away. As distances increase, times will increase also. What happens in New York in September or October may not happen south of the Mason Dixon Line until around December if at all.
It's not all that tough to tell if your favorite body of water is experiencing turnover. One give away is a milky or dingy appearance to the water. Another sign may be the presence of floating vegetation such as tree limbs and the like that have come loose from the bottom. You may also notice a rotting stench as decaying matter comes to the surface during turnover.
Turnover makes things tough for anglers. Fish that have been in the same place all year are suddenly not there. They may be deep or shallow depending on where the food supply and cover may be since the oxygen supply is getting mixed.
You don't have to change your tactics that much to fish turnover. Different conditions may have taken the fish by surprise but once things stabilize, things are pretty much back to normal. Aside from the usual crank or spinner baits, you may profit from adding some scents or sound producing lures to your arsenal.
All in all, it's just more fall fishing with a little more challenge.
Until next time--watch your line and watch yourself!
"Turnover" is one of the terms you hear about if you live in temperate areas and you have to understand it if you want to catch fish.
Basically, turnover is where the lower layers of water mix with the upper layers of water. Normally, you have three layers of water in a lake or reservoir. There's the bottom, poor in oxygen, where all the leaves, twigs, and dead animals fall and you have the top which is what most people know. However, there's a middle layer known as the thermocline where fish often hang out because it has the right amount of oxygen and temperatures to make things comfortable for the fish.
One of the things you hear about turnover is its duration. In large reservoirs or lakes, turnover is probably only two or three days at the longest. But, on small waters such as farm ponds, it could be a matter of hours, as in overnight.
One thing you have to remember is that turnover doesn't make a good excuse for not catching fish unless you mention it to someone who doesn't want to expose their ignorance and takes your words at face value. As mentioned earlier, turnover only occurs in temperate areas or in certain bodies of water.
A myth you often hear about turnover is that it happens everywhere. This is simply not true. Reservoirs or large natural lakes that have frequent wind or a constant current usually don't experience turn over. If there is turnover, it won't be as dramatic as what you find on smaller bodies of water. You'll find that wind and currents keep the water well mixed so there's not much difference when the upper and lower layers of water collide. When it comes to rivers or flowing stream, it almost never happens.
The exact timing of turnover depends upon your location. Even if you do live in temperate areas, turnover may occur in one location and not happen until a couple of weeks later only 150 miles away. As distances increase, times will increase also. What happens in New York in September or October may not happen south of the Mason Dixon Line until around December if at all.
Think this little hole in West Virginia changes very much?
Turnover makes things tough for anglers. Fish that have been in the same place all year are suddenly not there. They may be deep or shallow depending on where the food supply and cover may be since the oxygen supply is getting mixed.
You don't have to change your tactics that much to fish turnover. Different conditions may have taken the fish by surprise but once things stabilize, things are pretty much back to normal. Aside from the usual crank or spinner baits, you may profit from adding some scents or sound producing lures to your arsenal.
All in all, it's just more fall fishing with a little more challenge.
Until next time--watch your line and watch yourself!
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