Do you always check for a thermocline when fishing, and is there ever a reason to fish deeper than the thermocline. Can you catch fish deeper than it?

I check it and don't fish below it.  I've never caught a bass below the thermocline. The way I see it it helps eliminate water.

The thermocline is a fast water temperature change over several feet thick down from the surface water. Below the thermocline the water is colder then above it. Colder or cooler water tends to hold higher levels dissolved oxygen (DO) they need and cold water fish like trout prefer. There is life below a thermocline!

Bass prefer warmer water but need good levels of DO, so in some lakes bass and their prey fish move deeper for cooler water but tend to aviod going below the thermocline if the water is 10 degrees or colder then they are acclimated to. If an abundant of prey like trout are located below the thermocline in deep structured lakes,  bass will go deeper to hunt the prey after they adjust to cooler water and that takes a few days.

Generally speaking you want to determine the life zone where abundant baitfish are located and that often is above the thermocline.

Tom

 

At one time I had a light /temp probe that I purchased from BPS .  Every-time I lowered it in the water the temp and light would drop drastically at the thermocline .  The instructions read that the o2 would also drop at that depth .  It was a handy piece of electronic equipment that I would like to see become available again .