Fall Turnover

[papajoe222]

Well, I didn't expect this for a couple of weeks, but my home lake is in the process of turning over. It's a small, shallow body of water and it doesn't take long for this to happen. Given the colder than normal nights we've been having, I should have expected it.  Once things settle down, I have a strategy for getting some of the big gals to commit, but the lake closes at the end of the month so I won't have many opportunities left to do so.

How far south would I need to go to find a lake that doesn't turn over, or is it common, just further down the calendar?

[GreenPig]

We turnover here in Middle Ga., usually around mid to late December per my records.

[Team9nine]

Just further down the calendar for most bodies of water. Thermocline was sitting at about 20 ft last week on a local lake here in SC with about 70 deg water temps, but I fished it all through the winter last year and we hit low 40s surface temps in January, so they all eventually turn over. A couple years back, even east Texas reservoirs like Lake Fork had surface ice. Maybe S. Florida, or Mexico - lol

[papajoe222]

I am just looking to extend my season and was thinking I might hook up with Mike @Siebert Outdoors as he is about 350mi. south of me. I’m getting way up in years and don’t know how many fishing seasons I have left. Hoping to extend the ones I do. 

[WRB]

Fall turnovers occur in warmer climates like SoCal where the water column doesn’t get colder than 50 degrees.

Cooler water on top warmer water created by colder night temperatures coupled with cooler days flips the water column creating a turnover. 
It’s easy to tell when that happens from the smell of clumps of decaying bottom debris floating near the surface.

What occurs is the entire water column mixes becoming the same temperature for a few weeks. The fishing during this few weeks is very slow because the entire ecosystem is adjusting to the temperature change and lower dissolved oxygen. 
Windy weather usually curs the low DO activating the bass.

I just go to a different lake for a few weeks during turnover period.

Fish as often as you can while you can.

Tom

 

[Tackleholic]

20 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

Well, I didn't expect this for a couple of weeks, but my home lake is in the process of turning over. It's a small, shallow body of water and it doesn't take long for this to happen. Given the colder than normal nights we've been having, I should have expected it.  Once things settle down, I have a strategy for getting some of the big gals to commit, but the lake closes at the end of the month so I won't have many opportunities left to do so.

How far south would I need to go to find a lake that doesn't turn over, or is it common, just further down the calendar?

We are turning over right now in North Central Arkansas.

[Swamp Girl]

11 hours ago, WRB said:

Fish as often as you can while you can.

 

No ^wiser words^ have ever been posted at BR. The clock is ticking for all of us.

[woolleyfooley]

I wonder if we have turnover here in south Florida? 

[geo g]

Down here in Florida some of the worst water turn overs have been in the hottest part of the summer during a real heavy thunderstorm.  Water temps get above 90*, a bad thunderstorm develops with rain temperature in the 60’s*.  5” of rain water sinks rapidly to the bottom and pushes unoxigenated water up the column to the surface.  I have seen thousands of fish floating on the surface dead from a rapid turn over.  Sickening to see this but the gators are overjoyed!

[Pat Brown]

This past week we had a steady north wind in the 10 mph range with plummeting night time lows with long cold mornings.  Surface temps on the main lake went from 70 to 64.  This is the ~ two week period where you can catch a giant up shallow power fishing like in the pre-spawn.

 

I find that the turnover has a 3-5 day period where the fish are basically uncatchable and then they go bananas up shallow til the water gets to your annual version of cold and then they go back to doing pelagic shad eating things.

 

We are pretty much in the peak of fall fishing at my shallow spots.  Deeper spots won't be far behind.

[JCfishing]

Here in upstate NY where I live we've had a cold front come through a few days ago and it's been really foggy in the mornings the past couple mornings then warmed up to the upper 50s  to mid 60s by early afternoon, haven't been able to fish but I'd be willing to wager the morning bite would be awesome till the fog burned off

[woolleyfooley]

16 hours ago, geo g said:

Down here in Florida some of the worst water turn overs have been in the hottest part of the summer during a real heavy thunderstorm.  Water temps get above 90*, a bad thunderstorm develops with rain temperature in the 60’s*.  5” of rain water sinks rapidly to the bottom and pushes unoxigenated water up the column to the surface.  I have seen thousands of fish floating on the surface dead from a rapid turn over.  Sickening to see this but the gators are overjoyed!

Interesting, thank you.