Fall turnover question

[Scoot]

I know a lot can change between now and then, but are people generally expecting an early turnover in the lakes this year? After seeing the surface temps last week, it made me wonder if we'd have a turnover much earlier than usual.
What do you all think?

------------------
Scoot

RodsbyEngel: custom made fishing rods

[Deitz Dittrich]

I'm going to stick my neck out there and say... Maybe?... its possible... OR.. it could warm back up and... well, who knows... deffinatly not the weather people!

[Farley]

My un-educated guess would be.......yes? We really havent seen the "dog days of august" and I'm guessing thats what keeps the water temps warmer into autum, that last week of 90 degree weather. What were the temps you were reading?

[Riverratpete]

I'm going to hang it out there also and say That I think it will go earlier this year unless we get a big warm up in Sep, which is GREAT for me, I'll be ready to go.

[Trailblazin]

If I recall, doesn't the water temp hasve to be in the 55 degree range for turnover?

[RK]

Hiya,
According to some folks I know up north, some small lakes already have turned over. One in particular is a small lake near Longville. The guy who told me about it has had a cabin there since the 60s, knows the lake, and is a very very experienced angler - in other words, he knows what he's looking at.

Turnover can happen almost any time conditions are right for it, and it varies from lake to lake. Mid-50s is a good rule of thumb most years for a lot of lakes, but this year obviously isn't most years with the cold weather and cold nights (ask the flower garden at my lake cabin ). Turnover occurs when the upper layers of the water column cools enough, and in enough volume, to displace the water beneath it in a great enough volume to break up any thermocline that's set up. With overall cooler surface temps, and correspondingly cooler temperatures on down to the thermocline, I can see that happening on a small body of water pretty rapidly with the overnight temps we've had. Wouldn't take much of a cool down to turn over under those conditions.

That's not to say the lake wont re-stratify to some degree if it gets hot again. Probably will I suppose. So I guess, if it stabilizes enough to set up a thermocline again, even a weak one, it could turn over twice. What a cheery thought that is...

Yeah - wierd year all right. Lord knows what fall fishing will be like.

Cheers,
RK