Turnover yet?

[Cooter]

I've been out hunting and not much fishing, but curious if turnovers happened yet say around the metro area.

[buzzsaw]

Not yet, it's coming soon.

[S.D. Ice Angular]

I guess I'm confused, What is "Turnover"???

[Dan Thiem]

I think it's when the surface water temp changes enough to make it sink. Then the water on the bottom comes up bringing some of the bottom up with it. It sometimes can really dirty things up.

[delmuts]

dan is right, and dirty is almost an under statement. usually the fishing goes sour for a few days til everything can stabilize. but one thing to keep in mind; all lakes do not turn over at the same time. so if one lake is ugly, try another one.

[Jim Hudson]

SD

If your interested about turnover, I wrote a short FM article about the process and it relating to fishing. Check it out here

"As The Lake Turns"

[PierBridge]

Thanks Jim.....

[Jim Hudson]

Anytime...

[smallie_hawgin]

Hey Jim,

Actually, based on the phyisical properties of water .... being most dense @ 39°F it usually has to be a bit cooler than 50. But with wind mixing it could occur earlier. As seen on the DNR page DNR FAQ Lake Turnover Kind of a nit-picky thing. In effect the fish will be in transition during this time regardless.

Sorry man just the scientist in me...

[Big Julie]

Question...?

If 'normally speaking' the water temps need to be somewhere near 50 deg. to turn a lake...

and fish (and baitfish) will not regularly utilize deep water (below 30'-40') until the lake oxygenates from top to bottom with the turnover...

how is it that fish have been routinly caught already for weeks from 40 to 70 feet in some of the deep central Mn. lakes?

The surface water temps have been stuck around the lower 50's (53-55) for the same # of weeks.

I propose that as a lake nears the lower 50's and substantially colder temps to not materialize to more rapidly turn the lake, that a slower mixing occurs and drives the lower layer down deeper; thus allowing fish and baitfish to exist deep.

Maybe the lake has 'turned', maybe more complete mixing will still occur...

???

[Corey Bechtold]

Good job with the DNR article! That is the simplest explination that I have read. They even noted that this event occurs in spring.

Thanks,

Corey Bechtold