Two Questions

[ibmack]

How can I tell the thermocline at Lake Conway with a Lowrance HDS 7 Gen 2? I have both the sonar transducer and the LSSS 2 transducer.

Is the Ark river below Murry Dam now ok for a 14 ft. flat bottom. I thought I saw where the small craft warning has been lifted. I usually put in at the Murry Park launching area.

Thanks for any info.

Paul

[LowePro]

Thermocline should be very Noticeable if there is one. Not all lakes are deep enough to develope one. Lake conway may be one of those lakes. I dont know. I have never been to that lake with my graphs. If you not seeing one, there is a posibility that there isnt one there. Settings do not have to be dialed in too well to show a thermocline. I dont think that conway is a very deep lake, correct me if im wrong.

[ibmack]

Lake Conway is generally in the 5-7 ft. range, with a few 8-9 ft. areas and a couple of 10-12 ft. areas. Over the entire Lake, I think the AGFC website says the average depth is 4 ft.

[ibmack]

What will the thermocline line look like on a Lowrance HDS Touch Gen??? I just need to know cause I occasionally fish the Arkansas River, Little Maumelle River, and Lake Norrell.

[LowePro]

You will see a hard return that is describing the bottom, and then you will see a "constant" haze going across the 2d image especially. If ur in say 40 fow and lets say the thermocline is at 20 foot, then from say 20ft-22ft will have a straight hazy line all the way across the screen and then at 23 foot the screen clears back up again beneath the thermocline.

Now say the water depth is 20 foot and the thermocline is from 18-20 then down to 18ft deep it will be clear, then gets hazy all the way to the bottom, and then you see your bottom line. This is why color sonar is so valuable to me so I can differentiate what is bottom and what is thermocline because there will be no separation between the 2 sometimes.

Gosh I think I confused myself trying to explain it without a pik. I will take you a pic and post it soon!

[LowePro]

Sounds like conway is too shallow for a thermocline.

Also current will break up a thermocline as well.

[ibmack]

I figured it might be, but really don't know that much about it and wanted someone's opinion that might actually have a clue. a pic would be super too. thanks. so none in the rivers then?

[LowePro]

I will never say never, but I have yet to see one in a current situation. Thermocline sets up when there is a drastic change in water temps. So Think of a cave. They are deep in the ground and have plenty of natural insulation from dirt, rock, etc. Caves stay a constant approx 55-75 degrees yr round no matter what the outside weather is. Why am I telling you about a cave???? Water does the same thing. Its an awesome insulator. So after about, im guessing here, 12-20 feet deep the water temp stays a constant approx 55-75 degrees. Knowing this explains alot of things. Why is there no thermocline in the winter??? Well the difference in the surface temperature and the temp at 12-20 foot deep is not all that different. Why is there NOT thermocline in the spring and late fall??? Same as the winter month. Now why is there one in the summer? Because surface temps get 90 degrees+ and then it rapidly changes to 55-75 degrees at approx 12-20 feet deep (depending on the lake) and it creates a ton of turbulance. As a thermocline just starts to establish early in the summer it may be relatively shallow. As the the surface temp of the water gets hotter and the summer goes on, the thermocline will get much deeper. Some say that there is no oxygen at and beneath the thermocline, I dont know about that, but I would say thats a good hypothesis since very few fish are found beneath it once it sets up. But It could just be an uncomfortable environment for the fish or the fish's food that makes them not want to be there. But after learning what I have just shared with you it NARROWS my search drastically for summertime crappie.

Now why have I not found a thermocline in a current situation. My thinking would be that the water is constantly flowing and mixing the cooler water with the warmer surface water making it over all a constant temperature. I recently a lake that had a thermocline where I was fishing and noticed the closer I got the dam that thermocline dissappered even in 40 foot of water. Well they were releasing alot of water from the lake at the dam, and this further explains what I think happens in current situations. Because with the flow out of the lake it created current.

[Lawnmowerman43]

I'm not getting on the river yet Murray was rolling heavy yesterday , I would put in at two rivers park

[ibmack]

I'm not getting on the river yet Murray was rolling heavy yesterday , I would put in at two rivers park

Ok, thanks. And would you get in the big river there, or just fish Little Maumelle?