Getting up early to make sure the girls make it out the door to catch the bus means another school year is upon us and as Graham mentions in his weather outlook, the temperatures are starting to drop. With the changing of the leaves comes the changing of the water known as “fall changeover”. Already occurring on some of the smaller bodies of water, such as Dawn and Zig Zag, and more northern regions like up on the Albany, fall changeover is a process of shifting water which results in a lake reaching a unified temperature. Cooler temperatures brought on by cold air masses dragging polar air southward and the days getting progressively shorter means the surface layers on a body of water lose their heat quicker than it can be replaced. As water cools it gets denser and after reaching a temperature of 10*C (50*F) becomes heavier than the waters below and starts to sink pushing the water from the bottom upwards. The circulating continues until the lake or body of water reaches an average uniform temperature. In smaller bodies of water this change occurs quicker and more rapidly than on larger lakes due to the amount of water being affected
So how does this affect the fish?
Mostly it’s about oxygen levels. Colder water contains less oxygen, so as the dense water starts to sink it puts the fish on the move in search of more oxygen rich water. Diminished sunlight and lower oxygen levels also causes a decrease in vegetation cover forcing the bigger fish out of the shallows. The end result is that fish begin to gather around drop offs and steep structures as they search for that perfect combination of cool water, oxygen, and shelter. Finding these zones can be tricky, but fishing low and slow with a good depth finder is the key.
Keep in touch, and, as always, it’s great to hear from you
Alan