What's the importance of thermocline

Trying to learn

Fish do not like being below the thermocline due to lack of oxygen. Shad and gamefish will be above it, a lot of times right near it. looking for structure that intersects with the thermocline can be very good.

Stripers relating to the thermocline. This is a flat that is gradually inclining up out of deeper water to shallower water above the thermocline

Diesel, is the blue layer the thermocline? How thick will/can it get to be in a given lake?

yes it is. The thermocline depth depends on how deep the lake and where the thermocline sets up. This is from lake Whitney last year. The thermocline set up at just about 40' and will go all the way to the bottom when it sets up. Soooo when in water less than 40' there will not be a thermocline. When fishing water deeper than 40' the thermocline will go all the to the bottom. Now the thermocline can sometimes vary from different parts of the lake but it will be pretty close.

Great graph shot.

Thanks diesel fishing is tough it's like hunting trying to learn the pattern and the best ways to locate fish

Must be a Humminbird unit

Great info, thanks for post

Fish , Stripers or Hybrids are forced to swim their [censored] off trying to locate forage bait above the thermocline. Early AM schooling can help in Summer , cuz the birds are south .

Diesel, the lake I fish on does have some 40' + water but I see a very similar pattern even in 25-30 ft water, what could be causing that pattern. Thanks

The big question is do you see fish and activity below that line? If yes, it’s NOT a thermocline and most likely algae layer as I have seen in my lake at about 15 feet a few weeks ago on wind blown areas.

Each lake has its own personality. Not all lakes will develop a thermocline and the ones that do will vary from one lake to another and from year to year. Rivers will not develop a thermocline due to the water flow. Your lake could very well be setting up a thermocline at 25-30' . It could also be what Clay pointed out above especially if you saw it latter in the day.

The water below the thermocline is considered the dead zone but it is cooler and more sense than the water above it. I have heard from folks that fish will swim in the water to cool off and quickly return to the warmer more oxygenated water. I have never seen this so I really can't say one way or another.