How do I know where the thermocline is in a lake?

For those who do not know what a thermocline is, it is a layer in the water where the temperature of the water rapidly changes. This layer occurs as warmer and colder waters collide yet cannot pass each other as colder water is denser than warmer water.

Finding the thermocline

Finding the thermocline can be difficult as it changes depending on the weather and the seasons as the heat above the water helps change the temperatures of the top layers of water and those below it meaning the depths of the thermocline changes significantly.

In the warmer months of late spring and summer the hot weather warms the top layers of the water causing the dense colder water to sink to the lower part of the water body. Where the warm and cold waters meet is where the thermocline is found, in the summer months this will be lower in the water

In the colder months of Autumn and Winter the thermocline is found nearer to the surface as the temperature above the water is colder meaning the top layers of water are not so warm so there is a greater body of dense cold water.

The actual thermocline in a lake can be found by understanding the temperatures of the water below as the thermocline is generally found where the water temperature is four degrees celsius (thirty nine degrees farenheit) as this is the temperature at which water is at its most dense.

Alot of anglers find it important to understand where the thermocline in a lake may be as some fish prefer sit just above this level.

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