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  Fishin' with Capt. Gus! ~ Water Temperature and Fishing
February 8, 2009
The water surface temperature in Lake Norman’s Reed Creek was 46° last week. That’s pretty chilly, particularly for fish that are cold blooded by nature. As a rule, the metabolism of a fish slows when water temperatures drop below their normal tolerance level. Eventually, the cold water causes them to become inactive, stressed, and even die if some type of warming doesn’t occur.
This is the primary reason why fish concentrate this time of year at the hot water discharge channels adjacent to both the Marshall and McGuire power stations. Bait and predators spend the winter there because the surrounding lake water temperatures are often ten or more degrees cooler.
Most fish don’t find their way to the “hot holes”, but are forced to find warm water elsewhere. Shallow coves with sandy bottoms and a southern exposure to the sun are popular haunts for largemouth bass and stripers. It seems that fish find comfort in the heat generated by the sun shining through the water and reflecting off the sand on the lake bottom.
Fish do, however, often move to lower levels in cold water, where temperatures can be several degrees warmer at the bottom of the lake. The amount of temperature difference depends on a variety of factors, but as a rule, the deeper the water, the warmer the temperatures are during the winter.
I asked local fisherman and book author, Jake Bussolini, if he knew what the water temperature was below the surface. After sampling the water column, he reported 46.1° at the surface in Reeds Creek, 47.0° at thirty feet, 47.5° at forty, and 49.0° at sixty feet. He commented that, “Three degrees don’t seem like much, but to a small baitfish, it means the difference between life and death.” He then said, “The reason the stripers, bass and perch are so deep this season is because the bait has gone deep to find the warmest water in the area.”
Upcoming Events:
On Saturday - February 14, 2009, Light House Marine Services will offer its first Boater Safety Course of the new season. The registration fee for this eight-hour session (beginning at 9:00 a.m.), is $49.00. The class will be at Morning Star Marina in Cornelius, NC. To register, or for more information, call Capt. Scott Spivey – 704 587 0325 or visit http://www.lmservice.org
A free seminar on “How to Catch LKN Striped Bass” will be at Gander Mountain, Exit 36, in Mooresville, NC at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, February 25, 2009. This two-hour session will be conducted by fishing guide Capt. Craig Price and myself. For additional information, call 704 658 0822.
The Hot Spots of the Week:
The Hot Spots of the Week are the deep channels in Reed, Mountain and Stumpy Creeks where large schools of herring are congregating at the bottom in depths to seventy feet. In addition, stripers, bass and perch are being caught in both hot holes on most days. The lake level is 95.5 or 4.5' below full pond and the water surface temperature is in the forties.
Tips from Capt, Gus:
Most sonar units are equipped with a surface water temperature gauge. The read-out must be programmed by the user. When shipped from the manufacturer, many units only display the depth.
Captain Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is licensed by the US Coast Guard, a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, and is an outdoor columnist and a full time professional fishing guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his web site, Fishin' With Gus! at www.FishingWithGus.com or call 704-617-6812.
For additional information e-mail Gus at Gus@LakeNorman.com
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