# Catching walleyes below thermocline



## jerry hunsley (Jan 20, 2006)

Last night I went up on Peoria Flat on Lake Oahe. Tried pulling plugs in 30 to 35 feet and no luck. I saw a few fish but no hits. I went out into deeper water and there were fish all over. I could see what I presume was a thermocline at 50 ft. and from 50 to 90 ft. there was fish all over the place. That seemed to be consistant on the whole lower end. Maybe some of them weren't walleyes but I got to believe a lot of them were. Here's the question? How do you catch them? I had lead core which I tried but I wasn't getting down that deep. Would snap weights work better with line counter or what. Got any ideas ?


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## Ima870man (Oct 29, 2003)

By any means am I any type of expert on this subject, but I do not think you will find many fish below a well defined thermocline. A well defined stratification containing an epilimnion, thermocline, and hypolimnion will find most life, from the smallest plankton to fish, in the upper epilimnion layer. It would be nice to hear from any one who is well versed in this subject.

Thanks
Ima870man


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## jerry hunsley (Jan 20, 2006)

Ima870man said:


> By any means am I any type of expert on this subject, but I do not think you will find many fish below a well defined thermocline. A well defined stratification containing an epilimnion, thermocline, and hypolimnion will find most life, from the smallest plankton to fish, in the upper epilimnion layer. It would be nice to hear from any one who is well versed in this subject.
> 
> Thanks
> Ima870man


 Maybe it wasn't a thermocline but it sure was a lot of fish. There was a definite line through my depth finder and down below it were all these fish. :roll:


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## Canuck (Nov 10, 2004)

Sounders, or should I say "fish finders" often lie. Shut off the automatic features on your unit. Using the manual settings, try to tune the sensitivity to the point that you get a consistant line of what looks like bait fish. This is likely the thermocline. Fish will show up as strong "arches" with the thermocline tuned in. You might have to look for the arches among a lot of clutter. Once you have found suspended walleyes I would anchor, preferably setting two anchors front and back about 50 to 100 feet apart, this will require a bit of rope in your water depths! Once set up, I would target the suspended fish with light jigs and good size shiners. Small jigs work great when you anchor front and back to eliminate the swing of the boat. Of course if the lake is like glass there is no need to anchor.


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## jerry hunsley (Jan 20, 2006)

Canuck said:


> Sounders, or should I say "fish finders" often lie. Shut off the automatic features on your unit. Using the manual settings, try to tune the sensitivity to the point that you get a consistant line of what looks like bait fish. This is likely the thermocline. Fish will show up as strong "arches" with the thermocline tuned in. You might have to look for the arches among a lot of clutter. Once you have found suspended walleyes I would anchor, preferably setting two anchors front and back about 50 to 100 feet apart, this will require a bit of rope in your water depths! Once set up, I would target the suspended fish with light jigs and good size shiners. Small jigs work great when you anchor front and back to eliminate the swing of the boat. Of course if the lake is like glass there is no need to anchor.


 I'll try that, next time out. I had my sensitivity in manual and I saw a lot of nice hooks. Thanks


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## Hollywood (Jan 22, 2006)

I'll bet you found the fish. A couple methods that work well locally when they are deep is vertical jigging blade baits (heddon sonars are a favorite)
or if you prefer trolling get some "dipsey divers" you'll want the larger size for the depths you described. Use fireline or equivalent as regular mono stretches like crazy at that depth & sharpen your hooks well. After our thermocline sets up we do almost all of our fishing right at or a foot or so above the line- often bait is just above the line- predators below it. Keep mixing it up til you figure it out- this is what makes fishin' fun!


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## jerry hunsley (Jan 20, 2006)

Hollywood said:


> I'll bet you found the fish. A couple methods that work well locally when they are deep is vertical jigging blade baits (heddon sonars are a favorite)
> or if you prefer trolling get some "dipsey divers" you'll want the larger size for the depths you described. Use fireline or equivalent as regular mono stretches like crazy at that depth & sharpen your hooks well. After our thermocline sets up we do almost all of our fishing right at or a foot or so above the line- often bait is just above the line- predators below it. Keep mixing it up til you figure it out- this is what makes fishin' fun!


 Thanks Hollywood :beer:


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## Invector (Jan 13, 2006)

Only a few times will you find fish below the thermocline. In short the water below the thermocline is low of O2, fish will venture into it one and off if temp there is best or pH level is better then the rest of the lake. Usually eyes and other fish like salmon and trout will stick close to it when they are looking for feed in open water. I have no guesses on what it would have been down there, but gass pockets, planckton, and other material could have been sending the echo back at you.


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## mallard (Mar 27, 2002)

I dont think it is a true thermocline where oxygen is absent below it.There probably is a temperature break that attracts plankton and that is what you are seeing on the graph.By far the best presentation would be to run downriggers above it.If you do not have any riggers go with leadcore.


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## mnwatrfwl (Sep 16, 2005)

If you did find the thermocline arcs above would be walleyes, below is typically white fish (tulibees) or crappies. Walleyes cannot survive on the lower oxygen below the thermocline. Easiest way to find out what is what use a camera to see what is what ya might be surprised.


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## Invector (Jan 13, 2006)

Some types of alge can form at a sertain depth and hold there depending on weather and position on their cycle they are in.


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