Water Temperature

[Steve Burke]

I'm after your help!

 

I'm off to the Coarse Lake at Wingham for a couple of days this afternoon - although I won't be fishing all this time. It'll be almost my first fishing other than a little piking since last July. However, I'm not particularly optimistic, despite baiting-up every other day for the last ten.

 

The reason is low water temperatures. The Coarse Lake is big and deep so takes longer to warm up and cool down than some other local waters. This means that it's slow to get going in the spring, but continues to fish well late in the year. Indeed, there was thick weed well into December last year!

 

More importantly at the moment, Wingham is only a few miles from the sea, both to the north and the east. This time of year sea temperatures are cold, and we often get northerly or north-easterly winds in late spring.

 

The result is that, whilst inland it's warm and sunny, near the NE Kent coast it can often be cool and cloudy in these conditions. For instance the maximum temperature forecast for Wingham today is 12C (54F) compared with 18C (64F) inland.

 

It also means that the water temperature is low. I was at Wingham the evening before last and the water temperature was only 12C (54F). I'm going to be measuring water temperature regularly this year and reporting back on the Forum.

 

This is where you people can help! I'd appreciate any reports of water temperature readings so I can compare them with Wingham. It'll be especially interesting in the run-up to the Forum Fish-In at Wingham next month. (Incidently, I'll be accepting bookings when I get back from fishing). Low water temperatures are one of the reasons I now hold the Fish-In in June rather than May.

 

In particular I'd love to get some readings from other Kentish waters. For instance I suspect water temperatures are a fair bit higher just a few miles inland at Chilham and Conningbrook due to the intervening North Downs. However, readings from all over the country would be appreciated.

 

Many thanks in advance to all who help.

 

[ 11. May 2004, 12:26 PM: Message edited by: Steve Burke ]

[Alan Pearce]

Steve, IMO 54F is where the fun starts with tench and bream. Waters in my region woke up 4 weeks ago when they reached 54F and have since risen to an av> of 57F, however the bream begin to spawn at this temp, tench require 68-69F and carp low 70'sF

 

Alan.

[poledark]

Steve, I tend to stop bothering with temps once the water reaches over 50F. If it turns very cold and I suspect it is dropping back down then I usually check to confirm.

 

I always try to check at the same depth, about 4ft,and have been staggered at a 6F rise from 43 to 49 in a 12 acre lake averaging 7ft deep in only 24 hours.

 

Air temp was 53F and wind from the west!

 

I will take readings tomorrow and post the result and location for you,

 

Den

[Dick Dastardly]

For many years I was involved with the running of a water on the Romney Marsh (two miles from the sea)I noticed that the sea breezes/winds had a great effect on the water temp of the lakes.These waters were quite shallow (average of 8' on one lake and 5 on the other)The waters were well established and stocks settled.The carp fishing in particular was often slow untill quite late in the season when the water temperatures had risen.The big bream shoals came on the feed late june/early july.The tench were the biggest supprise though.When the closed season was dropped carp anglers vwere really bagging up on the tench.Catchs of 20 plus fish a night were not uncommon.When the closed season was in place you wouldnt see that many taken all year!

The water temp would often struggle to reach over 20 degrees untill quite late in the season.Most years the carp wouldnt spawn and even on the few they did it was too late in the year for the fry to grow on enough to over winter.I only saw one truely sucsesfull spawning in all of that time.

[The Diamond Geezer]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BUDGIE:

 

For many years I was involved with the running of a water on the Romney Marsh

---

Word-is that you used to use your John-Thomas to test the water-temperature. So do I ... isn't the water deep too?!

 

DG

[Dick Dastardly]

[Tog]

looks like this has turned into a pike bait thread?

[Steve Burke]

On arrival Tuesday evening the water temperature was 55.1F (12.8C). Set up, then just crashed out until dawn. (I don't fish when I'm asleep - I don't want to get woken at 2am whatever the size of the fish).

 

Wednesday was, like Tuesday, dull and cold with a maximum air temperature of 50.0F (10.0C). What was worse was the force 5 northerly straight off the cold sea. The water temperature by the evening though had risen a fraction to 55.5F (13.1C).

 

The sky cleared just after dark and Thursday was a day of sunny periods, warmish in the sun, but still cold in the now force 4 NE wind.

 

By the time I packed up mid afternoon, the weather was rapidly improving and the water temperature was up to 57.7F (14.3C). It was then that I got my one bite, which didn't develop. I hit it in case, but nothing.

 

Vagabond, who had recently arrived, checked my swim which I'd been baiting up with his Smartcast fishfinder - more or less nothing there at all, unlike his swim that hadn't been baited up! BTW, did you catch. Vagabond?

 

Interestingly, nothing was caught on the Carp Lake either whilst I was there, although it had fished well prior to the cold winds.

 

Unfortunately, I had no choice last week as to when I could fish. Typically, of course the weather has now much improved, with the wind no longer coming off the cold sea!

 

Any water temoerature reports from others?

 

[ 15. May 2004, 12:51 PM: Message edited by: Steve Burke ]

[Vagabond]

Steve Burke:

Vagabond, who had recently arrived, checked my swim which I'd been baiting up with his Smartcast fishfinder - more or less nothing there at all, unlike his swim that hadn't been baited up! BTW, did you catch. Vagabond?

The Smartcast showed only tiddler fish in the swim I chose, and also showed no fish in a couple of swims up the east end which I depth profiled for later visits (near the swim where the 17 lb bream pic was taken - which I recognised 'cos I helped pollard that willow on a working party last year )

 

Back to my chosen swim - baited it, next day the smartar.. er smartcast showed still no fish, but I persisted, hoping the groundbait might draw the tench in. Got one bite on lobs - in the middle of the 20' hole. Fish came straight up out of the water like a tarpon - gills flaring. It was a pike around 10/11 lb but bit off after two minute fight.

 

Next morning (thats today) tried again, and got another bite on lobs in EXACTLY the same spot at 6 am. Longish fight from a very frisky and well-conditioned pike - who said summer pike don't fight ? 10 lb 12 oz, 32" long. Probably the same fish as the previous evening.

 

Apart from another bite-off from a pike of around 5/6 lb,hooked near the island, that was it.

 

Can't complain about the quality of the fight in the fish I got - just wished it had been a tench

 

[ 15. May 2004, 07:47 PM: Message edited by: Vagabond ]

[poledark]

Steve, the water temp at Chartham was 56F on Wednesday, I haven't been since, building a "Lytch Gate"

 

Den

 

[ 16. May 2004, 10:09 AM: Message edited by: poledark ]