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  1. #1
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    Taylorsville water conditions?

    Anyone been to Taylorsville this weekend? Has it gone thru fall turnover yet? Plan on hitting the lake with my kayak this week.

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by GreenGhostMan View Post
    Anyone been to Taylorsville this weekend? Has it gone thru fall turnover yet? Plan on hitting the lake with my kayak this week.
    Don't believe it's gone thru any turnover, as the water temps are still in the 70's in the top 15fow. Today's COE chart shows 2.4" of rain since yesterday, but the spillway is still only putting out 50cfs (as of the time of the info change on the chart). That can (and probably will) change over the next couple of days.

    I'd keep my eye on this link : http://www.lrl-wc.usace.army.mil/reports/lkreport.html

    You can get the "charts" I refer to by clicking on the blue highlighted lake level or lake name. If you click on the lake "name", then click on the "water temp/oxygen level" link ... but be advised this chart is not always up to date, and the readings are taken at the dam & may not be consistent with areas further up the lake.
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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by crappiepappy View Post
    Don't believe it's gone thru any turnover, as the water temps are still in the 70's in the top 15fow. Today's COE chart shows 2.4" of rain since yesterday, but the spillway is still only putting out 50cfs (as of the time of the info change on the chart). That can (and probably will) change over the next couple of days.

    I'd keep my eye on this link : http://www.lrl-wc.usace.army.mil/reports/lkreport.html

    You can get the "charts" I refer to by clicking on the blue highlighted lake level or lake name. If you click on the lake "name", then click on the "water temp/oxygen level" link ... but be advised this chart is not always up to date, and the readings are taken at the dam & may not be consistent with areas further up the lake.

    Thank you. I've only been fishing seriously for about a year and a half and I went to a smaller lake last weekend and it was all muddy with junk floating around. The other fisherman said it was turning over. When does a larger lake (like Taylorsville) normally go thru "fall turnover"? What should I look for in the charts from the link? How will I know when it happens?

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by GreenGhostMan View Post
    Thank you. I've only been fishing seriously for about a year and a half and I went to a smaller lake last weekend and it was all muddy with junk floating around. The other fisherman said it was turning over. When does a larger lake (like Taylorsville) normally go thru "fall turnover"? What should I look for in the charts from the link? How will I know when it happens?
    The "turnover" occurs when the upper levels of the water get cooled off to the point where they are cooler than the rest of the levels of water below it. Cold water is "heavier" (denser) than warm water, so it sinks thru those levels below. This "stirs up" the water temp levels and mixes the water to the point where it's almost the same temp, top to bottom. The faster the upper levels of water cool off and sink, the greater effect it has in stirring up the water ... and it may stir up bottom sediment, which causes the "dirty water look and smell". Sometimes it occurs slow enough that the "stirring up" effect isn't noticeable.

    If you look at the charts for the temps and oxygen content, and see those marks almost in a straight up and down position, it's likely that the lake has turned over or in the process. But, it may not be a major turnover, or it may not occur over the entire lake at the same time, if it occurs at all. Remember ... the chart info is taken at the dam, so it might not be indicative of what's happening/happened at other areas of the lake.

    I don't know if the "other fisherman" was correct or not, but muddy water with trash floating around is usually indicative of a fast rise in water levels .... not necessarily of a turnover.

    Fish that were once held captive in the waters above the thermocline level are now free to roam most all depths of the water column. And that can make fishing a little tough, until it all settles down and the fish get re-acclimated to their daily routine of finding cover & comfort & food. Instinct tells them that the "lean times" of cold water are coming, so they start putting on the feedbag in order to fatten up and be able to survive. (plus they're in the process of producing eggs/milt for the upcoming spawn)
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  5. #5
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    Awesome, informative reply. Thank you.
    The small lake I was at a week ago, it hadn't rained in weeks there... So I do believe it was "turning over." I've fished there multiple times before and the water had never looked like that. I paddled way back up the creek that feeds it and the water was clear. Funny thing is, the fishing was tougher back up in the creek than it was down in the cloudy water.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by GreenGhostMan View Post
    Awesome, informative reply. Thank you.
    The small lake I was at a week ago, it hadn't rained in weeks there... So I do believe it was "turning over." I've fished there multiple times before and the water had never looked like that. I paddled way back up the creek that feeds it and the water was clear. Funny thing is, the fishing was tougher back up in the creek than it was down in the cloudy water.
    It usually is tougher in clear water vs "dirty" water ... because the fish feel more "comfortable" (hidden from predators) when the water clarity isn't very clear. Many people make the mistake of thinking that the fish are "line shy" in the clearer waters and get "spooked" by the line, but I'm of the opinion that your boat, YOU and the motions you make, and the shadows you cast are "red flags" to most fish ... because they can see you a lot better than you can see them. That little thin line of color, that is your fishing line, is not much of a threat to them, but that BIG profile of you and the boat is likely to be perceived as a threat.

    If that lake is small and relatively shallow, it is conceivable that it did turn over ... if the night temps got low enough to cool the surface water well below the level of the water below it.

    And just as I expected ... Taylorsville has risen 3ft since yesterday (after an accumulation of 3.5" of rain). That's gonna put a lot of floating debris back into the water, but may also drop the temps down some. The forecast for more rain mid-week isn't going to help matters much in the short term, and future temps in the high 70's - low 80's should keep the water temps above normal levels for awhile, as well. Looks like the late Summer pattern might hold on for awhile.
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by crappiepappy View Post
    It usually is tougher in clear water vs "dirty" water ... because the fish feel more "comfortable" (hidden from predators) when the water clarity isn't very clear. Many people make the mistake of thinking that the fish are "line shy" in the clearer waters and get "spooked" by the line, but I'm of the opinion that your boat, YOU and the motions you make, and the shadows you cast are "red flags" to most fish ... because they can see you a lot better than you can see them. That little thin line of color, that is your fishing line, is not much of a threat to them, but that BIG profile of you and the boat is likely to be perceived as a threat.

    If that lake is small and relatively shallow, it is conceivable that it did turn over ... if the night temps got low enough to cool the surface water well below the level of the water below it.

    And just as I expected ... Taylorsville has risen 3ft since yesterday (after an accumulation of 3.5" of rain). That's gonna put a lot of floating debris back into the water, but may also drop the temps down some. The forecast for more rain mid-week isn't going to help matters much in the short term, and future temps in the high 70's - low 80's should keep the water temps above normal levels for awhile, as well. Looks like the late Summer pattern might hold on for awhile.
    So is it possible that with all this cool rain, Taylorsville could start turning over? Or I guess like you said, the warmer temps wont allow it to? Is it possible for a lake to halfway start turning over, then a shift in weather sends it back the other way? A couple years ago, when I started getting into bass fishing, I had no idea it could get this complicated.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by GreenGhostMan View Post
    So is it possible that with all this cool rain, Taylorsville could start turning over? Or I guess like you said, the warmer temps wont allow it to? Is it possible for a lake to halfway start turning over, then a shift in weather sends it back the other way? A couple years ago, when I started getting into bass fishing, I had no idea it could get this complicated.
    Yes. it's certainly possible that a cool rain could start the process, but yeah ... warm temps afterwards would likely offset any cooling effects. But, once it starts, a shift in the weather won't "send it back the other way", but may temper the degree of severity of the turnover.

    It's also possible for turnover to occur in parts of the lake, but not the whole lake ... depending upon the size of the lake and the various different thermocline levels in that lake.

    It's not so much "complicated" as it is "variable" ... doesn't happen all the time, on all bodies of water, but can & does happen for the same reasons : cold water at the surface, over warmer subsurface water, is denser (heavier) and will drop down thru the warmer water, mixing up the temps throughout the levels. The more the volume of water or depth of water involved, the more likely it will involve stirring up bottom sediment and causing discoloration of the water & the "smell" (from the decomposed plant/animal life that is in the bottom sediment).

    I don't know as you'll have to worry about Taylorsville "turning over" just yet ... but, the lake is nearly 5ft above pool and rising, according to the COE chart, and that's gonna make it a bit messy for awhile.
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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by crappiepappy View Post
    Yes. it's certainly possible that a cool rain could start the process, but yeah ... warm temps afterwards would likely offset any cooling effects. But, once it starts, a shift in the weather won't "send it back the other way", but may temper the degree of severity of the turnover.

    It's also possible for turnover to occur in parts of the lake, but not the whole lake ... depending upon the size of the lake and the various different thermocline levels in that lake.

    It's not so much "complicated" as it is "variable" ... doesn't happen all the time, on all bodies of water, but can & does happen for the same reasons : cold water at the surface, over warmer subsurface water, is denser (heavier) and will drop down thru the warmer water, mixing up the temps throughout the levels. The more the volume of water or depth of water involved, the more likely it will involve stirring up bottom sediment and causing discoloration of the water & the "smell" (from the decomposed plant/animal life that is in the bottom sediment).

    I don't know as you'll have to worry about Taylorsville "turning over" just yet ... but, the lake is nearly 5ft above pool and rising, according to the COE chart, and that's gonna make it a bit messy for awhile.
    All makes sense. Thank you for helping me understand. I learned a lot from your explanations.

  10. #10
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    Is the lake fishable or too muddy with all the rain? Thinking about heading down tomorrow to do some crappie fishing. Anyone seen it today?
    Thanks and I’ll report back if I go

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by fishfever View Post
    Is the lake fishable or too muddy with all the rain? Thinking about heading down tomorrow to do some crappie fishing. Anyone seen it today?
    Thanks and I’ll report back if I go
    I haven't been ... but, it's come up nearly 5ft from the rain, so my guess would be that the water is dirty & trashy. When the water is coming in at three times the rate they're pulling it out ... it's not going to go down anytime soon.

    I did go after the last time we had a 5ft raise, back in the Spring, and the water was dirty & trashy for over a week. Would not surprise me if it takes that long for them to pull it back down to Summer Pool ... barring any more heavy rains during that time. They're not scheduled to start pulling it down the 2ft to Winter Pool until mid Nov. so I expect they will just pull it back down to Summer Pool levels.

    Last time I was there, a little over a week ago, my partner and I caught 11 keepers out of about 25 fish caught, most of which were "just" keepers @ just over 9" ... and a couple at 11". Almost all were caught off the ends or branches of downed trees, on tube jigs @ about 8ft deep ... but, we didn't catch more than 1 or 2 off any one piece of cover. Water temps were still 77-79deg with a thermocline at around the 12ft depth.

    And remember .... next year (after the new licenses are due) the Crappie size limit on Taylorsville will be 10" (if the regulation is approved).

  12. #12
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    Fished Taylorsville the past week for crappie

    Fishing is slow caught around 20 a day had 10 to 12 a day 9 inches to 11 inches most of the keepers were around 9 inches. Water muddy on lower 1/3 of lake, some color for the rest of the lake. All caught on jigs in 8-12 feet of water near wood. With water coming up fish were very scattered.

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