Recording Water Temp

[reelcharacter]

Thinking about tracking water temp, surface and at different depths, this year when I go fishing. Have no clue what would be best to use.  Any suggestions?

Also thought it would be interesting to hang a temp recorder of some type off the canoe and allow it to float along side. Could be used to find springs in a water body, or areas with different temps. This would obviously require a sensor in the water with the read-out in the boat.  Anyone ever try this?

Thanks,
-Reelcharacter

[Cider]

reelcharacter - Assuming you don't want to use electronics, here is an inexpensive home-made gadget...

Surface temp is easy with a small stream thermometer.

To get temps from different depths, you need to make yourself a Kemmerer bottle water sampler.  This is a device that we use to take water samples from specific depths.  It is nothing more than a hollow cylinder usually made of PVC with spring loaded water-tight doors on each end.  The doors are usually some sort of rubber cork that fits tightly into the ends of the cylinder.  There is a line attached to it and a messenger (heavy weight) that the line runs through.

To use it, you lower it to the desired depth with the doors/flaps locked open.  When you get it to the depth you want let it sit for a second or two.  Then release the messenger down the line.  This will trip a release mechanism that causes the doors to snap shut on each end of the cylinder thus trapping water from that depth.  Quickly haul the Kemmerer water bottle up and read the temp with a small stream thermometer.

[grumpymoe]

my friend down in ontario fishes mostly lakers, and his downrigger is equipped with speedo and thermometer.. once he finds 52f and maintains 1 1/2 mph he hits the lakers.. they occassionally leave their ideal water temp to feed, but return to water with this stable temperature..he obviously did his homework over the years, and if he doesn't catch them, very few others do either..grumps 2bits

[reelcharacter]

Interesting concept Cider.

Take the water to the Thermometer, rather than the therm to the water . . .

I took some weekend training with the former youth fishing out of Cornell, SAREP. I think they may have demonstrated using these types, or similar water sampling tools. We also made a homemade Secchi Disc to check water clarity / turbidity.

I would not be opposed to a store bought (good quality made to last a while) electronic water temp recorder. Have not seen any good ones. I have a cheapie, that does not even measure the temp of water in my Kitchen sink accurately.

-Reelcharacter

[Cider]

Secchi discs are easy to make too and very valuable tools to determine clarity for the limnologist/biologist.  We also use seines or fine mesh nets for doing plankton tows so you can sample the zooplankton that is in your lake.  Might give you some good clues as to what the fish are feeding on.

[reelcharacter]

Cider,

Talked with a person who hit the lake in Richfield Springs, NY every open water day. (Think his wife preferred it that way).    Said he did a little guiding on Canadarago Lake there. He always knew the water layers and temps. This told him the plankton layer, which was in turn, was his Panfish depth. Did not share anymore information than that.

-Reelcharacter

[reelcharacter]

What do you use for recording water temperature? I would like to try taking the temp at various depths and would like some suggestions on what to use. Is there any way to take the temps at different depths at the same time?

Thanks,
-Reelcharacter

[Cider]

Is there any way to take the temps at different depths at the same time?

Thanks,
-Reelcharacter

You would need multiple data recorders to have at various depths...

[reelcharacter]

Is there any way to take the temps at different depths at the same time?

Thanks,
-Reelcharacter

You would need multiple data recorders to have at various depths...

Kinda what I was thinking. Guess the best method would be to lower, read temp, lower read temp and continue doing diff depths.

-Reelcharacter

[reelcharacter]

Well, ice is off the reservoir, but I have not sen anyone out on the water. Guess if you are going to travel to the area this time or year you are more likely going to hit the Butternut creek for trout.

Any reports on Jamesville reservoir yet?

- Reelcharacter