Best site to find water temperature?

[BALLS DEEP]

What is the best website to find water temps for Lake Ontario. Not sure if it matters but I fish out of Sodus. Thank you.

[Fish Hunter]

Not trying to be a wise guy, but a probe would be the way you'd be able to determine temps.

[BALLS DEEP]

I Have a probe but I've heard of some people checking temp before they go so they have a rough idea where to go.

[Paul Czarnecki]

What is the best website to find water temps for Lake Ontario. Not sure if it matters but I fish out of Sodus. Thank you.

Satellite temp graphs are really only useful in the spring. Once the transition is complete surface temp becomes almost irrelevant.

[TOP SECRET]

I disagree Paul, especially if you're targeting steelhead.

Here's the coastwatch site, just remember that if it show dark grey it was cloudy and could throw off the temp readings.

http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/ontario/o22.html

[Paul Czarnecki]

I disagree Paul, especially if you're targeting steelhead.

Here's the coastwatch site, just remember that if it show dark grey it was cloudy and could throw off the temp readings.

http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/ontario/o22.html

I guess I should have elaborated more. Temp graphs "can" be useful

In the summer when targeting steelhead which occasionally orient to surface breaks. They are also useful in the few times a summer when the lake undergoes a temp inversion---usually after a prolonged east or northeast wind.

[King Slammin]

That inversion may be be coming after this weekend. I watched down temps rise 10 degrees inshore this weekend from the ene blow. My dad picked the wrong weekend to come in from Pittsburgh.

[TOP SECRET]

Sometimes an inversion can be great fishing, especially offshore! Don't give up yet!

[King Slammin]

Oh I will never give up. I need to hear that drag scream every weekend or bad things happen to those around me during the week. Lol.

[Frogger]

Ok, so I looked on the Michigan coast watch site and have seen this before. Can someone tell me what the temps mean? I was up today out of Sodus and I'm pretty sure I didn't see 35 degree water. Also does the map show that i should be fishing that break on the 43.30 bar?

[TOP SECRET]

Frogger, see my comment above about dark grey. The data is worthless when there is cloud cover.

[Frogger]

Thanks Nick, I was was thinking that might be the case. Could you still use the data that shows that huge temp break on that 40 degree line as useful info or is it all useless and should should plan on finding temps with the x4 when I'm out there? This am I started in 100fow and had 47 deg down 75 but when I ended the day in 75 fow it was 45 near the bottom. When I was out to 170 I marked notta but when I came back in that 60 to 80 I marked all kinds of bait. Mike

[Tim Bromund]

Ok, so I looked on the Michigan coast watch site and have seen this before. Can someone tell me what the temps mean? I was up today out of Sodus and I'm pretty sure I didn't see 35 degree water. Also does the map show that i should be fishing that break on the 43.30 bar?

 

Just keep in mind that the lat/long grid on the Coastwatch maps is off by approx 3 miles, at least in the Lat scale.  for instance, Wilson is approximately at the 19 line and Olcott is approximately at the 20 line and those maps show those ports at aroud the 22 and 23 lines respectively.  They were notified about this a number of years ago but have never corrected it.  I assume that that inaccuracy carries across the lake.

 

Tim

[TOP SECRET]

Mike, that surface temp data is only useful if it is all white, any grey area is junk. Unless I'm going for steelies, I only use it to see if the lake flipped. Otherwise, I usually start at 80fow and head north until I find active fish. I use my probe to tell me the depth I should be fishing.

[Frogger]

Thanks Nick and Tim.

[tsawchuk30]

Men,

I read this section with interest because the temperature information is really important for guys like me who only get out on the lake 2-3 times per month. It saves a lot of time and gas to have an idea of surface and down temperatures before heading out. We fish out of Oswego and Mexico (trailer the boat from home). The fishing reports on this site are good, but it would be awesome to have the temperatures and possibly bait locations.

Any idea if that information exists and if it is routinely updated? Thanks for any information or comments.

[tlr426]

http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/

[Gill-T]

I rarely use the overhead temp site because as noted by others it gives satellite infared readings so if there is cloud cover the info is junk. Instead I follow the temp transects page on coastwatch for lake O.

http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/glcfs.php?lake=o&ext=vwt&type=N&hr=00

The readings are given in meters so multiple by 3 to get feet. During the summer you could almost perfectly translate the thermocline on the graph to the conditions on the water. Comes in REAL handy when an east wind blows things around and you have to decide where to go out of port east-west-north. The data on this page is based on buoy data.

Edited July 12, 2013 by Gill-T

[tsawchuk30]

Thanks for this information source. A couple of other questions. If I understand the temp transacts, they show water temps at various depths which is great. Is the E transect listed a composite all the way across the southern part of the lake?

Also, if I'm fishing out of Oswego, am I paying more attention to the C transect?

Finally, are you guys identifying the thermocline as the area of the transect where temperature lines are most compressed?

Thanks for helping me to understand this data.

[Gill-T]

Out of Oswego, you could use either the "c" or "d" page depending how you leave port east or west.  These are "general" readings so don't get too crazy with specifics.  The thermocline will occur somewhere within the yellow color which should give you a starting point where to put your riggers.  Depends also what species you are targeting.  You want browns or steelhead, fish the yellow band and higher.  Kings and lakers, fish yellow level and lower into the green band.

[tsawchuk30]

Thanks Gill-T. That makes sense to me and helps eliminate a lot of water right off the bat.