Fall Turnover

Lakes in the state change this time of year and that affects fishing! November 4, 2009 Reporter: Patrick McMurtry Videographer: Brad Rice

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The temperatures are falling, the nights are shorter and the leaves have turned. Those aren't the only things changing in West Virginia, the water in our lakes is also going through a metamorphosis.
Kevin Yokum, a biologist with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, explains the process.

"Something happens every fall called turnover. Basically, what happens is during the warm summer months, the temperatures stratify into water columns. If the water is 100 feet deep, about 50 feet down there is a line of water segregated to oxygen and the temperature in the lake."

That means there is a clear line between water with high oxygen content, which the fish like, and water without much oxygen.

"As the nights get cooler, the temperatures decrease, the water on the upper level sinks and the water on the bottom rises causing the water in the lake to turnover to the surface. The things that anglers need to know is that's poor quality water coming up.", says Yokum.

That means the fish will be on the move, and not necessarily where you might expect them to be. Yokum says anglers need to change their strategy in the fall.

"A lot of people will fish too deep in the fall and that water is turning over and a lot of fish in the fall will be in shallow water and there is a mixing zone where the air is mixing with the water. Sometimes that has very good oxygen content, especially in deep lakes where you'll find a lot of the fish in less than 8' of water and a place that was terrible in the summer might be red hot in the fall."

But enjoy that spot when you find it because if you go back the next day, the fish may be gone. That's why fishing is so fun.

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