What is the Highest Surface Temp ever on the Rock

[Bill Babler]

Guys that are just now coming off the lake from Big Cedar to Kimberling City are reporting surface temps main lake to be at 91 to 93 degree.  Have heard from 1/2 dozen guys in the last hour and that is just about as warm as I can ever remember.  We are only June 22nd second day of Summer.  There was some real worry the last week about surface O2 as it has been White Hot with absolute no breeze.  The wind is blowing today that will create wave action to help with the Oxygen, but the heat is crazy.  I postponed my today trip as I was open tomorrow.  They are calling for 94 degree tomorrow with rain and wind.  Should be a better day.  Temp right now at the lodge is 98 and a furnace type wind.

Beck said the fish he had been catching simply vanished.  He has been fishing pretty deep at 35'.   Yesterday he had 40 with a bunch of really nice keeps.  Today he said it was a complete grind.  Only fish he had were suspended over deep trees, and I mean deep, deep, deep.  Everything he caught was over 45'

[m&m]

Bill, someone told me that Cape Fair's facebook page mentioned a fish kill up in the James River.  I don't do facebook so I could not confirm.  Is there any truth to it happening?

Mike

[Bill Babler]

4 minutes ago, m&m said:

Bill, someone told me that Cape Fair's facebook page mentioned a fish kill up in the James River.  I don't do facebook so I could not confirm.  Is there any truth to it happening?

Mike

I don't do facebook either, but I think there is a very real worry.  Beck brought it to my attention this morning.

[abkeenan]

I have facebook and checked out their web page. Here is a post from June 20th (Monday).

 

" The US Army Corps of Engineers has received reports of dead fish in the James River Arm of Table Rock, and we have seen some too. It seems to be progressing slowly down the river arm. Missouri Department of Conservation Fisheries Biologists took some Dissolved Oxygen profiles up there a week ago and the thermocline is around 15', with DO below 1 ppm deeper than 20'. They suspect fish were trapped in layer of oxygenated water when the thermocline set up and died when it dissipated, just like last year. Their best guess is that this will continue down the lake this year just like last summer but we all hope it won't get that bad. The surface temp is already above 90 degrees in some spots up the river. "

[Ham]

I fished the Red River south of Shreveport when my surface temp gauge would go blank because the temp was reading over 100. You could still catch fish in < 3 foot of water. Different habitat I suppose.

[Bill Babler]

37 minutes ago, Ham said:

I fished the Red River south of Shreveport when my surface temp gauge would go blank because the temp was reading over 100. You could still catch fish in < 3 foot of water. Different habitat I suppose.

Not even Apples to Oranges different.  White River fish are depth fish, layered water is how they live, they move from season to season to depth.  Probably not a lot of folks catching them in 60 plus foot of water today on the Red.  Lots of guys catching them that deep on the Rock today including Smallmouth.

That was Monday, and its 100 here today with projections in the mid-90's rest of the week.  I have a call into Shane Bush, he is our Biologist.  Hope he gets back to me and I will relay all the info.

[mojorig]

I totally realize this is taken at a different location on TR and also a week old now but here is the Do profile for TR taken at the dam (http://www.swl-wc.usace.army.mil/pages/reports/remote/profiles/tabpro.htm ). I hope this helps this discussion.

Also, sudden cooler, rainy days can be problematic with the current conditions.

[Quillback]

I saw surface temps hit 87 today up the White river arm, I was off the water at around noon.

[Bill Babler]

Seems like I read somewhere that bass get very stressed with DO at 5 parts per million or less.  If current reading up the James are at 1 percent at certain levels that is not good.  In the last week, this lake has pushed up between 8 and 12 degree surface temps in some locations.  Wonder what the DO is today?

[Quillback]

I don't know about that DO, but it sure got windy out there later in the AM.  Seemed to help the bite.  I am not seeing a thermocline at all.