Water temps and fishing

I'm curious how people use the temp sensors in their fish finders for fishing.  I've never really given temperature much of a thought, but do understand that higher temps = more active fish.    But is it an overall temp of the body of water your fishing, or are you looking for the "spot" with higher than average temps?  I.E. does the temp guide to you specific spots, like coves, where the water heats up faster?  Or do you fish different techniques depending on the temperatures your seeing?

Certain fish like salmon and albacore like different temperatures so finding consistent areas in the desired ranges can increase your chances. 

I have not noticed rock fish giving a crap but let me know if anyone has. 

My temp is so inaccurate I ignore it.  It read the inside of the hull.  I think Bird knows a lot about temps.  He should chime in.

Not sure about salt water as I'm not very experienced.

With sweet water, temperature has a ton to do with how I fish. Mooching/trolling/jigging, gotta know where the thermocline is.

It's extremely important for bass fishing in winter and cooler months. A pocket with a two degree temperature increase can be the difference between a great day and a goose egg.

And there are key temperatures at my home lake where magical things start to happen. <52, -55+, 57+, 62-63+,68+,75+, all mean differing tactics as a rule.

Mine too Ray, so I never give it much thought.  But if I am missing out on an important piece of data, I might be more inclined to look into a scupper mount transducer.  Still trying to understand what I would gain by doing so though.

I think water temperature plays a Big role in fishing.

Cooler Temperatures
Salmon
Anchovies
Pacific Halibut
Albacore

Warmer Temperatures
Threshers
California Halibut
RockFish
Mackerel
Sardines
Squid
WSB

This is just my observation from fishing.

The temperature I read on my FF on any given day plays a huge role in my fishing, both in fresh and saltwater.  All fish have their own preferred temperature range.  I'll adjust my methods and emphasis areas according to my target species' preferred temp range.  In a non-stratified lake, whatever temperature you read on the surface is going to reflect about the same temperature through the entire water column.  So if I'm searching for rainbow trout in winter and I'm reading 36 degrees at the surface, I'm going to head for groundwater/spring upwellings where the temperature will be a bit warmer (say 40-45 degrees) because a rainbow trout's preferred temp range is in the high 40s-low 50s.  If groundwater/spring upwellings aren't available, then I'll slow down my presentations and fish deep.  After all, it's a lake: the fish can only move so far, and eventually they'll just have to settle with what's presented to them.

Things get a bit different when a lake stratifies.  When stratification occurs in summer, you'll only know the water temperature of the upper water column down to the thermocline.  If targeting coldwater species like trout, watching your depthfinder to locate the lake's thermocline (often IDed by a fuzzy horizontal line in the water column) is key in summer and early fall.  Your surface temperature reading might not seem very useful on a lake in mid-summer, but it does have its benefits.  Case in point: when the surface temps start creeping into the mid-70s, I quit fishing for rainbow trout because CnR mortality skyrockets.

In saltwater, the temperature you read on the surface is going to generally hold true through most of the water column (if you're in shallow water anyway).  Saltwater species also have their own preferred temperature ranges.  The big difference with the ocean though, is that if the temperature in a given area isn't to a species' liking, they can just bail and head someplace where it's more favorable.  The "home-body" species like many of the rockfishes won't move much, but the "travelers" like salmon and thresher sharks certainly will.

I could go on and on about the importance of water temperature in fishing, but it's probably more than what you're looking for.  I'll just say that I use the temperature sensor on my FF just as much as the sonar  .

In freshwater, it's good to know how the temps will affect fish behavior. Then you can adjust your tactics accordingly. However, it's all theoretical though. Fish are stupid so they can always, at any time, do something unexpected or unpredictable....like something that doesn't jive with what we assume to be true. In general, temps have a greater affect on freshwater systems because they can fluctuate more during any given time period.
This is kinda random, but I just had an idea: fish temp matrices! Think of a guide that could help determine how fish are behaving (and which tactic to use). There would be a matrix for each type of gamefish. They would probably have to be regional too (west coast, southwest, midwest, northeast, southeast, etc). On one side, it would list their typical behavior/response to temps and on the other side it could list specific tactics. Difficult to explain in words, so I'll make an example. See attached...

Fish are stupid....

I always try to forget about that, especially when getting skunked...

Well this has been eye opening for me, and I hope others as well.  Clayman's and SinCoast's input was very informative!  Althought I totally get that certain temps determine what species are going to be off our coast, and what to fish for.  But it really never occurred to me to base my tactics on the temps in freshwater, but it does make a lot more sense to me now.  When are you going to write a book Clayman?   

So if having a temp sensor is that valuable, I have an idea that might be worth trying out. you can get a digital fish tank thermometer on Amazon for 6-10$ like this one: 



And maybe a rubber stopper to make a scupper mount for it:



Then maybe waterproof the temp sensor like this: http://lifehacker.com/252183/friday-fun-waterproof-your-electronics-navy-seal-style

And still keep my transducer in-hull, but have the option of bringing my temp sensor with me.

I have a Humminbird digital temp sensor that looks exactly like that. But I never use it. You can have it for 1 beer. I'll bring it on Saturday. Deal?

I think it's a great idea Al.  Temperature isn't the be-all, end-all deciding factor in fishing, but it's a huge piece of the puzzle.  In many situations, especially in freshwater, missing out on knowing the water temperature can be a significant handicap, IMO.

When are you going to write a book Clayman?   

Maybe when I'm no longer participating in AOTY  .

I think it's a great idea Al.  Temperature isn't the be-all, end-all deciding factor in fishing, but it's a huge piece of the puzzle.  In many situations, especially in freshwater, missing out on knowing the water temperature can be a significant handicap, IMO.

Well this has been eye opening for me, and I hope others as well.  Clayman's and SinCoast's input was very informative!  Althought I totally get that certain temps determine what species are going to be off our coast, and what to fish for.  But it really never occurred to me to base my tactics on the temps in freshwater, but it does make a lot more sense to me now.  When are you going to write a book Clayman?     

Maybe when I'm no longer participating in AOTY  .

man, I'm learning alot too!!!
good question & thank you for the great info. Pat & Chris!!!

What did we do before Google?    Everything you want to learn is right there at your fingertips, errr keyboard.
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1AFAB_enUS567US567&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=correlation%20between%20water%20temp%20and%20bass%20metabolism