Turnover refers to the exchange of surface and bottom water in a
lake or pond. This annual recycling program happens twice a
year. There's spring turnover and fall turnover and summer
stagnation in between. From spring to fall, warmer water goes
from the top of the lake to the bottom and cooler water moves
from the bottom to the top. An understanding of turnover,
combined with knowledge of what kind of water a particular fish
likes, can make you a real fishing genius. As always, good luck.
Once the ice is out, the water on the surface of a lake starts
to warm. When it reaches 39 degrees it begins to sink and is
replaced by cooler water from below. This exchange continues
until the water temperature is constant in the entire lake.
Early in this process, fish will stay in the shallow areas of
the lake where the water warms up faster, and where the first
plant growth of the spring occurs. During the summer, the sun
heats water near the surface of lakes, but it doesn't sink.
Eventually a condition known as "strat