A question for the boatguys....
Is there a discernable thermocline when fishing fairly deep areas during the summer months? If so how great, typically, is the spread in say in Block Island or Long Island Sounds.
Thanks in advance....

Joe,
There is definately a thermocline, how deep it is varies, but you can see it on the depth finder if you turn the gain up. How much a temp difference there is I have no idea.

Thank You Mike -
I'm boat challenged....:)

Not that there's anything wrong with that....:laughs:

salt water doesn't matter it's all the difference between darkand light

There will be variation in the thermocline when I have to take a whizz. :hihi:

It's funny, last week I was wading in about 3.5 feet of water. When the wind shifted, I could feel the temperature drop about 5-10 degrees while standing in the same spot. This is to be expected in the early season, but still, very weird.

Ben---I've been wading in FI Inlet in April when the temps dropped about 5 degrees with the top of the flood tide. Shuts down a bite right quick when that colder ocean water hits the backside.

There are some definite thermoclines , especially the warmer the surface temp gets. I always found it amasing how cold it was down deep , despite piss warm surface temps when I used to dive for lobsters. It could be sickeningly warm on top but you would freeze you scalp if you went down without a hood.

Joe, the simple answer to your question is yes there will most definately be a significant thermocline in the summer. But a detailed answer gets significantly more complicated from there. The depth and temperature profile of the top surface layer is dependent on many variables which include wind, currents, temperature difference between air-water, sunlight etc... Below that is the seasonal thermocline which varies throughout the year.

I suspect there have been measurements taken on this for your area of interest, but the data and conditions are quite variable. I would browse the website at the URI Graduate School of Physical Oceanography to see if any of it is available. You could also stop into the library at GSO and ask the librarian to point you to it.

Ed

Well that was definetly an engineer's answer :D
Ed.. PM's...

Yes I suppose it was kind of an engineers answer Bryan. I tried my best to be helpful on a subject where I have no expertise and put the onus back on poor Joe and some poor librarian to actually come up with the real answer. I only do this about four or five times a day. :D :smash: