Finding Fish

Locating feeding fish is one of the most important skills a fisherman can develop. You can mark fish on your fish finder and not intice them to strike your lure if they are not in their "Feeding Zone"!

Most species of fish have a preferred temperature of water that they will actively feed in. Find this area of temperature with fish present and you will greatly increase your chances of catching fish.

Remember, fish are cold blooded. In water that is too cold, fish wll be dormant, sluggish and will not feed. In water that is too warm, they will be seeking a more comfortable environment. So an understanding of how different temperatures of water break up will help you locate feeding fish.

Here are the two main ways defferent temperatures
of water will break up.

On inland lakes, water temperatures tend to settle
into horizonal layers of warm and cold water that
are separated by a moderating layer, known as the
"Thermocline". The thermocline will be the most
active "Feeding Zone".

On larger bodies of water, like the oceans and the
Great Lakes, masses of water temperature are much
larger and in a constant state of change. The location of
these large masses of temperature are highly afffected
by changes in weather conditions. These large masses
of warm and cold water also have a moderating layer
known as a "Temperature Break". Because of the
constant shifting of the warm and cold masses,
temperature breaks often appear as a vertical layer.
The area of, and immediately around the temperature
break is the most active "Feeding Zone".

In recent years, Great Lakes charter captains and
tournament fishermen have gained access to surface
temperature maps, showing the break up of warm
and cold waters on the Great Lakes. These maps are
gathered by satellite and updated daily. Learning to
read these maps will help take the guess work out of
where to fish on the Great Lakes.