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I would start my spread where the temp drops to 42 degrees and then set riggers from there down. You can also figure your diver rods go down approximately 30 feet for every 100 feet back. That should help you bracket that temp break.

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I would start my spread where the temp drops to 42 degrees and then set riggers from there down. You can also figure your diver rods go down approximately 30 feet for every 100 feet back. That should help you bracket that temp break.

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Good luck finding 42 in aug. Last yr we had temps in mid 50's down 120over 400 fow. Fish the marks

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I agree with thompsm. I always look for 42 deg for the bottom of my spread and work the rest of the program up from there. Mature kings that are not actively feeding will drop down into the ice water, but will still smack a lure that passes by them. We've hit a lot of nice kings down there.

Granted, it is easier to find 42 on the west end of the lake than it usually is on the east side but it's worth it if you have the means of getting that deep. I've been down over 200' to find it and have dredged kings from down there.

Tim

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If you are not fishing the 42 degree layer, you are missing out on big kings NO MATTER HOW EARLY IT IS! Last year offshore in May, June and July, we took a lot of kings down DEEP in 40 - 42 degree water. We did not get a ton down there every trip but when we got one it was a mature king for sure. I always spread my rigs out below, in and abov ethe thermalcline. There are always kings feeding out of temp or sitting down in ice water to get away from the sun light.

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We are kinda opposite everyone else. We find where 60 degree water drops to 59 degree water and keep the probe rigger there, and then put everything else below that. Come mid August you will see a lot of big kings in warm water because that's where the food is. Do we always keep a deep rigger in that 38-45 degree temp? Absolutely, and preferably with a meat rig. You will find those low 40s temps fairly easy on the West end, but on the East end it can be real difficult, but for some reason those big Kings will sit in that bath water, and i think a lot of it has to do with them getting ready to shoot those rivers in a month.

You also have to remember to ditch the temp thing and just use that probe for a speed indicator when your seeing marks out of temp.

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I don't have down temp, I can say that it is only a tool to help get an understanding of the water column and its temps. However a sonar and a very good one is worth more in finding the thermocline and bait. If you can see targets on the screen down 150 feet or more...fish them. Just because the temp is right for the kings to be there doesn't mean they are...hey when you are in your house, and you want something to eat, you go to the kitchen. It might not be that comfortable there with no AC in the window like the living room and your comfy lazy boy waiting for you. However you will get up and make the effort to get that beer and snack for a short bit then go relax....but if the wife brings you a sandwich and a frosty cold one, you won't turn it down, unless you are sleeping or sick. :thinking: so fish the marks, bring them their favorite goodies in their living room and they will say "thanks, I needed that"....and up they come into the light and balking all the way...FISH ON!

Mark

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I am a bracket fisherman as well, first rod down stops at 50', then the probe goes down to find 58 degrees, I adjust my first rigger to that depth and drop the probe to 49 degrees. On most summer days the lower margin of the mesolimnion is 49 degrees, and at that depth the temp will be inconsistent fluctuating in the 40's depending on speed and direction.

I will often run a 600' copper to keep the deep fish honest.

While the probe is mostly used for speed, it is important to keep an eye on the temp all day long because conditions can change and the faster we react the more consistent the bite will be.

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