Does anybody take a reading of the water temp when they are on the bank/dock or do you just stick your hand in the water and try and gauge it yourself?

I know there are portable fish finders, but most people probably don't have something like that. I was wondering if anybody took a thermometer and tied it to a string and dipped it in the water to gauge the water temp?

I have a Min-Kota water thermometer that has a temp pobe on a wire about 20' long. I can attatch it to a bobber and cast it a short distance and get a temp reading without getting wet. I used to have a device that you coud cast out and let sink and it would give you temp and an approximate depth but I managed to lose it and haven't seen another. Tom

This is awesome, thanks so much guys. I still have a lot to learn. I missed my favorite, crappie spawn, last year because March warmed up faster than in past years, and they already came in and were back out to deep by the time I got to the lake. Didn't want that to happen again so it dawned on me this year even though the weather is up and down, but just because we had a warm spell for 5 days did the water warm up, how can I tell? Or since it's been cold, but a lot of sunlight has the water been warming when the air is still cold. Last week it was in the high 40's to mid 50's around here, this week it's been mid-30's with a lot of rain and flurries.

I know from physics classes in college that because of water's properties the thermal properties of water are slower to respond than air. Warm slower, but hold temperature longer, at least relative to depth. And since spring fishing, pre-spawn/spawn, is so critical to a pretty specific temperature range how am I ever going to tell what the temp is without the convenience of a boat with fish finder on it that gives water temp. Basically how am I going to know when is my best opportunity to be on the lake and not miss out again this year.

I wasn't sure if anybody ever took something like a digital thermometer with them to get a gauge of them temp, and certainly didn't know about ones that connected to bobbers.

Thank you!

The temp unit I use is actually designed to be used from a boat but like anything, a bit of ingenuity took care of that. Tom

Armstrong Hi
I still cant Post a Pic but I can Describe it
I use a Digital Non Contact Thermometer !
Stated Accuracy is + or - 1 Degree !
With such a Thermometer you can Scan a large Area Quickly and get Surface Temp Readings !
Mine is a More expensive model at around 289 Dollars plus Tax US
Hopefully this link will Post
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-co...hermometer
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This will give you a General Idea of what I use
Mine is also a Dual Laser Unit !
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I also use a Laser Rangefinder to Survey Distances across the Body of Water !
My Laser Rangefinder also has Pinseeker to Zero in on a Target with 4X Optical Zoom !
I shouldnt say this but I have Lots of fun with my Rangefinder !
It is a Fairly Strong unit and I have used it to Set Off a Radar detector in a Passing Vehicle !
The Vehicle almost always Slows Down while I am Laughing !
I also have a radar Gun !  ( Not Laser )
http://bushnellspeedster.com/
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This type of device will make a Rradar Detector Scream !
Thanx
CM

Sorry, been away from computer for a while. Thanks guys for the great suggestions. I really like the infrared thermometer suggestion the best. The other idea I had is almost thought about getting a small inexpensive fish finder. Since some of the places I fish have docks I thought I might just drop the transducer down in the water and use it like a stationary to get the water temp I was looking for. Then if it gave me more info like fish or structure in the area, just a bonus. But before I did anything like that I wanted to get other ideas to see how far off base I was. As always, appreciate your time for your insight.

I actually have gotten good with a Non Contact
I Scan Bushes and Structure for Indications
I would like to create a scale of water temp by Depth
Thanx
CM

The only downside to a non-contact thermometer is that it only reads the surface temp and things can be quite different 2' below the surface even in a small pond. A good use for a non-contact would be to measure the temp of the fish that you catch to determine the temp they prefer. Tom

Pegsguy Great Idea !
You could read the fish as soon as it came out of the water !
My Unit reads by the Half Degree !
The difference in readings are sometimes Drastic All Year Long
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Pegsguy Great Idea !
You could read the fish as soon as it came out of the water !
My Unit reads by the Half Degree !
The difference in readings are sometimes Drastic All Year Long
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