Current, how long does it last

[Tropicaltrout]

:-/ Well as we know current has been a topic of intrest latley and some use it some don't.... each to thier own I say.

Anyone that does factor it into thier fishing in Impoundments a current in a dam can be running in many different directions but as a general current not influenced by incoming water etc. just a general wind current how long would it last on average if it was running sw for a few days and then a swing in the wind to the opposite when will you notice a general curve in the current so long as the wind stayed in that general direction.

Cheers Nath

[Plasticin]

Great question Nath, hopefully Mr Sultana himself will lend his thoughts...

[Tropicaltrout]

Yes, but who is mr sultarna... It really does not mean much I guess due to we locate the flow when we observe the water each trip. Just was wondering if anyone who has spent longer then a week or two on a dam ever took notice. I did a 2 week trip last year but it maintained its coarse, so yeah a tough one.

Nath

[robersl]

Yeh nath the current you are talking about was probaly the spillway mate only 1 way it can run lol
But that begs the queston if the spillway gates are open on a dam for a few days does the current end up running towards the wall or stay with the breeze ect

shane

[Tropicaltrout]

Yeh nath the current you are talking about was probaly the spillway mate only 1 way it can run....

shane

Hope your not refering to last trip, it was moving the opposite direction in the areas we fished:-X :o

but yes all interesting concepts

[DEANO68]

Hope your not refering to last trip, it was moving the opposite direction in the areas we fished:-X :o

but yes all interesting concepts

true nath it was running with the slight breeze we had, as our u bute currant direction device shows..:P

[robersl]

I got to get me 1 of them current detector's how much are they and were can you get them from and have the fixed up the false advertising on this bottle about having more vit c than an orange. and does it work better fixed

shane

[Dick Pasfield]

This could be a pretty good thread with the right input so thanks for putting it up TT. :)

I was thinking a bit about it other other day on one of our lakes over here - What influences current in a lake? Inflow and outflow are two contributors but is there more. Rotation creates and influences wind currents as does temperature. Water is perhaps a little too dense to be affected by the earth's rotation but wind certainly moves water and what about heat from the sun?

If wind pushes water to one side of the lake is there a corresponding flow back along the bottom of the dam and what happens when the current meets submerged ridges, does it go up and over or around, where do the eddies form at what depth?

What about shallow water and temperature effect, when this water becomes colder than the main body of water (say winter time) does it flow down hill towards the bottom of the dam with a corresponding flow along the surface into the shallows?

Personally I got no idea::) but would like to know

[robersl]

well there is a definate current at mondy when the breeze is up a bit i wa tied of to a tree and was looking at the water beside the boat and about 5 inches under the water was a lump of weed being pushed towards the bank at a faily good rate , i still caught no fish there but was worth a go

shane

[darylive]

A lot depends on the 'current' state of whether, weather there is a current or as suggested a sultana. :-/

But seriously folks;

Without doubt there are currents in the bigger impoundments. This is most evident in awoonga when the waves get up.
I have even seen waves in borumba, I expect there are some now going by the wind here! :o.

You could also try the experiment with wind in the bath, you will need some baked beans :-X........ never mind.

Simply if the water is moving across the top and not building up against the far wall / bank it must be coming back; either around the edges and or via an under tow.
(as a life saver, I did look beyond the beach to the surf occasionally 8-))

There is some times a visible current along edges or in a channel entry to a large bay. Conversely if water is moving in through the channel it must be coming back along the edge. While it may not provide enough wake to surf (Awoonga probably does at the moment or has over the past days) there is an influence on the water flow however slight.

Traveling against the current with a lure can give extra action or make an otherwise stationary offering look more tempting. :P a bait fish struggling against the current.

Any argument against current can be quickly addressed by looking at the weed particularly grassy plants. If they are all leaning one way 'why is it so?' ::) This can also make it easier to drag through the weeds if you go with the flow. :)

There is a lot to be said for taking water movement into account.
Predators particularly big lazy ones are bound to sit in an appropriate position and watch the passing offerings in the hope of an easy snack. :D

Obviously if the wind or surface water is tending to move toward or along a bank it will take produce with it. Some fish eat that produce and some fish eat the fish that eat the produce so if you fish in the produce area it may produce a nice fish. ;)

Still not sure? take a piece of bread, squash it in to a firm ball so it sinks. Does it sink straight down? or move with a current.

Interesting thread: possibly even a current affair. ;D

As for 'how long does it last?' You can tell when it stops, it is called stagnant. :(

I suppose when it stops, it's no longer current ::)

[robersl]

Well the person we should all ask to get a professional opion would be Brian After all he is a sparky and knows all about Currents thats why he gets so many barra at mondy

shane

[Plasticin]

Mr Sultana = JM. I guess this next raises the question how long does the wind have to blow to generate a current.

In my opinion there are a lot of questions that we ask in regards to these factors however I really do find that there are so many intricacies involved in the natural environment that we really can't "clamp" things down to that one golden factor. For instance say the wind did start to increase for say two hours and that created a current, then yes there is a current. The current that is generated and how long it would take to be a "current" would depend on previous lake thermodynamics and the strength of these previous movements. But for matter of fact say that a new current was generated, how long before the fish recognised this? Say they recognised it immediately and those that were in a "feeding" state travelled to the optimum region/location for feeding, how long would it take them to get there and be active? Lets look at a different scenario say that wind brought cooling surface water temperatures which resulted in a "slowing" down of the immediate enviroment, would the fish still "move" to the optimum feeding location or would they retreat into a more stable water column to conserve energy and reduce their need to feed, therefore making them "not shut down but ownly susceptible to a very specific presentation". (sorry for the bad quoting)

I am not an expert of impoundment's but I have been very lucky to be exposed to some people who are and I was amazed at the way they approached things. But Nath, a great question and I am sure that you already have an answer in your head. It will be interesting to hear some other peoples thoughts

[Dick Pasfield]

On the matter of how long current lasts. I personally believe that without taking a dive (so as to speak) looking to the sky will give a bit of an indication of how currents may flow, after all air and water do have a lot in common in the way both mediums move.

I'd expect to find current patterns in a lake are determined by seasonal and daily influences exactly like air. I.E an offshore wind in the morning followed by the sea breeze in the arvo. There's no reason not to expect that you'd find something similar in a lake generated by the same influences, perhaps not to the same extent but never the less still there.

This would be important to an angler for a number of reasons, one would be to understand how fish utilise the current, you only have to look at how birds use wind currents to know they would be significant. Another would be the effect of current of food distribution, weed beds etc. From experience currents are particularly good at collecting like sized/ shaped object and or silt in particular locations., this would influence other factors such as the distribution of bait fish shrimp etc.

Would like to know more about it.

PS I do know from sediment studies that water and sediment flows into a dam from a river/creek will always follow the old channel right along the length of the lake.