Fall Turnover??

I am trying to schedule a few days off of work to fish Muskies on Mille Lacs either durring the 1st or 2nd week of October. When does the fall turnover period occur on Mille Lacs generally? I guess that logic would imply that being up there just prior to turnover would be ideal. Any feedback would be appreciated? Am I on the right track trying to get up there at that time period or is Sept. a better bet? I have only fished Mille Lacs a handfull of times for ski’s so I am pretty excited to devote a couple of days of pounding the water hard. Thanks, Jason

Mille Lacs doesn’t develope a thermocline.

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Mille Lacs doesn’t develope a thermocline.

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No thermocline, but it still turns over(warmer water heads to bottom, cooler rises, etc).

I really dont know when millacs will turn, I never payed attention. I would suspect it to happen later in October depending on what the weather does.

Fishing during or right after the turnover is a pain when you get all the goo floating around.

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Quote:

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Mille Lacs doesn’t develope a thermocline.

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No thermocline, but it still turns over(warmer water heads to bottom, cooler rises, etc).

I really dont know when millacs will turn, I never payed attention. I would suspect it to happen later in October depending on what the weather does.

Fishing during or right after the turnover is a pain when you get all the goo floating around.

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True, but without a thermocline the “turning over” of the lake is so subtle that it doesn’t seem to impact fishing on mille lacs. I’ve fished up there nearly every day of october for the last 10 years and for the life of me I couldn’t tell you when or if the lake had turned over based on the fishing.

if there isn’t a thermocline, can a lake truly turn over???

ML has no thermocline so it doesnt turn over.Basically the water just cools down and mixes with wave action.The weeds still die off and float around and get caught on my crank baits though

Very interesting feedback, Thanks! I guess I don’t have to worry about timing so much, other than a good weather pattern.

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if there isn’t a thermocline, can a lake truly turn over???

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No. A more appropriate term would be “mix” because the mixing of water is not a result of different water densities, like a turnover. Like others have stated, Mille Lacs will develop a very weak temperature stratification, but it mixes when the wind blows. Because it seems like the wind is always blowing, you can imagine it really doesn’t have a chance to stratify (i.e., develop a thermocline). Mille Lacs is technically a polymictic lake, meaning it mixes many times per year.