4 Fish Hawk Owners Manual
The Search for the Right Water Temperature
Every body of water has temperature changes from the top to the bottom. There
are layers of water where the temperature will be significantly different. These are
differences are referred to as “temperature breaks” or the “thermocline.” Often
fish will travel along the thermocline or temperature break, and finding these ar-
eas is key to finding fish
Each species of fish lives in a preferred water temperature range. The chart be-
low shows the preferred water temperature range for the most popular freshwater
game fish and baitfish species in Fa enheit.
Preferred Water Temperature Ranges
(shown in Fahrenheit)
Species
Lower Limit
Optimum
Upper Limit
Brown Trout
44
52
75
Chinook Salmon
40
44
60
Coho Salmon
44
54
60
Crappie
60
70
75
Kokanee
52
Lake Trout
40
42
55
Largemouth Bass
50
70
80
Atlantic Salmon
45
50
60
Rainbow Trout
44
54
63
Smallmouth Bass
50
65
73
Steelhead
42
45
62
Walleye
50
67
76
Alewife
48
54
72
Cisco
53
Emerald Shiner
61
Gizzard Shad
69
Rainbow Smelt
43
50
57
Spottail Shiner
54
Fish suspend in the water column by water temperature. Using your Fish Hawk will
allow you to find them. With the Fish Hawk you can create a temperature profile of
the water column by lowering the probe close to the bottom and observing the water
temperature as you slowly raise the probe to the surface. This will allow you to find the
correct water temperature for the species you are targeting.
