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Old 03-05-09, 03:34 PM   #1
TravisRush
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Default Finding offshore structure?

I do not have a depth finder or anything of the like...now my question is:
How do I go about finding offshore structure without any electronics? I have tried to drag a jig to get a feel for it but I'm no pro...


Any help is greatly appreciated!
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Old 03-05-09, 04:02 PM   #2
MississippiBoy
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Drag a Carolina rig across the bottom, that'll give you some info about the bottom; gravel, hard clay, silt, etc. Plus, if you pay attention, it'll tell you where the dropoffs and other bottom contours are.
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Old 03-05-09, 05:25 PM   #3
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You can count down a fast sinking jig to determine depth changes in the bottom. Make a map as you go. Some fish finders are under ninety bucks....you might want to save up.

For the bottom depth, mark off a rope in 5 foot increments with a can of black spray paint and use that to drag bottom using a rock or brick for weight.
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Old 03-05-09, 06:14 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TravisRush View Post
How do I go about finding offshore structure without any electronics?
There's other way around it. GPS handheld. With a map card it will show you a drop off, hump, ledges and so on. You can set a waypoints in your home prefishing. When your on the water you can head straight to a waypoint no problem. One of the useful tool.
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Old 03-05-09, 07:30 PM   #5
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I've wondered the same question good thread
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Old 03-05-09, 07:34 PM   #6
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i second the carolina rig method. if you use flourocarbon or braid it will help you determine what the bait is dragging over because of it being more sensative.
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Old 03-05-09, 07:37 PM   #7
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i think im goen to try using my gps this weekend never thought about that thanks
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Old 03-14-09, 07:18 AM   #8
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Scuba gear?
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Old 03-14-09, 07:53 AM   #9
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Without any electronics?

Well its not exactly gonna be a quick process. You can sometimes read the lay of the land and project what underwater topographic will resemble. You can sometimes get lucky and bump underwater structure with a carolina rig. If you want to be cheap you can make note of where other guys are fishing. And once a blue moon I have been able to discern underwater objects in clear lakes from detailed satellite photography, but that is really very limited and rare.

Best bet is get a cheap or used depth finder.
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Old 03-14-09, 10:01 AM   #10
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Check with a Map Shop and see if they have any fishing maps.

I recently paid a visit to one and found a fishing map of Giest Resevoir, it shows the all of the old creek channels, main lake points, major humps and even the old sunken roadbeds and bridges. This can be a good resource which would at least help in pointing you in the right direction. Then once you get there you can use your carolina rig to search.


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Old 03-14-09, 10:11 AM   #11
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yeah go buy a good map and it will show you sometimes where your DNR submerged fish attractors..... other than that the c-rig thing i agree with
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Old 03-14-09, 10:51 AM   #12
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find a good topo map, also check out kevins video here on the site!
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Old 03-14-09, 10:51 AM   #13
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I'm going to give away my age here but what the heck. Anyone remember George Perry and his spoonplugs? At the time he was the Daddy of offshore structure fishing in the pre-depthfinder days.

Here's the way it worked as I remember it (feel free to correct me if my memory needs refreshing): He had all these crankbait type lures he called spoonplugs that ran at different depths. He would troll them around the lake bumping the bottom, or not, to locate dropoffs, humps, stumps, brush piles, rock piles etc. When he found off shore structure he'd throw out a marker and fish it with a jig or worm or whatever. You could do that with crank baits too I'd think.
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Old 03-14-09, 09:49 PM   #14
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yeah i went to south carolinas DNR website and it showed all their submerged fish attractors........ that way you wouldnt have to buy a map
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Old 03-16-09, 09:49 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carolina-rig-01 View Post
i second the carolina rig method. if you use flourocarbon or braid it will help you determine what the bait is dragging over because of it being more sensative.
+1 IMO - We fish a lot of small bodies of water around here, less that 30 acres and farm ponds. With a descent rod, flouro, and I think tungsten weights have improved my feel of the bottom 2 fold. I used to use lead weights, but the harder tungsten will not absorb anything and will send a message to the rod tip. And I just use the ole "1 Mississippi" count for an approximate depth and I fan cast about 5' apart to pick the area out for any changes.
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