Finding Structures - Topo Maps

[jooleyen]

How do you find certain types of structure on topo maps? Creek channels especially.

Thanks

[JB]

the maps have a legend in the bottom corner, showing symbols for creeks, usually a line, road beds, a broken line, stumps look like a upside down U and so forth
Also there are numbers showing depth.
For a beginner, to a new lake, follow the creek channel on the map and hit points that the channel goes close too.

[zooker]

here is a chunk takin off my map source that i use with my gps..belive this is pickwick lake




zooker

[jooleyen]

duh....thanks

[lunker-lander]

It helps if you have creeks, too. Most of my lakes are big, deep, clear basins over 50' deep with no creeks, road beds, stumps, etc. Mainy a big 'bowl' with the only cover being fallen trees, weedbeds, drop-offs, etc. How can I locate structure in lakes like this?

-Lunk-

[keithdog]

Most of our lakes are like that too lunker. In lakes like ours, look for points that extend into deeper water, a drop off near a shallow flat, things like that. However other types of things which can be counted as structure in our types of lakes are things like the following. Where one type of weed meets another type. Such as grass butting up against duck weed or lilly pads. Fallen trees and other brush that are located within a weed bed. That makes for a change in that weedbed, which would be a structure change that bass will relate too. Areas where soft muddy lake bottom meets sandy or gravel bottom. That is a change in structure. Even where a muddy water flow meets clearer water where you can literally see the line of change in water clarity. Basically your looking for anything that is a change in the norm. It could be even as subtle as a two foot change in depth. Isolated weed beds in parts of the lake that are mostly devoid of weed cover are magnets at times to bass as they make excellent ambush points for the bass to use to attack prey. I found this to be true at a lake near my home last year. There were patches of weeds scattered about in a 15 foot deep flat that was otherwise weed free. Those patches of weeds would be changes in structure. I caught many bass in those areas last year with crankbaits and spinnerbaits worked near the weed patches. Hope that helps.