Reading those old lake maps

[jglassguy]

We got out a lake map today that I have been using probably about 15 years, had lots of hot spots marked that I'll hit this weekend, but man after not looking at one for 4-5 years, it takes awhile to remember how the lake is layed out compared to the way its pieced together on the TOPO map, which of course will show
road beds, stump fields, standing trees (at that time, by now they may be rotten and gone), also foundations
and 3 huge causeway - bridges, which always hold fish, the pillers are a current break , and the side have giant rip rap, along the side of the bridges at 1/4 mile of rip rap...
anyways,, this lake is 18 miles long feed by several big creeks, and is in sections A . B . C , Â*D on the TOPO
First I had the lake upside down for the area we ramp out of lol...shaking head.... then I start to mark with a yellow high lighter some areas and notice they just bled through the other side,, So I am just sticking with my original X;'s to show hot spots
ANy of ya out there read maps for all the lakes ya go to?
and do ya mark known hot spots? Its like keeping a diary of lake fishing point, mainly due to good structure
like trees , rocks, or brush piles..ya hardly find any vegetation on this lake, its a old town that they dammed
up in 1970, so thats why all the foundations and streets...its awesome fishery,, striper, walleye , small mouth, largemouth, crappie, cat, white bass, bluegill, carp
Brook ville Lake Indiana ..here we come!

[don_P]

Yeah Jb and I are going Sun. and ny wife and I are going
Sat. I just asked her this morning if she would mind if Jb and I went Sunday....she thinks Im obsessed......really
Im not Im just so excited this year then any other.
Ive been reading alot and watching the show and most of all Im really lucky to have a vetern fisherman like my buddy Jb. He has a boat load of exp. My adrilene flow fast when I think of fishing.......GOD I LOVE IT!!!!!!!
Denny
Goodluck to all ;D

[Rich]

I keep a topo in my boat, and a GPS unit mounted on the console. Â*I can mark my spots, and the topo map I use has hot spots marked on it. Â*If you want to go further I bought a program called Topo Log which allows you to view a topo map of a lake on your computer and drop in GPS waypoints with a click of your mouse. Â*I can get the exact location of humps, tank dams, roads, bridges, creek junctions, etc. Downside is not all lakes are included.

[sabass]

if you don't have a fish finder, a topo map is your best friend. the us forestry department publishes a book of some of the larger lakes in the ocala national forest, all with topo maps.

[zman]

It is a good thing to note that topo maps arent always accurate. For instance in the case of the decatur flats area that I've been learning recently, when you have soft soil and sand that is 3 feet deep in a still riverine type reservoir that is is 70 years old, the maps which are based in large part on how the dry land was before the lake was there are often wrong. All sorts of secondary channels emerge and apparently silt in every few years or so.