Creek And River Channels

[tbirds00]

How do you find creek channels in lakes? I read a lot of articles on how these are great spots to find bass but im not really sure what to look for on Contour maps or on a depth finder. If someone could upload a contour map with what one looks like that would be great.

Thanks for all the help

[NoBassPro]

As far as what it looks like on a map, its represented by the squiggly line running pretty much through the center of this small impoundment. On the fish finder you'll notice the dropoff is the best I can describe it.

http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/SPATIALDATALIBRARY/PDF_MAPS/INLAND_LAKE_MAPS/ALPENA/FLETCHER_POND.PDF

[tbirds00]

Thanks for the pic. Do all lakes have creek channels running through them? Also with they always look like that on a contour map or will they not always be so obvious when looking at a contour map?

[Nitrofreak]

Most all lakes do have them, most all man made impoundments will as well.

It's not just the creek or creek channel thats good fishing, there are several factors that make a channel or creek good to fish.

1 is structure, does it offer good humps, or drop offs that the fish can use to navigate and stage.

2 Does the channel or creek offer cover, the best channels will have feeder creeks and good cover such as plant growth, lilly pads grasses of different kinds, lay downs, vertical timber, boat docks.

3 Does it offer a good point close to a drop off or creek bed, the point will maybe have some stumps or some sort of grass that will make it more attractive to bass at the very edge of the drop off, or it could be a rocky point that makes it attractive.

Any or all of these combinations will make a good channel to fish, but none are any good unless there is forage.

[NoBassPro]

I don't believe they are in natural lakes around me. Most of the natural lakes here are bowl shaped and spring fed, even in the drowned river mouths there isn't a real channel

Here's Muskegon Lake, which is where the Muskegon River enters Lake Michigan

http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/SPATIALDATALIBRARY/PDF_MAPS/INLAND_LAKE_MAPS/MUSKEGON/MUSKEGON_LAKE.PDF

[aclark609]

wildernet.com will have the creek and mainlake channels outlined for you. Find your lake and click the my topo option on the map.

[Traveler2586]

Also, USGS has topo maps at http://cida.usgs.gov/hqsp/apex/f?p=262:18:1982896160185770::NO:RP,18 which are free to down load in PDF format. Check out these http://cida.usgs.gov/hqsp/apex/f?p=262:18:1982896160185770::NO:RP:: to get an idea of creek channels in man-made reservoirs.