How To Have Success On A Lake When You Don't Have A Map???

[MIbassin]

Hey guys,

 

A lot of the lakes around here, even some of the larger ones, do not have topographic maps! I catch plenty of fish on these lakes, but i feel like it might be luck.

 

When i do not have a map, i just look for shoreline structure and weedbeds in the clearer water (we have tons of ridiculously good looking weedbeds). I am basically 

 

fishing completely blind. How do you guys approach a lake without a map? Is it just trial and error? I do not have a fish finder. I realize this is probably the problem, but i can't afford one right now.

 

Any help is appreciated!

 

P.S this topic is more important now because i am just starting to step into swimbait fishing and i realize that swimbait fishing is all about making a few cast to high percentage spots

[tatertester]

You must be doing something right so far....I would concentrate on points ,inside turns , weed beds adjacent to deeper water, and any humps or rises in deeper water...That should give you plenty to do.

[Smokinal]

A couple of things that might help. first, check out google maps and look at the lake from the satellite view. Sometimes you can actually see where there is a point, sand bar, drops etc...zoom right in on it.  Second, remember that lakes are not just round bowls of water. The shoreline often will tell you what the lake bottom is like nearby. Meaning, if the shoreline is steep right down to water's edge, it's probably continuing into the lake and that is a steep drop. If the shoreline is a gentle entry into the lake, it's probably shallow, weedy etc...

[FD.]

A couple of things that might help. first, check out google maps and look at the lake from the satellite view. Sometimes you can actually see where there is a point, sand bar, drops etc...zoom right in on it.  Second, remember that lakes are not just round bowls of water. The shoreline often will tell you what the lake bottom is like nearby. Meaning, if the shoreline is steep right down to water's edge, it's probably continuing into the lake and that is a steep drop. If the shoreline is a gentle entry into the lake, it's probably shallow, weedy etc...

 

X2

[Catt]

Acme Mapper 2.0 or USGS

[ww2farmer]

When I go to a "new" lake to me, I just do what I am comfortable with doing. It usually works out. Bass are bass, every lake has it's own quirks, but I have yet to go to a place where there were not bass around points, grass, or boat docks.

[boostr]

A couple of things that might help. first, check out google maps and look at the lake from the satellite view. Sometimes you can actually see where there is a point, sand bar, drops etc...zoom right in on it.  Second, remember that lakes are not just round bowls of water. The shoreline often will tell you what the lake bottom is like nearby. Meaning, if the shoreline is steep right down to water's edge, it's probably continuing into the lake and that is a steep drop. If the shoreline is a gentle entry into the lake, it's probably shallow, weedy etc...

 

I just downloaded Google Earth WOW! I can see shallow,deep, laydowns, etc,  and found new spots to fish from the banks. worth the time to download.

[WRB]

There isn't a man made reservior, large or small that doesn't have a topographical map.

Catt referenced a few sources, check them out.

Bass anglers have this concept that bass live near the shoreline. Some bass do, they were spawned there, hatched there and spent their juvenile life there and return there as adults to spawn and occasionally feed.

The fact is adult size bass spend more time away from the shore areas than they do near shore.

Catt also recommends fishing " humps" and he is right agian! I would add isolated flat spots on major points and underwater saddles or benches connecting humps, islands to points are also good off shore structure elements.

You can't locate off shore structure without knowing where it is.

Tom

PS, overheard sat views like google earth help when water levels are low if photos were taken.

[Bluebasser86]

I fished for years out of a 2 man with no depthfinder or map. It is a lot of trial and error and a lot of attention to detail. I had to pay a lot of attention to what my bait was doing and I was able to find drop offs, weeds, brushpiles, laydowns, and changes in bottom composition. Baits like a deep running crankbait or heavy jig will basically allow you to map out the bottom of a lake in your head.

 

You can also get topo maps online for a lot of lakes anymore. I know Navionics has topo maps for tons of lakes on their website. There's a tool on here that has them also. 

[smbrule!]

I also use Google Earth to check out new fishing spots. Would also suggest that Bing maps also be explored.  For Lake of the Woods in some places Bing maps are superior to Google Earth.

[Catt]

Acme Mapper 2.0 has 5 modes including satellite, satellite with road names, & topo. You don't download any thing & you don't popups or ads. The satellite is more up dated than google or bing.

[boostr]

I also use Google Earth to check out new fishing spots. Would also suggest that Bing maps also be explored. For Lake of the Woods in some places Bing maps are superior to Google Earth.

Checked out Bing maps, and ooh I was pleasantly surprised, I got to see what was under my lakes figurative skirt. Found humps and flats that were covered up by weeds,pads and higher water levels that II couldn't see on Google Earth, and they have images of different times of the year. I can actually fish these spots from the shore.

[Jaiden]

If you have a smart phone there are apps that have topo maps. I use the navionics app and it works just fine.

[sparkytele]

  Check your DNR or Fish and Wildlife web site for maps. Not always the greatest but better than nothing.

[boostr]

If you have a smart phone there are apps that have topo maps. I use the navionics app and it works just fine.

Looks like an awesome app. Definitely will be getting this when I get a boat.

[KyakR]

Everybody's covered anything I thought of and then some when I was fishing from my yak for years with no electronics. Smokinal, Bluebasser, Catt and Tom X2. The only other thing I ever did was trust my "feeling" that bass were there. Intuition draws upon subconscious knowledge. Remember that scene in Star Wars where Yoda's teaching Luke how to lift his crashed ship out of that lake by using the Force? Well, Luke didn't have a fishfinder   

[retiredbosn]

Michigan has thousands of lakes, most natural, so doesn't surprise me no map exists. Learn to read the water. The shallower the structure the easier it is to find by learning to read the surface. Position your boat near some known structure, watch how the surface interacts around the intersection of the open water and the structure. Apply what u learn to find other pieces of structure. Good luck.

[FD.]

If all else fails you can do it the old fashioned way.  Rig up a 1 oz Carolina Rig, pick a section and start chunkin.  

[Insanity]

I make my own crude topo maps.If its a good spot and I want to remember it.

No how fast a sinker falls and you'll have general idea of the depth. Drag it and find the bottom contour and and make up. Along with any structure I can make out. Later if the water goes down il draw in anything I missed or of interest. Like crappie stake beds. And GPS them suckers when I can.

I've tried Carolina rigging but I forget what I'm doing and start fishing. Lol.

Great way to pass the time when the waters low is to drive around and have a look.

[WRB]

Unless a natural lake is obscure, there should be a sounding map available from your local DNR or sporting goods store. Natural lakes are harder to read and most fishable water is near shore or around islands due to silt settling on the bottom over hundreds of years aging. Reefs should be marked with buoys as navigation hazards.

Generally the underwater terrain is similar to what you see above water. The easiest "structure element" to learn to fish are underwater points connected to shore that extend out into the lake. Points hold bass nearly year around. The second structure element are islands, often connected to shore with underwater points or saddles and may have underwater islands known as humps attached or nearby.

Another type of structure elements are break lines. A structure break can be as simple as the soil changing composition from mud to sand or sand to rocks or mud to clay with gravel, where the soil changes come together they often attract bass.

Tom