Ways to detect creek channels

[trick worms]

I fish a small lake and want to know a way to find creek channels besides a lake map, which there isn't since it's only around 200 acres. I fish from a sun dolphin sportsman. Will a deeper fish finder show creek channels? Thanks

[Turtle135]

Have you taken a look at the lake in Google Earth? Sometimes you can see a darker area on the lake that will show you where the original creek channel may have been. I will also scroll back through the years to look at historical images on Google Earth to see if I can glean any information.

Regarding the "deeper" I have never seen one of those in use but just about any sonar will pickup changes in depth.

 

[Choporoz]

200 acres isn't too small to expect that a topo map might be out there.  Nor, is it too big to get a rough survey while fishing over the course of three or four outings.  Maybe post the coordinates from google map and we can take a look and help you.  Might depend on what type of lake it is: whether there's a dam, obvious inlets, etc.  I glacially formed lake in the upper midwest might not have clear channels.  A dammed impoundment like here in the mid-Atlantic might have several obvious ones.

[trick worms]

3 minutes ago, Turtle135 said:

Have you taken a look at the lake in Google Earth? Sometimes you can see a darker area on the lake that will show you where the original creek channel may have been. I will also scroll back through the years to look at historical images on Google Earth to see if I can glean any information.

Regarding the "deeper" I have never seen one of those in use but just about any sonar will pickup changes in depth.

 

Ok thanks a lot

[j bab]

Any sonar will find a creek channel, and a Deeper is a sonar unit.

Maybe try the google map trick(?) and use that as a starting point to run your deeper until you find the creek channel. It should just be a temporary depth change where it drops below what is normal for the area and comes back up pretty soon after (like a big U shape almost). It'll vary depending on how deep or well defined it is in your lake but that's the gist of it from what I understand 

[trick worms]

2 hours ago, Choporoz said:

200 acres isn't too small to expect that a topo map might be out there.  Nor, is it too big to get a rough survey while fishing over the course of three or four outings.  Maybe post the coordinates from google map and we can take a look and help you.  Might depend on what type of lake it is: whether there's a dam, obvious inlets, etc.  I glacially formed lake in the upper midwest might not have clear channels.  A dammed impoundment like here in the mid-Atlantic might have several obvious ones.

It is a private lake in SC. Don't know how to get cordinates but type in forest lake club in Columbia sc and it's the lake named forest lake

[Choporoz]

34.028573, -80.955427

https://www.google.com/maps/place/34°01'42.9"N+80°57'19.5"W/@34.0285774,-80.9576157,656m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d34.028573!4d-80.955427

Satellite view is pretty cool.  You can tell a few pretty well defined channels just from that.

 

What's the deepest spot?  Looks like it is mostly fairly shallow

[trick worms]

2 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

34.028573, -80.955427

https://www.google.com/maps/place/34°01'42.9"N+80°57'19.5"W/@34.0285774,-80.9576157,656m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d34.028573!4d-80.955427

Satellite view is pretty cool.  You can tell a few pretty well defined channels just from that.

 

What's the deepest spot?  Looks like it is mostly fairly shallow

It is shallow and flat. The dam to the left is around 13 ft and the deepest spot is in between their and the thing that says forest lake club. Thanks so much for the help!

[Choporoz]

Cool.  Shallow, but bottom certainly isn't 'feature-less'.  Lots of good looking cuts and drops around the bars, islands and especially the channels to the north.

[trick worms]

Ok thanks a lot. Did you use google maps to figure all that out?

Never mind I just zoomed in and it looked like it had no water in it. 

[Choporoz]

google map the lake and click the little photo at the bottom "satellite view"

[Turtle135]

this image is from Google Earth, one of the historical snapshots they have, see the creek channel?

[trick worms]

5 minutes ago, Turtle135 said:

this image is from Google Earth, one of the historical snapshots they have, see the creek channel?

Yes thanks. Is there only one?

[Turtle135]

10 minutes ago, trick worms said:

Yes thanks. Is there only one?

With Google Earth you can zoom in and you will see additional little feeder creek channels in the upper end (take a look at the historical images they have saved).

Google Earth is free: https://www.google.com/earth/

 

[TxHawgs]

On 11/23/2016 at 2:21 PM, Turtle135 said:

this image is from Google Earth, one of the historical snapshots they have, see the creek channel?

Wow that's insane how easy those creeks are to see. Did someone edit the pic and highlight them? When we are on lake Fork there is tons of timber and if you have an idea where the creek is sometimes you can follow it by the trees running along either side of it.

[the reel ess]

A Carolina Rig is the poor man's depth finder if you're on water and have no electronics. It'll also tell you the bottom composition and if there's structure besides the depth change. And it finds fish!

[scaleface]

You have sonar and know where the channel is , now marker buoys would come in handy .

[Wayne P.]

On ‎11‎/‎23‎/‎2016 at 0:32 PM, trick worms said:

I fish a small lake and want to know a way to find creek channels besides a lake map, which there isn't since it's only around 200 acres. I fish from a sun dolphin sportsman. Will a deeper fish finder show creek channels? Thanks

Any sonar unit will show the depth change for creek channels. You get the best profile by crossing it perpendicular:

 

[trick worms]

22 hours ago, TxHawgs said:

Wow that's insane how easy those creeks are to see. Did someone edit the pic and highlight them? When we are on lake Fork there is tons of timber and if you have an idea where the creek is sometimes you can follow it by the trees running along either side of it.

I think the picture is from the winter when they lower the lake.