I need a lesson.

[Savage33]

Ok guys. I’m fairly new to looking at contour maps. On the attached picture, what areas would you target for largemouth bass and why?  Let’s say post spawn time of year. I think I see maybe a couple spots that could produce but I’m not sure. 

[Sam]

Bass have "highways" they use to get to and from their spawning areas.

 

Right off the bat I see a creek channel and a road bed. These are good highways for the bass to get to their spawning grounds.

 

The bass will go from one structure to another on their way to shallow water as the water warms.

 

Look for highways and structure and you will find their favorite routes.

[Catt]

"Let's says post spawn time of the year"

 

Nothing!

 

Why? Because I see nothing that says spawn to me.

 

Post spawn bass move back out using the same structure/breaks/breaklines they came in on.

[TnRiver46]

That looks like a tricky place to fish, I always like to try the deepest places. “Post spawn” is a pretty broad time, if you mean immediately after spawn I might try right here around this choke point 

 

[Deleted account]

I would need to see a zoomed in and out version of the whole body of water, but based on just that snap shot, I'd probably start somewhere else.

[scaleface]

Theres a saddle leading out to that hump . See it . Thats the spot . Looks like a nice structure lake .

[scaleface]

39 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

try right here around this choke point 

I'd be allover that .

[Savage33]

2 hours ago, reason said:

I would need to see a zoomed in and out version of the whole body of water, but based on just that snap shot, I'd probably start somewhere else.

Same spot is in top left now.  It’s on Kentucky lake. 

And yes. Immediately after spawn. 

[TOXIC]

First drop adjacent to a spawning flat.  

[TheNickFlair]

I can’t really help too much on the map but I would like to know where you got it from because that’s a distinct map. I also would like some help on my post if any of you guys have any extra time. Thanks!

[Hawkeye21]

1 hour ago, TheNickFlair said:

I can’t really help too much on the map but I would like to know where you got it from because that’s a distinct map. I also would like some help on my post if any of you guys have any extra time. Thanks!

Looks like it's from the Navionics app.  It's very useful.

 

@Savage33  Are you fishing in the KBF Championship?

[WRB]

5 hours ago, Catt said:

"Let's says post spawn time of the year"

 

Nothing!

 

Why? Because I see nothing that says spawn to me.

 

Post spawn bass move back out using the same structure/breaks/breaklines they came in on.

^^^this^^^

I just read this thread and was about to reply the same "nothing looks like a spawning area". 

How about a larger area to look at.

Tom

 

[Team9nine]

Lots of spawning areas around there that you just can't see due to map scale. That whole area is the back side of the river channel - all backwaters off the river with a lot of nice cuts and holes.

 

Lots of nice water to check there. A lot would depend on whether there is any weed growth in the area when there. If so, top waters along the edges should be good, or jigs or plastics flipped to the same areas if sunny. If you can find some good hard bottom on any of those points and bars, a Carolina Rig or crankbait might be good. The same baits along the roads where they lead in and out of the channel cuts would also get my attention. If you are late post-spawn, moving a bit east, closer to the main river channel nearer current might be a good move.

[bigbassin']

@WRB @Catt What makes you say nothing in that area looks like a spawning area? I'm not a pro at map reading and just want to know what y'all are looking for.  I'd personally say the two-pronged cove in the top left corner that has a creek bed coming out of it could be productive.  Depending on the depth that the fish are bedding at in this lake, the 6-7 foot area outside the creek channel that has a roadbed running through it and is surrounded by a 12-ft contour line also looks promising to me.  The chokepoint with a road bed running through it would also be something I would check out.

 

Looking at the second image posted, what would y'alls thoughts be on the 2 foot of water area in the middle-bottom left that has two islands in it, a road bed on the northeast corner, and a creek bed running parallel to the southeast?

[WRB]

I have no idea what the larger surrounding areas are like. I know this is a reservior because of the road beds and would be a good area other then for spawning. You may  find a few isolated spawners depending on what type of bass is in this lake.

Lets wait and see if the OP posts another larger map. The detail of the map is excellent with 1' evelation scale, it's a small snap shot of a much larger reservior.

Tom

[Savage33]

That’s about the best pic I can get.  If I zoom out any further on my phone, the contour lines go away. 

[Savage33]

7 hours ago, Hawkeye21 said:

Looks like it's from the Navionics app.  It's very useful.

 

@Savage33  Are you fishing in the KBF Championship?

No sir. I don’t own a kayak. Just a big tin boat. I want a kayak tho.  I think itd be pretty fun. 

[scaleface]

That hump with the saddle s very close to this hump with a saddle . In this map it makes an island but in the spring it is always a hump and a productive post spawn area .

 

[WRB]

So now we know the screen shot is a tiny portion of Kentucky lake, a massive riverine reservior with current. Everyone still think this area is a good spawning site?

Tom

[Turkey sandwich]

I don't know Kentucky Lake (other than some of the same basic stuff WTB posted above), so I don't really know much about the scale of the map, bottom composition, weeds, etc, etc.  Kentucky Lake has good populations of both smallmouth and largemouth, I believe.  Which species are you targeting?  While largemouth and smallmouth like similar things, they do have some different preferences come the spawn.

 

On the first screen shots there are small areas where I would expect to see some spawning bass, but none that are going to be the main spawning sites on that reservoir.  There are some saddles near the road beds, what looks like a hump, maybe some stretches along one or two of the island, etc that if they are protected from current, have decent bottom composition, etc will likely hold some spawning bass.  But there isn't likely going to be enough to make it worth fishing any sort of "spawn" pattern in those areas.  These aren't big flats, nor are they large, shallow stretches along those great big creek arms.  Those are going to likely be the prime spawning areas on that lake.  For a post spawn pattern, find those areas and move into adjacent deeper water in the channels, or back out of the channels toward the main lake.  

[bagofdonuts]

 Was there the last week of April 2017. Fishing was pretty tough. Only reliable patern we had was in the very back of the pockets,and I mean very back, burning soft plastic jerk baits over top of what was probably nest guarders in the mustard weeds. We had better luck with the smallmouth on secondary points on football jigs. Highlight was my brothers 7 lb, 23.5 inch smallmouth.  We caught fish but it was work. 

[Catt]

This is where I would start & then zero in from there!

 

 

 

[Savage33]

The screenshots I posted are from the new Johnsonville area. I’ve had some stellar days flipping bushes all around those islands. But once the bush bite starts slowing down, I’m lost as where/how to catch them until they get all the way out to the ledges at the main river channel. For example, I can hammer them for a few days, then it’s just over the next. So I head to the main channel ledges and it’s terribly slow for several days.  I’m just trying to figure out what to look for between the islands and main ledges. I’ll post another screenshot but it’s mainly just a giant flat across there.  

[Turkey sandwich]

55 minutes ago, Catt said:

This is where I would start & then zero in from there!

 

 

 

 

Bingo.

[Catt]

46 minutes ago, Savage33 said:

The screenshots I posted are from the new Johnsonville area. I’ve had some stellar days flipping bushes all around those islands. But once the bush bite starts slowing down, I’m lost as where/how to catch them until they get all the way out to the ledges at the main river channel. For example, I can hammer them for a few days, then it’s just over the next. So I head to the main channel ledges and it’s terribly slow for several days.  I’m just trying to figure out what to look for between the islands and main ledges

 

That's post spawn fishing ?