my map study journey

[GoneFishingLTN]

So I'm learning more about map study or trying and I just read something that was very confusing to me it claimed that in the summer a good thing to do on a topo map is to look for relatively flat or gradually slopping contour lines.

 

I've always thought you want to look for closer contour lines in the summer.

[A-Jay]

IME, when it come to bass fishing,  there are Many pieces to rhe puzzle.  This includes structure fishing as well as lake map study.

So any single piece of the puzzle may not be very helpful when trying to see the whole picture. This may be the case here.  Something that has always helped me on this stuff was to combine what I may find on a map, with what my electonics shows me on the water and go from there.  Map study by itself can be very helpful, especially when it comes to eliminating areas on big water.  Knowing the Bass seasonal movement comes into play as well.

There's so much more, but I am going to stop right here. 

A-Jay

[Team9nine]

The general rule of thumb has always been that through the warm water months you look more toward the longer structures (hence flatter) that reach further into the lake, or flats in general (esp. in natural lakes), while during cold water periods, more vertical type (quick dropping) areas can be the most productive (bluffs, creek channel swings, main basin drops, etc.). But as @A-Jay alluded to, you can easily get wrapped up in the specifics of a rather large subject with no absolutes. Probably best to study and figure out what the bass in your local waters do more-so than trying to learn everything about all water types.

[WRB]

Bass in the winter migrate towards steeper banks or near vertical walls in deeper because more mass is stable water temps. The opposite isn’t necessarily true the summer bass may be on larger flats if abundance of prey there some type of egress channel exist. The channel may only be a few feet deeper but bass like to have a little deeper to escape easier.

Wind is another factor to consider looking at maps. Prevailing wind direction is important for big flats, you want to be on the down side.

Tom 

[papajoe222]

Yes, flats close to deeper water that offer some type of cover are prime areas for summer bassin.' As mentioned previously, this is a general rule of thumb that can give you a place to start your search. Other factors may have more influence on fish location on any given body of water.

Map study is essential when it comes to areas to target, or places to start. 

[CrankFate]

3 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

So I'm learning more about map study or trying and I just read something that was very confusing to me it claimed that in the summer a good thing to do on a topo map is to look for relatively flat or gradually slopping contour lines.

 

I've always thought you want to look for closer contour lines in the summer.

relatively flat, gradually sloping contour lines, which I think are referred to as shoals, are a good place to look for almost anything worth catching. Near a drop off, these are one of my favorite places to find fish. All kinds of fish. Especially with current, because they usually make a good current break.

[Catt]

A recent radio telemetry study on Toledo Bend tracked an 8# bass that lived on a single stump on a nondescript flat 50 yds from the nearest contour change. From post spawn until now she ain't moved other than to feed & them she still didn't venture off the flat.

[scaleface]

I never see gulls in the summer hanging around steep banks . They stay on the flat banks waiting for game fish to corral shad near the surface . When I see a lot of gulls I graph that area out . 

[Chris Catignani]

On 9/22/2021 at 4:52 PM, A-Jay said:

IME, when it come to bass fishing,  there are Many pieces to rhe puzzle.  This includes structure fishing as well as lake map study.

So any single piece of the puzzle may not be very helpful when trying to see the whole picture. This may be the case here.  Something that has always helped me on this stuff was to combine what I may find on a map, with what my electonics shows me on the water and go from there.  Map study by itself can be very helpful, especially when it comes to eliminating areas on big water.  Knowing the Bass seasonal movement comes into play as well.

There's so much more, but I am going to stop right here. 

A-Jay

So true that...The moral of the story here is to just go fishing! There will be times where find fish where you wouldn't think they would be.

I have seen the worst gar-hole of a flat be the hottest spot on the lake because 1: the wind put a little chop on the water 2: the shad had moved in and the bass followed.