struck gold at city hall

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Yesterday my buddy and I went to city hall and dug around in the map archive. I was told that the reservoir we fish used to be an old farm pond with roads and rivers all around it.

Now I've fished this place for the last 25 yrs. I know it,....VERY well.

I wanted to see if there were old land surveys or maps from the 1800's when the reservoir system in RI was developed. Pay dirt.

These maps may not mean much to you but if you know the area, I now have maps where it shows exactly what was there before. In one, you'll notice all the plottings, telling you where it was boggy, meadow, steep slope, etc. you can see where the roads and rivers were before they flooded it. Awesome stuff.

I also found an aerial map from what must have been the first plane ever! 1900-1915 somewhere in there I think, it was a shot done in the middle of flooding it.

this is the first map drawn of the lake after being flooded, circa 1920

old plottings

And an aerial before the land was flooded.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Now you have me curious.  Looks like I will be making a trip up to City Hall sometime :.  Did you already know about the flooded roads?  New Honey Hole?

I think I found a couple of flooded roads, possibly a bridge, this winter after doing some research on a lake I fish.  I can't wait to get out there and check it out as I am sure you are as well.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Were these in a file?  On display?

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I knew there was a barn under there somewhere from the original farm. Found it !!

I knew there were roads and where they entered the water but didn't know what they did from there. These were dirt roads so not much of a big deal.

The rivers and creeks that were there before are still there (exits and entries, just never knew how they all connected.

Pretty much everything there we knew about but now we have the exacts and a visual. Just plain opld good stuff!!

If you go to the info desk, just ask where the archive of maps is. There are lots of maps in books there but what I found to be the best were the hanging maps. There is a reference book and you look up your lake. Mine had about 20 hits. Some are just surveys that someone had to do to build and some are just old maps, but they are all in a map hanger. The reference book gives the name with a corresponding map number. slide your finger to that number and pull out the map. This is a better pic showing eric holding one up.  They are in plastic sleeves with a hard plastic binder that has a number and a corresponding slot.

[Raul]

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy !, those maps are a hidden treasure. Time to go out there and pinpoint the hot spots with your GPS.

[BassKinG]

Very nice find! What a piece of hidden treasure it should definately should help you a lot.  I think I might check out some maps at my city hall this spring, when I have time.

Best of luck fishing!

[RoLo]

LBH,

If your chart has a compass rose, or at least shows Magnetic North, you can do some business.

Using prominant land points and structures, you can triangulate your Lines Of Position (LOP) at home.

Then, when you can get on the water you can get the coordinates with your GPS,

using bearing binoculars. For example, you could mark the intersection of a creek channel

and a submerged roadbed on your map. If the bridge is still intact, you'll have a personal "culvert sitation" 8-)

[Guest avid]

Well done !!!

This is the kind of dedication that leads to lunker catches and tournament victories.

I sure hope you can pinpoint that barn from the water.  That should be a great hotspot.

[SneakySnook]

Congrats on your find Low. Another way to find things is by diving and you'll enjoy the hobby also. You'll be surprize what you find down there and how calm the fish are around you.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Congrats on your find Low. Another way to find things is by diving and you'll enjoy the hobby also. You'll be surprize what you find down there and how calm the fish are around you.

I don't want to know.  I've heard there are monsters down there

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

avid- where it shows the barn, is where there is a well known "L" shaped rock pile which I am assuming is the old foundation of sorts.  Been very productive through the years.

Sneaky-We've snorkeled 2/3 of the 292 acres I'd say but the 25-35 acres where its 33 feet where the original pond was is too much to get down.  Electronics show no structure down there and that is mission #1 of '06 , to drop somthing in that hole and mark it w/ my partners new handheld GPS.  we are thinking pvc trees.

[Gatorbassman]

Russ that's just awsome. I am going to try that on a few old ponds I fish. Thanks for the Idea.