deepsessions Posted March 2, 2007 Posted March 2, 2007 in a deep resevoir where the channel can run 80-130 ft? how do bass relate to such a deep channel? Quote
ABA CAST CHAMP 2006 Posted March 2, 2007 Posted March 2, 2007 Depends on the water clarity and how much current there is, but usually you can find bass staged somewhere around wherever the shallower area drops off into the creek channel. Quote
deepsessions Posted March 2, 2007 Author Posted March 2, 2007 water clarity is clear 10-12ft.. .structure and cover are great but I think the main reason for it being a tough fishery is the water draw down in the fall. Over a two month period they drain over 25ft of shoreline! seems so unstable for the fish to have to relocate so drastically. Lake record is around 18 lbs and only a few years ago as well as other teen bass have been caught. Quote
Super User Catt Posted March 2, 2007 Super User Posted March 2, 2007 Depends on if you want to catch big fish or not If you want to catch big bass it's very important, there are very few areas I fish that are not within close proximity of a creek channel. When studying a map and I locate a cove that doesn't have a creek channel running through it I don't even bother Quote
Low_Budget_Hooker Posted March 2, 2007 Posted March 2, 2007 Put it in perspective. How often do you use roads? Granted, you could probably get to your destination without using ALL roads, but habit will have you taking the easiest route. Same for them. These roads also create "rest areas" and many of these areas have food delivery. (current) Great idea for an article here if anyone wants to take it. Creek channels, using national hwy system as an example Quote
Triton21 Posted March 2, 2007 Posted March 2, 2007 Couldn't have said it better myself LBH. Kelley Quote
deepsessions Posted March 2, 2007 Author Posted March 2, 2007 some good responses here guys! LBH I hear what your saying and have always tried to pay attention to the creek channel when looking at my topo maps. However the creek channel I am referring to runs at an average of 80-140ft. I've only seen bass as deep as 60' on the graph and haven't caught anything deeper than 45'. I am targeting bigger bass so I am looking for that prime real estate(bluff walls,rock to mud bottoms,main/secondary points). Problem is most of the prime real estate I used to fish is now exposed! So the emphasis is on the draw down I believe and how the fish would relate to the creek channel over these tougher times when cover is more scarce. maybe someone could give an example of another draw down rez that runs deep that they have fished before. this would be a good article to write up Quote
Low_Budget_Hooker Posted March 2, 2007 Posted March 2, 2007 Is there anything down there other than the bed of the creek? I'm thinking there may be key spots only that they use if they even use that water. For example, is there a big boulder that sides on the inside crook of a right turn in the creek? Any sudden tuens in the creek at all? Things like that. also, some bodies of water only hold sufficient oxygen levels at certain depths. If you NEVER mark any fish below 60, there may not be enough 02 down there to sustain them. How many watts is your finder? are you marking ANYTHING down there? Quote
Super User RoLo Posted March 2, 2007 Super User Posted March 2, 2007 With respect to bass location, weeds are normally the most important feature in the majority of "natural lakes". However, most manmade impoundments lack robust natural weed growth, as a result, river channels and creek channels are the single most important feature for bass location in artificial reservoirs (followed distantly by wood). Although channel edges act like magnets to bass, I don't subscribe to the Buck Perry theory of migration routes, where channels serve as highways and byways for visual bass migration. It is my firm believe that seasonal shifts involve movements that run "perpendicular" to the depth lines (contour lines), rather than parallel to the depth lines. If a bedding flat adjoins a channel edge that drops off into water 25 feet or more, it may well serve as a 'year-round site'. The "channels" in an artificial reservoir (river & creek) offer two distinct advantages for gamefish. 1. The channel offers rapid depth change if it's traversed perpendicular to the depth lines (particularly important in winter). 2. Channels are conduits for water current, which is a huge asset and commonly play host to baitfish migrations. I personally would not spend anytime in a channel that crests more than 30 feet deep. Though many would argue that they've caught bass deeper than 30 feet, that's not the same as playing the odds. Instead, I would continue following the creek channel into the back-end of the creek arm until the channel ledge crests in water between 5 & 20 ft deep. The basin of the channel can be ANY depth (300 ft is okay) because bass are relating to the drop-off at the top ledge, not the basin. Roger Quote
deepsessions Posted March 2, 2007 Author Posted March 2, 2007 LBH there really isn't too much down in the creek channel as this is a man made res. Erosion has placed some nice rocks,willow trees,and slack water in 20fow and less. Unfortunetley I am using a Garmin 160c right now and it only puts out 150W RMS and 1200W P2P. http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:3nysEOSOYdcJ:www.garmin.com/products/ff160c/+Garmin+160c&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=firefox-a I am looking at getting a Lowrance X 95 since I've realized this finder might be limiting some important details. However it reads humps,big rocks,etc in 60-80 ft. From what I've noticed fish will suspend during mid-day around 30-40 ft in 50fow and are tough to catch. Finesse applications have been the only ticket here. Most guys that fish this res with the same dshot,dhead,jigs so the fish have seen quite a bit of the same look. I've been trying to give different looks by slow rollin,yo-yo'n,and spoon'n and have had little success. That's why I posted here to see your guys' take on Creek Channels and the importance. Rolo thanks for the response...you are correct in that there isn't much weed growth here. The channel ledge really does not carve into 20fow maybe around 40-60 at the most shallow. It runs from N to S for the most part right through the center of the res not deviating from the middle much. There are roadbeds I've been keying in on but the coves they start out in are only 15ft now. So most of the activity is around main lake points and bluff walls where the fish are suspending. here's link to the res if anyone is interested....its a great all around fishery but its just hard to get a pattern on the bass even more so with the smallies (and the LR smallie is 5.5) http://www.ebparks.org/parks/delval.htm if anything maybe someone can post an example of how they pattern fish on draw down reservoirs. My understanding is they are more difficult Quote
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