Lake maps available for free online??

[The Rooster]

Anyone know of a place online to download and print a basic map of lakes FOR FREE?? No details needed like topographical or anything. Just a basic layout of the lake, and ramp locations and such to help me find my way around while I'm out there. That's all.

This passed weekend I was looking at one of my maps of the lake we were on, and I had two more under the console of the steering wheel on the boat in a plastic bag. I should have put them up, but I thought they'd be alright there. They must have blown out on the way down the lake cause we couldn't find them later on while we were fishing. So I'm sure there's a map of Grayson lake and Paintsville lake on the bottom of Yatesville lake now. ;D

[Sam]

Hey Roostertails!

I have looked at maps on the internet and they just do not meet the level of detail that I get from the published maps.

In Virignia we have GMCO who publishes maps of the major lakes and rivers so we are very fortunate.

There are no maps of the Nottoway/Blackwater/Chowan River system so I have an Atlas of North Carolina that I use as my map.  It is not that detailed but it is all that I can find. No GMCO maps of the river system.

So check out the web but if you can locate a map of the body of water you may be better off.

[-ebby-]

my state's dnr website has pretty decent maps of most lakes, so try your dnr website. If not that try google earth and print a pic of your lake. You can see where weeds and sandbars are wich is nice.

[.dsaavedra.]

if its a big, well known lake, try www.topozone.com topozone will only show you an outline of the lake. if its a small, obscure lake/pond, your best bet is google earth.

like ebby said, you can see some features like dropoffs and points when you use google earth.

[ring fry]

Topp zone, Acme mapper 2.0, and Google Earth.  I prefer Acme mapper for MOST lakes.

[TournyFish001]

google earth satellite view- real view(actual) no lies, good scouting tool for zero cost

[Painter Dude]

try the corp o engineers in your area

http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/hqhome/

[Just_Old_Fisherman]

Not free, but Navionics Hot Map Explorer is a good tool for $20.  Runs on your PC, has 10,000 lake maps with contours.  You can print any you need to take along with you.  Also, has a plug in for Google Earth, allows split screen view of topo map on half and Google Earth on other half.  Stores/backs up your waypoints and displays them on the topo, can convert to Google Earth format and allows concurrent displat there.

[bkoguy07]

Not free, but Navionics Hot Map Explorer is a good tool for $20.  Runs on your PC, has 10,000 lake maps with contours.  You can print any you need to take along with you.  Also, has a plug in for Google Earth, allows split screen view of topo map on half and Google Earth on other half.  Stores/backs up your waypoints and displays them on the topo, can convert to Google Earth format and allows concurrent displat there.

Where can I buy this at?

[Big Tom]

Anyone know of a place online to download and print a basic map of lakes FOR FREE??  No details needed like topographical or anything.  Just a basic layout of the lake, and ramp locations and such to help me find my way around while I'm out there.  That's all.  

This passed weekend I was looking at one of my maps of the lake we were on, and I had two more under the console of the steering wheel on the boat in a plastic bag.  I should have put them up, but I thought they'd be alright there.  They must have blown out on the way down the lake cause we couldn't find them later on while we were fishing.  So I'm sure there's a map of Grayson lake and Paintsville lake on the bottom of Yatesville lake now.  ;D

Hey, I may just catch them for ya one of these days.  Have you been catching any at Yatesville lately?

[The Rooster]

If you want to find them look for them on Little Blaine Creek.  That's where I lost them at.  

We caught a few fish the other day, nothing spectacular.  The fish seeemed to be acting strange I thought.  All over the lake I was seeing carp swimming on top of the water, in water anywhere from 2 feet deep to nearly 40.  Just randomly swimming in open water.  Same for the sunfish and bluegills.  They were everywhere in open water, not around any cover, and they were violently competing to be first to smack our lures, but they would not take it, only bump it.  I took that as a sign that they were about to spawn and were just trying to clear the area of intruders.  We did manage to figure out that using a spinner with a chartreuse blade would make them strike it and the hook would catch them on the inside of their mouths, like they were trying to eat it, whereas before if we caught one it was hooked on the outside of it's mouth as if it had been caught by accidently getting hooked as it pounded on the lure.  

Since no bass where biting, and we assumed they where spawning too, then we started fishing for those 'gills and we caught a bunch of them.  Better than wasting the day by going home with no fish at all.  I managed to catch the only decent fish of the day, and it was only about a 12 inch bass.  

Otherwise it was not very active at all out there.  Water temperature was 82 to 86 degrees, depending on where you were at on the lake.  That's pretty warm for them to be moving much, but yet they were swimming and chasing baits.   :-?  Bass too, we had a school of about 7 or 8 bass swimming around looking at the baits and chasing them but they wouldn't hit.  They were all dinks though, only 10 inches or so.  Since I just fish for fun then I'd have taken them if they'd have hit.  

[Just_Old_Fisherman]

Where can I buy this at?

I found mine at my local Academy store.  Google it to find online stores.