Understand lake maps?

[Clyde]

O.k. I mainly fish Old Hickory lake here in Tennessee. I have not been doing well. So today I picked up a map of the lake. It shows depths and things like that. Now that I have the map it is beginning to clear a few things up. Some of those are why I have caught fish where I caught them. Anyway what all on a map do you look for. I am now understanding where the creek channels are and how that correlates to where I have caught fish. So my question is besides channels and drop offs what are some other things to look for. Any help is appreciated. And yes I do have a depth finder and I have been watching it and learning and now looking at the map confirming what I had been seeing. Thanks

[Long Mike]

Other than creeks channels and points, I look for man-made structure; primarily road beds.

[fishfordollars]

Offshore humps, drains,creeks, roadbeds and Flats that lead to deeper water.Main lake Points,secondary points, and pockets off the river.

Anything that shows a change in depth or bottom composition.

[Glenn]

Read these articles:

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/Reading_Maps.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/map_fishing.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/where_are_bass.html

[Clyde]

Thanks

[Catt]

When you done reading those here is a couple more

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1186055966/

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1214969797/15#15

[WRB]

O.k. I mainly fish Old Hickory lake here in Tennessee. I have not been doing well. So today I picked up a map of the lake. It shows depths and things like that. Now that I have the map it is beginning to clear a few things up. Some of those are why I have caught fish where I caught them. Anyway what all on a map do you look for. I am now understanding where the creek channels are and how that correlates to where I have caught fish. So my question is besides channels and drop offs what are some other things to look for. Any help is appreciated. And yes I do have a depth finder and I have been watching it and learning and now looking at the map confirming what I had been seeing. Thanks

Looking at Old Hickory Lake I would classify this lake as a power generation high land reservoir. Why does that make any difference on how to read a topo map? Current and steep deep main lake banks.

Not knowing your topo map reading skills and never having fished Old Hickory, my advice is; read the prior mentioned threads, but don't try to apply everything you have read.

Try getting a hold of a topo map of the area prior to Old Hickory being impounded. If that isn't possible, get a topo map of the area below the dam and surrounding terrain. It's important to be able to visualize what is under water by looking at the contour lines that indicate the shape of the land. That information will tell you what to look for; how shale rock ledges are undercut by the river, where trees may be and old roads or farm walls, bridges or culverts tend to be located, etc.

As a bass fisherman you should be interested in flooded land that is about 75 feet deep, the deeper water is important if the lake levels fluctuate more the 50 feet in depth, then add another 50 feet or so.

The reason this is important is the type of highland reservoir you are trying to map study is a large power generation type lake. This lake should have both largemouth and smallmouth, plus it could have spotted bass. The smallmouth and spots locations are affected by current, more than largemouth, but all bass in this type of reservoir use current breaks.

The obvious structure elements are; major points, secondary primary points (points that separate creek arms into a Y), islands and the creek/river channels.

The best locations are know as funnel zones when the current is running. Look for benches or saddles formed by structure elements that protrude out into the lake and create a current break. Although Old Hickory is a big lake with a lot of structure elements, it doesn't appear to have too many funnel zones to identify on a good topo map, in the depth zone that bass use. The more isolated (off shore) these areas are the better they tend to be.

WRB

[A-Rob]

For smallies: Shoals. Especially if they have some weeds and broken rock around them. You can fish it from the peak of the shoal all the way deep around it.