Reading Map and ChartsReading Map and Charts By John Leech
Reading map and charts is the lesson for this secession. Being able to
find fish on a lake before you put the boat in the water is a great help to
the start of a successful day on the water. Being able to read the bottom of
the lake and finding the migration routes the fish will follow to and from
the feeding grounds and where the feeding grounds are from a map is a huge
key to success. This ensures time spent fishing will be in the more
productive areas of the lake instead of casting blindly at some unproductive
shoreline in the hope there may be a fish in the area that will bite. For a
review Lesson 1 through 8 we discussed migration routes and movements.
A good contour map is worth its weight in gold if you have the knowledge
to read it and not worth the paper it's printed on if you can't. The lines
represent the depth breaks. Each line shows changes in depth that graduate
from shore to the deepest water in the lake. The value of the map is in the
accuracy of the contour placements and changes. Most Government and
geological survey map are for the most part the most accurate. These
agencies are a good source for maps as are any Aerospace contour map. Army
Corp of Engineering is another good source. The tackle shop plastic maps are
the most readily available but often lack true accuracy. These maps will get
you in the right area and give you some good starting places; some even come
with GPS reading of good fishing areas. The real key in catching fish is
being in the area where the fish are. Good map reading can take you from one
productive area in the lake to another just like it simply by looking on a
map.
Finding the break or desired depth change on a map is the same as
looking for it on the water. During the warm water seasons the fish will
relate to a more gradual slope or break and during colder water seasons a
sharper drop into deeper water will be their preferred choice. Once locating
the desired places on the map the location on the water becomes the next
changeling task. A GPS and a compass are needed tools and as with any
Structure fishing a good depth finder is a must. Finding these places still
requires time driving around on the water; good map studies just less wasted
time. You can find the right areas with site and direction searches. A site
and direction search starts with identifying two landmarks on the map and on
the water. Take a bearing from one mark towards the other watching your depth
finder. When you come to the desired depth throw a buoy marker. Marker buoy
markers are a must to be able to picture what the area really looks like.
Good map reading is one thing that separates the top anglers that win on a
regular base. By good map study the areas of the lake that will be holding
the most fish at a given seasonal period can be found days before ever seeing
the water.
There are always changes to the bottom that are not on some maps and
these places if conditions are right can be gold minds. Fewer people will
know of these places and thus less pressure on the fish that live there.
Other key pieces of structure and breaks to look for that are not on some
maps are springs, wells, old house foundations and old pulp wood roads. Most
of the newer reservoir have maps showing all these details, but the older
lake most of these details were not noted on maps before the lake was
flooded. Sometimes fishermen will share good fishing areas on different
bodies of water. Studying these areas and looking for similar areas can also
increase the success of a fishing trip. I talked to a man at a Jiffy store on
the way to a lake I was fishing miles away. He told me about a break in the
river where a creak came into the channel. Sure enough that place was a great
holding area but after studying the map at the hotel so were the next two
creeks that entered on down river. Good patterns will reproduce themselves
time and time again. Map study can just show you where.