Where The Fish Are!

 

Contour Maps Made Easy (1971)

Editor Don Woodruff takes a detailed look at the best areas to focus your efforts on in a typical lake by using contour maps. Fishing Facts was one of the earliest proponents for anglers using these maps to help them eliminate empty water and locate key fish holding structure. With Hi-def mapping software available these days, everyone can find the obvious structures in a body of water, so locating nuances (“sneaky spots”) has become much more important.

FISHING STRUCTURE 1️⃣ - This is a long bar, fairly shallow on the east side, with a gradual sloping descent to deep water on most of the west portion. On the northwest tip, however, the contour lines come close together, dropping steeply from 5 ft. to 40 ft. Somewhere on this northwest tip, the schools of fish in that area will have their migration route. Here with one exception, the fisherman should concentrate his fishing time.

FISH STRUCTURE 2️⃣ - Here is a good structure because there is only one potential migration route from the deep water hole of 50 ft. All of the schools of fish using that section of deep water for a sanctuary, will migrate to that area. Fish WILL NOT move across wide expanses of gradual sloping shoreline. If a fisherman caught a fish in the area marked (A), he can rest assured that it came around the lake from the "scatter point" in area #2. That fish was probably one of dozens that actually moved up. As a structure fisherman you can see the benefit in concentrating your fishing in area #2, presenting your lure or bait to not one, but dozens, maybe hundreds of fish, instead of waiting and hoping for one or two fish to scatter from the migration route, eventually finding their way to wherever you might be.

FISH STRUCTURE 3️⃣ - This is the classic underwater island, a high knob or raised portion of the lake bottom. Frequently these structures are small, some measuring in feet rather than in yards. For this very reason, you should check them out carefully. Many, if not most fishermen, may not even be aware of their existence, providing you with virgin fishing as you would only expect in a fly-in area of Canada!

FISH STRUCTURE 4️⃣ - A typical finger-like bar, attached to the shore, running far out into the lake, then dropping suddenly to the deep. These are probably the easiest structures to find, and the greatest fishing pressure is usually to be found here. But don't write it off! Because it is far from shore, most fishermen without depth finders cannot locate the break to deep water, and many fishermen do not feel at ease fishing mid-lake structure. They have been brought up to the tradition of fishing shorelines. Without that physical presence of the shoreline, they cannot feel at ease or have confidence in their ability to catch fish… On a structure such as #4, be alert for breaks, and migration routes along the entire periphery of the structure. Although this map would indicate the break is on the tip, at times it will be on the sides, not near the end of the bar.

FISH STRUCTURE 5️⃣ - This is just such a side migration route. More than likely, both areas #4 and #5, would be migration routes for two separate schools of fish, because of the distance between them. If casting artificial lures or live bait, I would suggest anchoring your boat in 5 to 10 ft. of water, making your cast to the deep water area. When your lure or bait hits the water, feed line freely from your reel by hand so the lure sinks straight down, (not swinging like a pendulum back towards your boat). When it has reached bottom, take up your slack and start the retrieve up the break or structure.

FISH STRUCTURE 6️⃣ - This one seems to be a good potential structure because there is no better structure in that area. The break is not as sharp as I would prefer to fish, as is #7, but it is the only noticeable break in the area, and fish in that section would use it.

FISH STRUCTURE 7️⃣ - This is similar to #4 in that it is a finger-like bar structure. It is the sharpest break in the lake and one I would certainly check out care-fully, starting in the hot months of summer and throughout the fall fishing season. Because of its deep break, this should be a particularly good structure to fish in the late afternoon and early evening, as its steep break provides early shadows from the setting sun, allowing the fish to move up earlier.

Water Depth Tutorial

 

Spoonplugging Concept: Bass, Weeds and Water Depth - 1981

✅ [The first] figure is a side view of a shallow section of a lake (could be a slough, canal, etc.). You will note the deepest water available is only 8 feet. In this case, weeds cover all water under 6-7 feet in depth. This "cover" could provide the fish sanctuary up to a point. If you remove this cover, you are not likely to find any fish here for long. If you are fishing such cover, you would try to find the deepest water under the cover. But when good movement occurs, the fish will move to the open water. This situation doesn't hold out much hope for good fishing or for many big fish over a period of time. It's just too shallow (for most of the country).

✅ The [second] figure… is another side view of a similar situation, but in this case the weeds go down to 14 feet. The "open" water (free of weeds) is only slightly deeper. Here again, the sanctuary is likely to be in the weeds. But if this open water gets beyond 20 feet or better, then you begin to figure the sanctuary is in the open water. 

✅ It's a simple case of the deeper water having a more "stable" condition. A fish can adapt to a changed environment, but the less changing the better. Deep water is the only reliable escape route he has from a changing environment. If he doesn't have it, he might survive in some manner, but it's not likely to be good fishing for you and me. 

✅ Fish in this situation have little escape from extremes of weather (and water conditions). They can become more dormant, and for a longer period of time, than those in the deep water which helps offset the effects of bad weather. We may have to go deeper for them, but at least they become active enough to catch. Whereas, in shallow weed situations we could beat our brains out until there is a great improvement in the weather.

Buck Perry - Home Study Series

Follow Breaklines

 Follow Those Breaklines!

✅ Some veteran smallmouth anglers have had successful outings turn even more successful employing the following procedure. When the school of bass stops hitting, the anglers pick up their anchors, turn on their depth finders and by following the breakline (drop-off) are able to find the entire school once again. In these instances the school had not returned to deeper water but merely moved further down along the breakline. The schools were large enough to be seen on the depth finder and therefore contact was made a second time.

✅ Normally we don't recommend using your depth finder to run around looking for schools of fish. It is wiser to locate good structure first. Don't worry, if indeed it is good structure the fish will use it. Once the shape of the structure is known and the fish have moved to it, it would be wise to check out the remaining area for any straggler fish before you go rushing off to another area.

Carl Malz

Fishing Facts

May 1973

Structure Fishing Profile

PROFILE OF STRUCTURE And MIGRATION ROUTE (c. 1968, Fishing News; excerpt)

Another Wiley Miller sketch to help you get a good mental picture of what takes place in a lake.

1️⃣  Forget the tantalizing proposition of trying to catch fish in their sanctuary depth, at least for the present. Sanctuary means safety! And it's quite true, too.

2️⃣  How about the 26 foot break? Well, some, not many fish are caught here. Here they do not "bite or strike" so very readily. Also, you will find, that fishing 26 feet of water; with some control, and some knowledge of what you are doing, is not easy. We do not recommend it. We don't condemn it either.

3️⃣  Next is the migration route from the 26 foot break to the 21 foot-13 foot level. Some fish are caught on this route. BUT they are passing fish, migrating, on the move - Not too good. Much too uncertain.

4️⃣  Now for the "pay dirt!" The second break at 21 ft! The Scatter point! This is where we and most others really make our heavy catches. When the school gets to this point they are on the prowl! They are ready to "bite or strike." Here is where you should concentrate your fishing. This is a "spot."

This spot is usually small. How small? Hard to say. There is one thing for certain though. These fish are grouped. On Okauchee the group is almost always quite tight - the spot small and packed with fish.

That is - it is while the migration is on. Then it can be one lunker after the other.

5️⃣  How about the weeds, and the waters beyond the scatter point (beyond 13 feet)? Well, under certain conditions some fish, front runners generally, do penetrate these waters. But even here these fish don't roam haphazardly. They will follow trails. These trails may be sparse weeds, gravel bars, stumps, etc. All of these things should be considered breaks of a type. A break means a break or change in the usual. Give this some thought.

Remember, though, big fish don't scatter haphazardly. Sure they spread out some after they leave the scatter point, and some times - not often, even the school will penetrate the shallows.

When they do, the group or school will be related to structure. When you fish the area, try to determine what it was that attracted them. Always ask..."Why are they here in this place?"

Often it is a change of bottom such as a gravel or sandy stretch. Figuring out such problems on your lake is the road to success. That's why we say "Catching Fish Is An Idea Based on Facts."

— These old sketches and diagrams are so fun to look at. Knowing someone had to actually draw this all out by hand just adds a different feel to these old articles. —