Okay, we’ve already determined that fish relate to underwater structure. They do that for a couple reasons. First, for shelter from predators and secondly as an ambush point for food. Finding these locations are key to finding fish. Places like sharp drop-offs, weed edges, turns in a creek channel, intersections of two creek channels, rock reefs, brush piles, abrupt changes in bottom composition and a myriad of similar features are magnets for fish. A good map will identify these features.
Light is another factor in determining fish location. How will a map help with light? Good question. Generally, fish avoid bright light. Light penetrates clear water much more than cloudy water. Fish usually prefer shade to a bright location and they avoid light in two general ways, either moving to deeper water or getting beneath an object like a dock, tree or boathouse. Fish often avoid bright light by burying themselves at the base of thick weeds like coontail, milfoil or hydrilla.
Maps help take advantage of a fish’s tendency to seek cover and shade. Since maps tell you where north is, you can predict the shaded sides of the entire lake or individual pieces of structure. You can determine, just by looking at the map, if an underwater tapering point off the northeast side of an island will be sunny or shady at 3:15 pm.
Fish spend most of their time in sanctuaries – hold up where they are safe and comfortable. Except in extreme cases, these sanctuaries are the deepest pockets in a defined area that includes access to food. A fish’s instinctive behavior limits the boundaries of its territory.
One theory of fish behavior contends all species of fish move from these areas to where there is food. Hunger triggers movement. When their stomachs are full, they had back to cover.
Another theory maintains that weather and light activate fish movement. Low-pressure storm fronts stimulate fish to move and feed. When the front passes and the weather clears, fish are less active and found tight to cover. Regardless of what causes fish movement, expect them to move regularly within a set territory.
Another principal of fish behavior is all movement takes place along defined routes. Fish orient themselves with certain features of their underwater environment and travel set pathways between feeding and holding areas. While it is possible to catch fish suspended over deep water, or when they move into deep, structureless water, your chances of catching them are much greater as they migrate or feed in the shallows.
A map will help you find all three important fish zones: sanctuaries, travel routes and feeding areas. The search process can be best done by first identifying likely feeding areas.
Many types of fish – crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass, white bass, stripers, walleye, northern pike, muskie and large trout to cite a few – feed on minnows or forage fish. Schools of minnows thrive in warm water. If you are fishing for minnow feeders, start at the shoreline where the water is warm. While you are going over the shoreline on your map, find areas that will hold minnows…places that have vegetation or brush piles or where artificial fish attractors have been placed.
This is where your map becomes an invaluable tool. Gamefish often prefer relatively deep water near their feeding grounds. Look at each possible shoreline forage area you found and check the surroundings for access to deeper water. If you don’t find any, chances are it won’t be a productive spot. The opposite is also true. If you locate a steep drop-off near a shoreline brush pile, fish will be there dining on minnows.
This is pretty basic fish finding information. There are many others factors, like wind direction, temperature, etc., that all influence fish behavior. But the one thing they have in common is they all have to eat. Your map is a printed route to their favorite restaurant.
Aside from locating hazards while boating, your map gives you the ability to visualize what’s under the boat. Successful anglers will actually “see” the rise and fall of the bottom by looking at and understanding what the contours are telling them.
Visualization is the ability to form a mental picture of something that is beyond your sight. Since you can’t see what’s in the water, you have to create in your mind’s eye, what drop-offs, weed edges, rock reefs, inside turns and creek channels look like. You have to translate that two-dimensional, flat fishing map into a 3-D image.
Imagine yourself standing in a creek within a deep valley. Look around you at the trees, rocks and other features. Now, imagine yourself underwater, looking at the same thing. That’s what the information is telling you about the channel. You can now see how deep you are, where the drop-offs are located, where the timber is flooded and holding fish. Being able to interpret contours and visualize them is key.
Contours showing a hump will have concentric circles moving to smaller numbers toward the top, as the circles get smaller. On the flipside, a hole will start with smaller numbers on the outside of the large rings, working to higher numbers (deeper) as the circles get smaller.
These are the beginnings of map reading. First, understanding the habits of the fish, where they live and what they eat. Then, being able to visualize the lay of the land beneath the water through the contour lines on the map. Add the symbols from the legend and you’ll know where the fallen trees are, or weedbeds, rocks or man-made structure. Taking the time to study a map before hitting the water will eliminate unproductive spots well in advance. It saves you time and can be the one thing that can put more fish in the boat.
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