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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | What do you do in the off season to investigate water you want to fish in the after ice out? What resources do you use, and how do you apply the information? |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | i have nearly every available map book, and DNR musky lake classification book for WI. This is often not enough, so i talk to locals and try to dig up more info on lakes I've heard rumblings about but cannot find concrete info. I like to mark maps in the off season, then hit the lake with some sort of idea what to do(often helps, but sometimes way off). I'm not a guy who takes 3 hours to tool around the lake before I fish. I zip around quick, look at the water type, check for bait, weeds, thermocline, etc, and start pounding the first obviuos good looking spot. |
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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | I spend a large amount of time in the offseason with lake maps and highlighters. I analyze the contour maps and highlight likely areas, when I hit the water it takes just a few minutes of researching the each likely looking areas before I feel I have enough sense of the water to start fishing it intelligently.
Edited by nwild 2/13/2003 11:33 AM
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Posts: 1906
Location: Oconto Falls, WI | Like everyone else I study lake maps that I have purchased (Sportsman Connection, Hotspots, CD Roms, etc...), and maps I have gotten off the DNR website. I first look for the obvious structures like prominate points, humps, reefs, flats, etc... From here I look for what may be the inconspicuous spots like fingers in the contour line, sharp drops indicated by close contour lines, and so forth. These are the spots I like to hit once I have fished the obvious spots.
When looking for that new lake I look at what other species are found in the lake. Match the hatch! If that lake has ciscos I'm there for sure! I like to check out the stocking records of lakes, if available, to possibly determine if it is being managed as a numbers fishery or a trophy fishery. Size limit is also considered.
I may do some inquiring at some sights like this, or talk to local baitshops and tackle stores. I'm not necessarily asking questions about muskies, but about other species. Many walleye and panfish anglers are more than willing to tell you of the muskies encountered while they are fishing for there species of choice. Exact spots are often given up if you do enough sweet talking!
Well that's enough for all before I give up all my secrets.
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Posts: 1939
Location: Black Creek, WI | I have a similar routine as those already mentioned. A map is a critical tool and should be the first place to start. I'll often compare topo maps with satellite or arial imagery to confirm how accurate the lake map really is. You'd be surprised at how "bad" some of the topo maps are at even depicting the correct shape of the lake! I then consider the lake morphology for how to approach studying the map. Fetch, depth, clarity, bottom composition, etc. are key pieces of info in order to properly "read" the map. Secci disc data will give you an idea if the weedline is at 5 feet or 15 feet. Obviously this will affect what may be potential saddles, breaklines, humps, food shelves, etc. without actually having to be there in July to know.
Obviously, all this stuff just helps formulate a game plan before you hit the targeted lake... but what you look for and how much time you waste once you actually launch your boat will be layed out beforehand. There is no replacement for "time on the water", but obviously doing your homework will speed up the learning curve..... a little. However, I feel what you do ON the water is most important.
What is even more fun is to go back and study the lake map AFTER you've gone and checked it out first hand. Really hones the map reading skills, that's for sure.
jlong |
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Posts: 726
Location: Eau Claire, WI | Like the rest of you, I use the maps, etc. to rough out an idea of the lake. I've got a pile of 'em on my nightstand. My fiancee loves that lemme tell you.
The other thing I do during hardwater is go ice fishing! I can set three flags then walk around ith my LX3 and trace the structure while waiting for a flag to go. It passes the time and I believe it really helps you gain an understanding of a specific piece of structure.
Jono
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Posts: 600
Location: West Bend, WI | this year I plan on geting to some lakes in the spring.Just drive around with my depth finder to look for things that I may have missed in the summer.That way come opener I will be set to go! |
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Posts: 389
Location: Presque Isle Wisconsin | Maps are just a starter for me. Ill drive around the shorline structure first marking weedlines ,inside and outside turns,changes in weed type,bare areas in an otherwiseuniform weedbed that may signal depth change,Drowned wood, manmade structure etc.Then Ill check the visible off shore structure like Islands,shallow bars,neck down areas, saddles betwen shorline and offshore structure etc. Next Ill check for deep bars and the depth they top off at,especially checking for ones that top off at a likely thermocline level. Next Ill use a camera on all of the above checking for details on structure or baitfish presence etc.Ill also note weather the shoreline is upland or lowland and what key areas may be affectd by which wind directions. Sometimes you can really find some "Golden" out of the way spots that big fish key on but are not noticed or hit by other fishermen - Even on popular lakes. Ill also try to watch guys fishing for othr species and how they are doing. I rarly watch the Muskie guys or what they are throwing as it can be misleading unless you know them or see them make contact with a Muskie.I like to look at a hot spot map after I do these things to see if the information corelates to what Ive observed.I like it a lot when it does not. |
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Posts: 157
Location: Wausau/Phillips WI | Looks like we all do alot of the same things to unlock the secrets every lake has. Every other Tuesday my partner and I head to a lake we've never fished. Prior to leaving we've already done all the map studies and researched on the Net to see if anyone has posted any info. We've found that aerial photos have really helped us on some lakes locating weed edges and structure. Some of the bars we've pinpointed on a photo have not been on any maps.
Try and check out any local bait shops, usually they are willing to tell you of any hot baits or colors for that lake. We'll fish the lake Tuesday evening by really running and gunning to cover a lot of area, really its more of a scouting outing trying to pick the lake apart. That night we go to a local restaurant or Bar to eat and afterward have some cocktails and try and get some conversation going with the locals. If you can get them to play pool, bar dice, darts, or cribbage, and if you buy a couple rounds people tend to let out some of their secrets (and can also lie alot we've found).
On Wednesday we fish hard all day till sundown and head back to Wausau. Thursday at work we're already starting to plan for the next lake we'll hit in 2 weeks.
Buddy |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Another trick using both satellite pictures from the air or when on the water the first time: Look for Aspen and other softwood groves on the shorlines by sharp breaks. Usually there will be a weedline there. Pine trees near sharp breaks usually indicates a harder bottom, sand or rock. A treeless area in the back of a bay is usually an indication of marl or mud bottom which will be slop or better et tobacco cabbage, a target for me. |
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Posts: 129
Location: Bemidji, MN- | 1). study multiple maps
2). talk to local tackle shop/locals
3). drive around the lake before the opener checking depthfinder, shoreline,
bottom content, current, etc.- much easier to do a good job than when the
season is open and you could be fishing
4). this year I plan to implement an underwater camera for the first time
Edited by Otter 2/14/2003 9:47 AM
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| here is a real quick way to learn a body of water and its probly the fastest. charter a small air plane it cost about $100 dollars an hour.
Fly over a lake at about 500 ft and take pics with a 35mm cam. you can
see weed lines, sand rocks where it deep and where its shallow.
Best time to do this is in spring or late fall. one more thing it must be
a sunny day. If you do this you will have a better understanding of the
water you plan to fish.
BRY SETTELE NPAA#280 |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | How about some more input? This is a critical subject! Let's hear how the rest of you learn new water.  |
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Posts: 366
| Just curious, what web sites are you all getting your satelite photos from? I haven't checked them out in a couple years and would like to know the current consensus on which ones are best.
Ryan
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Posts: 1023
Location: Lafayette, IN | I use Microsoft TerraServer Imagery. Here's a link to the Cook end of Lake Vermilion. Be sure to take advantage of the "pan" and "zoom" features on the site. They can take you in pretty tight which is cool. Hope this helps!
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.aspx?t=1&s=15&x=84&y=8...
One other note: As you pass the pointer across the image you'll notice it is a "hand" icon. Place the hand on a spot and left click to zoom in on that spot. Neat, huh?
Edited by stephendawg 2/19/2003 12:15 PM
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Terraserver is the one I use. It is also an excellent deer country research tool. |
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| For starters, I will determine whom is the DNR's area fishery supervisor and then contact that person to gain their insights regarding stocking and survey information. |
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Posts: 285
| Hi Gang,
I saw a pretty good idea in Chicago and I am working on my maps with the idea now: take a highlighter and CAREFULLY color in all the water shallower than about 10 ft.
Then fish in those spots that look pretty obvious for deep water, especially near shore. Bays are great, but breaks will get action much more consistently when you don't yet know the lake.
Got some ice-fishing in last weekend, got to play tug-o-war with a 30-ish pike caught on a tip-up. It was somewhat fun. Kinda like a facscimile of real fishing...
Later,
papa joe |
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