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I have trying to learn to read some of the maps and usually just use the hotspot maps for most lakes. Unfortunaly for me I might as well be looking at the instructions to build the first time machine and I would probably have better luck. Is there a better map and where can you find them. How much do you all use them or is it just a search and find technique on each lake you fish.
Maps are very useful to find structure and for navigation hazards. I do not know what lake maps you are looking for but usually bait shops will carry good maps of the lakes in their area. What I like are topographic maps with longitude and latitude lines on the map. I live in Illinois and have gone to the Agriculture Soil Conservation Service and ordered Quadrangle maps for rivers and lakes and have drawn in the lake if no maps are available.
What you are looking for are areas that have topo lines very close together this shows sharp drops or lines very far apart show flats with slow taper. Each line will show a drop of either 5 or 10 ft. so you can tell the depth by counting the lines. The map should tell you the depth for each line. What I like to do is after you find some fish look at the map where you are catching fish then try and find other spots on the map that have same features and fish these areas. If you can find a good map of a lake you are familiar with look at all the places that are your favorite holes on the map. you might find a creek coming close to a point or a bend in the creek etc. By all means get a good map and study it.
I learned to read and make topographic maps in my physical geology class at the University of Southern IN and in my Historical Geology Class at Purdue University. But you don't have to go to college to learn to read a topo map.
Imagine a lake bottom and fill the lake basin with water to the maximum. Now drop the water level 5 ft lower and trace the outline of the lake. Viewed from above you have your 5ft contour line now. Drop the lake level another 5 ft and draw the outline of the shoreline one more time. Now you have the 10ft contour level. Repeat until all the water in the lake is less than 5ft deep at the deepest part of the lake. If any islands pop out of the lake then trace the outline of the island as you drop the water level. When you view the finished map from above you will have a top map of your lake with 5 ft interval contour lines.
Most modern topo maps were made by taking two pictures of an area from an airplane and then using stereoscopic methods they draw the contour lines to make a topo map of that area.
You can learn more about topo maps and how to read them by doing a google search on "topographic maps".
Regards,
Moose1am
>I learned to read and make
>topographic maps in my physical
>geology class at the University
>of Southern IN and in
>my Historical Geology Class at
>Purdue University. But you
>don't have to go to
>college to learn to read
>a topo map.
>
>Imagine a lake bottom and fill
>the lake basin with water
>to the maximum. Now
>drop the water level 5
>ft lower and trace the
>outline of the lake. Viewed
>from above you have your
>5ft contour line now. Drop
>the lake level another 5
>ft and draw the outline
>of the shoreline one more
>time. Now you have the
>10ft contour level. Repeat
>until all the water in
>the lake is less than
>5ft deep at the deepest
>part of the lake.
>If any islands pop out
>of the lake then trace
>the outline of the island
>as you drop the water
>level. When you view the
>finished map from above you
>will have a top map
>of your lake with 5
>ft interval contour lines.
>
>Most modern topo maps were made
>by taking two pictures of
>an area from an airplane
>and then using stereoscopic methods
>they draw the contour lines
>to make a topo map
>of that area.
>
>You can learn more about topo
>maps and how to read
>them by doing a google
>search on "topographic maps".
>
>Regards,
>
>Moose1am
I liked the way you explained the contour lines I should have taken those classes.