I was sitting at home looking at my fishin hotspots map for barren river lake this past weekend. The map shows the lake at summer pool. It is easy enough to check the COE website and get the current lake level and determine the deviation from summer pool and subtract on the map to determine depth.

I want more. There has got to be a way to create a mapping software program that can pull the data from the COE website and extrapolate it into map form to show the real live depths and the actual waters edge. In doing this it would be easy enough to build into the software a feature that allows you to mark waypoints on the map, cover or bottom features, or just plain old spot on the map type, and determine whether or not your waypoint is under water or not and by how much.

Think of this. You sink a five foot tall cane crappie condo in 12 foot of water when the lake is at summer pool. You mark the waypoint on your fishfinder card. When you get home you take the card out, pop it in your computer and bring up your software. You enter the height of your structure (5 foot).

Flash forward 6 months. It is mid february. The lake has warmed to 48 degrees and the fish are relating to brush about 6 foot deep. You go to your computer software which pulls, automatically, from the COE website the lake level. From that you are now able to populate a listing of all your waypoints (fish catching spots) that are under water and not high and dry at the current lake level. You now know not to bother with trying oyur spot because it is high and dry. With this software you are also able to query waypoints at certain depths. In the middle of summer a brushpile or channel ledge is useless in 35 foot of water if the thermocline is 22 foot deep. However, when the lake is dropped 25 foot to winter pool that same spot in 10 foot of water could be a goldmine.

That is my plan. It is posted here on the internet for any one to run with the idea. I don't have the softwaring skills to make it happen but would love for someone to get it done.

Being able to keep a log and a picture of what the structure looks like (digital pic if you can see it and take a picture at winter pool or a side scan image or a diagram) would also be helpful. Before you head to the lake you run your query for a certain depth or area of the lake and you can then print sort of a milk run of waypoints that meet your criteria with pictures or side scan images of the structure or cover.

let me know what you think.