This 250 acre lake I fish has sunken cedar trees in several places . Most of them not visible . I've been finding them , then tying orange tape on shore-line trees so I know exactly where they are .   If you saw some marking tape on a tree , what would you think ? Would you search the area for a fishing spot , or more likely ignore it because it could be marking anything ?  

I wouldn’t think it was marking fishing spots since most people are using GPS for that these days.  If I saw enough of them I would probably put a lot of effort into trying to figuring out  what they are marking because I enjoy solving puzzles.
 

A spot that I have fished for at least 25 years has three large PVC pipes sticking up out of the water.  They are lined up and equal distance apart.  The center one sticks up about 20 feet out of the water.  The other two stick up about 15 feet.  I still stay awake at night wondering why they are there.  ?

7 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I wouldn’t think it was marking fishing spots since most people are using GPS for that these days.

Thats not happening here unless they use their phones . I'm the only person I know of who uses a depth finder here . Personal craft are not allowed .

Can you rent boats?   

 

I'm with @Tennessee Boy.  I wouldn't think they had anything to do with spots in the lake.

 

But I would probably worry that some puzzle solver will figure it out....if not see you doing it.  Before I fished with GPS fishfinders, I took pictures of shoreline in from brush piles.  And tried marking them on my phone map, though that was never particularly useful.

I probably wouldn't pay attention to the tape and would GPS the lake a others have mentioned.

 

Being in construction, the orange marking tape usually indicates that a surveyor went thru lot/parcel and marked the trees that would be proposed come down for future development, so I would ignore it.

56 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

Can you rent boats? 

14 foot jon boats are supplied by the conservation dept . Elec motors only . 

 

  I keep forgetting how old school I am . Not only am I marking trees , i also employ marker bouys to stay on top of them . 

I've known other people to do this.  I remember being a kid fishing with my grandfather in Texas, and he pointed some red ribbons on trees to me and told me what they were for.  So while I might not make the connection immediately (most people don't do this anymore), there's a possibility I'd figure it out eventually.  

If I saw tape marking trees in that scenario I'd assume if was done by the conservation dept. Maybe thinking trees they plan to remove or maybe a layout of some kind.

One cove has a brush pile out in the middle . On both sides of the cove there is a tree marked with orange . Draw a straight line between them and there is the brush . Being noone on this lake uses electronics,  very few anglers  will know about it unless they connect the dots . 

Here's another thing I'd add...even if somebody figures out what it is how likely are they to know to fish it? Just playing the odds here but I'd venture to say most guys that don't run a fish finder probably aren't super knowledgeable on fishing offshore structure\cover.

9 minutes ago, scaleface said:

One cove has a brush pile out in the middle . On both sides of the cove there is a tree marked with orange . Draw a straight line between them and there is the brush . Being noone on this lake uses electronics,  very few anglers  will know about it unless they connect the dots . 

You've connected the dots for us ?

My next step is googling 250 acre lakes in Mizzou. Lol

Might be time to upgrade to a graph w/ GPS?

Hell if it works, stay with it. One thing I’ve learned about ‘spots’ is everytime I think I found the hidden gem, I learn someone has been fishing that spot since the Louisiana Purchase..

5 minutes ago, 813basstard said:

Hell if it works, stay with it.

Oh it works . My thumb has been sore since May . I knew where these piles were anyway , it just took a while to find them . Now I go right to them . There are a few more that I havent been able to locate , they are getting old and breaking up . If I find them , they will get marked too .

On a 6acre lake I fish  there's a tree with a 8" red circle painted on it from years ago. I never thought much about it until I realized it was painted there to triangulate this spot with a dock and a small boat ramp. This method still works today. If I saw your tape, I might check it out. Most guys probably wouldn't.

Years ago before the electronic age, I used to see tin foil wrapped around sawgrass stems in the canals in the glades.  This was the old time GPS markers.  Usually not right on the honey holes but close bye.  Simpler, cheaper times back then.  But they worked!

If the lake isn't fished heavily, especially by tournament guys, I'd suspect most people will never pay it much attention or figure it out. About 30 years ago, they pulled down my local reservoir over 10 feet to do repair work on the dam. It held weekly bass tournies even back then, despite being a 10hp lake, which I also fished. I walked nearly all the banks and took pictures, drew maps, etc., and started noticing things just like what you are talking about - orange spray paint on bushes along the bank where submerged cover was; the very top rock of a line of riprap pulled just a foot out of place or stood up where a stump was located, etc. Needless to say, I "fixed" most all of it. After the water came up, I went out there with clippers and pruned off all the orange limbs. I pulled up to the riprap banks and moved the "marker rocks" about 15-20 ft in one direction or another, close enough to just throw them off. Gotta' stay one step ahead of your competition    

 

Back in the 50’s the top bass anglers on the local lake we’re always pulling pranks on each other. Red and Boots were their nick names and signs stacked into ground  around the “Boots Honey Hole” showed up one spring. 

Tom

I used marking tape to remind me where I launched my kayak.  I popped out on the lake, looked back and realized with the wall of submerged trees I would never find my truck.  it saved me, but when I came back, it looked like litter to me and I took the time to clip it and put it into my pocket.   

 

I can mentally find a submerged car in a lake by memorizing a few trees over the year.  

3 hours ago, scaleface said:

You know what . I'm afraid if I had a smart phone I would be one of those people who would always be distracted by it . I could easily afford one , I just dont want one .

 

If your flip phone has a web browser, you can get yourself a Google account and create personalized maps with Google Maps (not Google Earth, but Google Maps in a web browser).

 

I see way too many people addicted to their smart phones. It becomes an obsession, and that's scary.  They need those constant dopamine hits. Thankfully, I don't have that issue.

 

But I would rather spend my time fishing than tapping on my phone.

Or buy a cheap tablet and use that...or a used smart phone, don't pay for data or connect it to anything but download the gps maps and use it for marking spots.

 

I give my kids my families old cell phones.  If they lose/break them I am out nothing and it would only be $25 on Swappa to replace them.

2 hours ago, Team9nine said:

If the lake isn't fished heavily, especially by tournament guys, I'd suspect most people will never pay it much attention or figure it out.

The tournament type stay away but there are a few bassaholics like me who enjoy the simplicity of this style of fishing . Most people who visit are either neophytes at bass fishing or perch jerkers .

you can use the super old fashioned way.... a compass? take bearings, then you'll know where your spots are. also, doing it your way, some person could remove your little tags.

Randy Blaukat would be so proud of you...

1 hour ago, Trox said:

Randy Blaukat would be so proud of you...

Maybe but he's probably still casting and running his trolling motor wrong