The lakes I mostly fish are smaller man made lakes  say approx 50 acres maybe more.  I'm not a good judge on surface area.  

My question is has anyone taken the time to sketch thier own map.  Nothing hugely detailed just main features like channels, points, drops, brush, rock piles, etc.  

Also,

In the warmer months has anyone ever dove down to see features of a specific area.  For example a cliff.

Yes I know they make depth finders that read contour. ;D

gman, usgs maps is what I use alot.  I'll find the coordinates, get the normal pool level and color in the supposed shore line.  Between USGS, terra server, ACME mapper, and topo-zone I can usually find the small lake topography before it was inundated.  Granted, this doesn't allow for silting in or man made changes, but they will show old roads, cemeteries, buildings, etc.

I have them for all the little lakes I fish. In PA the state has maps online for ramp and other facility locations at state run lakes. I've actually traced some right off my PC monitor and then mark depths, channels and other structure on them later after a few trips around the lake. Don't forget to mark the North direction. That makes it easier to plan at home what sides to start at depending on when you go.

Lately though Google Earth is my choice to copy from because I can locate all the creeks that run into the lakes. State maps just show the main body of the lake.

GPS...LOL...AND HOTMAPS

Being in Florida.....diving down to investigate good fishing spots sounds a little scary.  We have a few un-friendly water creaters that like cover too.   Would be cool though...

If anything...I'll print out a satelitte image of the lake.  And make markings on it should I need to.

So yes....if a map is not available, go to it on google earth, print it out, and chart away!

I don't exactly make a new map cause the lakes I fish have commercial maps in production, but I do make notes and draw upon them for added info.

Matt

here is a link to my fishing hole.

I will modify this map I guess and make my own fishing map.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&z=14&ll=37.930591,-90.234189&spn=0.03297,0.05785&t=k&om=1

My closest and favorite pond is 20 acres or so, too small for anybody to have seriously mapped, so what I do is use a public map that gives me as big an image of it as I can getGoogle maps, or in my case, the state of Massachusetts has put online recent aerial shots of every square inch of the stateand I print this map or image in as high quality as I can.

Then I steal a couple of sheets of my daughter's school tracing paper (I recommend you buy your own) and trace the outline of the pond as precisely as I can, as well as docks and buildings along the shoreline, inlet and outlet creeks, etc. Next I note the features that I am familiar with just by having been out there so much--blowdowns, weedy spots, etc. Then I make some photocopies of the map with the contrast on high.

Finally, I take one of these photocopies on a clipboard out onto the pond, and using my depthfinder, I sytematically cross the pond, noting water depths as precisely as I can, and add any notes that are significant. As cover changes with the season, I'll switch to a new map, noting the changes and dating the maps.

The end result: my own personalized map collection of my own little pond. Eventually, I hope to have all the info memorized . .  

I just ususally hold my son by the ankles over the side of the boat while trolling through the area ;D

Hey G Man you have given mee food for thought Sine I cant really read a mapI may spend this year using the rough map of the Lake I fish and make my own map that may give me an idea on how to read a map to begin with THIS MAY LEAD TO SOMETHING LIKE RAND_McNALLY_AND MUDDY

Two things G,

First, in the picture I included, is that the channel --u-- you talked about yesterday, cause that is a bad to the bone little channel!!!

Second, MAPTECH sells sounding software that works with your sonar soundings to create a bathymetric (the real name for a topo) map. Kind of $$$$

Oh, I found a few secondary points too!

How did you do that?  I've been working all day on trying to download and print this map.  All I print off is a blank sheet with road names on it. :-/

How did you do that? I've been working all day on trying to download and print this map. All I print off is a blank sheet with road names on it. :-/

I second that!!!!!!  I assume it's some type of filter???

How did you do that? I've been working all day on trying to download and print this map. All I print off is a blank sheet with road names on it. :-/

I second that!!!!!! I assume it's some type of filter???

I agree. Let us know the secret! I need this on my lake too!!!

WOW!  Ditto!!

No thats not the channel.  I didnt even know that one existed.  Makes sense though, that is the water outlet for emergency drain of the other lake.  There is a spill way now were that road is on the bottom right that flows into this lake from the one across the dam.  This creek channel flows from the right and meets the left side of the lake creek channel in the top portion of the pic where that main point disappears.  then the channel all combines and flows down the lake and towards the N. end it turns sharply I do believe or was deverted for the spill way.

From your pic you posted Craig this shows how I need to document more of the lake  I need to spend the time one afternoon and draw all this out according to the depth finder.  

If there was a way I could open this pic I could fill out alot of the depths on a majority of this pic from fishing it so much.

OK...

The picture is a Terra Sever at this address:

TERRA SERVER

Oh, some are color, some are not.  Then I enhance the picture in Photoshop and then colorized in Macromedia Fireworks

How did you do that? I've been working all day on trying to download and print this map. All I print off is a blank sheet with road names on it. :-/

I second that!!!!!! I assume it's some type of filter???

I agree. Let us know the secret! I need this on my lake too!!!

I'll 4th that.

OK...

The picture is a Terra Sever at this address:

TERRA SERVER

Oh, some are color, some are not. Then I enhance the picture in Photoshop and then colorized in Macromedia Fireworks

Thanks Craig.  I was doing some research.  The pictures didnt look exactly like the lake now.  Then I looked where the docks were and a couple of coves.  The pic is dated 1996.  That is when they drained the lake and rebuilt the levee and spill ways.  So knowing this there is about 5+ft of water where there is dirt showing on alot of the map.  Hence the channels that look dry are not, they are flooded now along with some of my bluff that is exposed on that map.  Sweeet.

how do you save the picture so that it isnt only a fraction of what i try to save?

Never mind, i got it. You have to click download then you save it.

[Hence the channels that look dry are not, they are flooded now along with some of my bluff that is exposed on that map. Sweeet.

That is why I said I seen secondary points, and I look at earth maps for today's water levels and color based on that!

I would be working that drain channel, because I bet that is a spawning site too

here is a link to my fishing hole.

I will modify this map I guess and make my own fishing map.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&z=14&ll=37.930591,-90.234189&spn=0.03297,0.05785&t=k&om=1

I suppose I could go along and help you map it. I'll throw a variety of lures and check out the bottom depth while you write everything down.  Yeah, that sounds like that'll work out real good.  

BTW, what lakes are those?

Making your own map helps. ;D

GMAN, what lake is that? I live 60 miles south of St. Louis in Park Hills and i noticed highway 32 on the map.