Just wondering if anyone else is using to help with your map study. It is a free download and if you have not tried it it is worth a look. Really helps to check out a new lake or one you thought you knew well.

Yes, Google Earth is a good site to view various bodies of water.

I viewed the James River from the Chick up to Watkins Landing and found some creeks I did not know existed.

Also found a few ponds that I had no idea were there.

And I found my house!

Check it out.

yeah i've used it for about a year now, except most of the time i use maps.live.com.  it is an awesome tool.  i mostly use it to scope out new fishin' holes.  not to sound paranoid or anything, but i have always wondered - if the average citizen has access to zooming map technology like this, wonder what the government/military has got?  kinda scary, huh?  :-?

isnt maps.live.com black and white? i like google earth better...its more interactive and its in color. sometimes if you can get a good enough picture of a lake (the picture qualities vary from place to place) you can even see depth changes in the body of water.

great tip, thanks

Thanks for the tip.  I had looked at it before, but not in the context of studying bodies of water I fish.  Great tool.

I have found many great unknown bass fishing holes useing Google Earth. When you bike wherever you fish knowning where all the local spots are is very useful. You'd be surprised at how many ponds/lakes are near you.

I have google earth and enjoy it, but this site

http://www.flashearth.com/

works a little faster on my computer and gives you access to the google earth images plus a few others, some with roads and some without.

Google earth is a great place to start research on a new lake. You can see laydowns, over hangs, docks, everything. Another good thing is that the photos were taken in winter, so you can see things on lakes you wouldnt because of the winter draw downs, such as humps, sandbars, points...

Been using Google Earth for a while.  Great tool.  I am lucky in that Sat photo's of my primary lake were taken when the lake was very low.  These pictures explained why what I saw on sounder didn't match contour maps since much of the main part of the lake was dug out to get material to make the dam. Excavation left lots of pits and mounds that don't show on the older contour maps.

Hey all..

Google earth is great. I am also looking into whether or not Navionics makes a software for your home computer that you can print out paper maps of lakes in your area. Anyone knows about this...let me know!! One warning Google Earth..uses up A LOT of space on your computer. So if you download it and you computer seems REALLLLY SLOOOW...that's what it is.

PS Hawgcaller...you are not paranoid. I watched a show on MSNBC on how the "Terrorists" are also using Google Earth. But don't worry...I think we give them the wrong maps!!! ;D

bassnajr

Been using Google Earth for some time now. It's a great tool for me to actually find local dirt roads that don't always show up on a map, and the zoom feature does allow more detailed views of the bodies of water I fish.

Google earth is nice.  If you want to avoid installing software, try Google Maps (different product by Google).  If has the street maps you'd expect and satellite images.  Plus, they just added terrain maps.  Here's the web address:

maps.google.com

However... there's no depth charts.  Anyone know of (free) online maps with depth charts?

I am looking into that now FishGeek...

I'll let you know if I find anything.

Alan

Microsoft livelocal seems abit less cpu intensive the birds eye and street leverl if available are awsome http://maps.live.com/

Hey Alan

Happy Holidays,

sorry Tin2LOOSE    ;D    was logged in my computer. thats last post about livelocal was from me.

And to you and yours Mike!!!

Hope to see you in Jan. at the banquet.

Alan

I like MS livelocal as well. But sometimes you get better visuals on one that you don't get on the other. I really like the birds eye view though on livelocal without having to download software.

I also use Google maps more just because it's a lot faster than Google Earth.  I've found some really solid ponds I never would have known existed, and also even found some underwater rocky humps and rocky points I didn't know were there in some of the bigger lakes.  What a great program  

Have fun at G-ville "ya'll" !!!

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=34.437103&lon=-86.245244&z=11.4&r=0&src=msl

Try Mapquest.  Yup, Mapquest.  Find the place you want and then click on "Aerial". Upper right corner)

It gives a more detailed pic of my lake than Google Earth.  I can see all the tongues and stuff that come off the islands,etc.

Thanks LBH. Would have never thought to research that. Just as always you learn something every day here. Thanks again.

How many of ya'll have bought the satelite photo of your lake from Google?    I have flown over a few lakes that I would love to have an aerial photo of.

Matt

Ya i have found a ton of spot using google earth.

maps.live.com have black & white and color, it just depends on how recent the photos were taken and how many times.  Like on my lake, Percy Priest Lake, the north end has a lot more views so you can get a 360 view, but the south side doesn't have as many for some reason.  So some only give you 1 shot 90 degree angle or so or it is in black and white.  So it changes.