How to read maps for Skis

[PDXFisher]

I'm trying to find an activity to do in the offseason that doesn't involve me spending even more money. So I brought out my old copy of Mapsource for Garmin GPSes and decided to try to map routes for Muskie spots on waters I've never visited. However, I'm not totally sure how to do it...well...like a pro.

I know Muskies like shallows near deep water and when they're not into the shallows to fish "dropoffs". The depth of the dropoffs to target I've never really figured out. If they're not biting in 6 FOW or less and weed edges, I'm pretty lost.

So I decided to take on Mille Lacs. I picked a famous spot, Garrison Reef and tried to route the path the boat would take to cover it. But I don't really know what I'm doing, so I pretty much follow a 12-8ft contour line all the way around it. How would someone who actually knows what they're doing route it out? Actually go through the middle of the thing (which I would probably do once I actually see the water and weed edges, I suppose)? I attached a visual aid.

Feel free to respond to my email address if it's something you'd rather not have public : derek (at) skylab.org

[Rebel9921]

Kinda hard to explain but theres a line you missed to add... from the pic of yours... I would hit both sides of the dropoffs... I would turn at the 23 feet mark and keep going til past the 24 mark and turn around and fish 25 to 22 then turn around and resume the line you plotted out...

I also would fish both sides of the line on the right side of the picture...

Generally... you got the idea there...

[PDXFisher]

 Originally Posted By: Rebel9921

Kinda hard to explain but theres a line you missed to add... from the pic of yours... I would hit both sides of the dropoffs... I would turn at the 23 feet mark and keep going til past the 24 mark and turn around and fish 25 to 22 then turn around and resume the line you plotted out...

I also would fish both sides of the line on the right side of the picture...

Generally... you got the idea there...

Thanks Rebel, you're the first response in over 50 views...was beginning to think I stepped over the line and was asking for secret sauce.

Keep in mind I was asking how to plan an area apropos of nothing else other than the contour map itself, not how anyone *actually* fishes Garrison. I know once I get there conditions will usually dictate approach (like actually being able to see weedlines).

If you take the line going to the right, you could cast to either side of the dropoff, the scale is pretty tight. The parallel lines on the left are less than 100ft apart.

I was wondering also if people would plan to only follow the lines or plow right through middle of the flat? I've had some success in the past doing the inside-out thing, but that was more following shoreline drops.

[Rebel9921]

Yeah you could cast to either sides... but I wouldnt do that... I would set up a line and try to cover all the areas on one side... good example... I learned this on French... We were casting along a shoreline... Pretty much my casts landed about 15-20 feet apart... No hits... then when we turned around and did the shoreline again... I casted in between where I casted first time around... 3 hits... If I was to switch sides every cast... imagine how much I would have missed... So the line to the right... I would focus on one side then go around at the end and focus on the other side... You pretty much just want to cover every "inch" of that area... Never know you'll find couple sweet spots...

The picture you posted... Just how I would approach it... distance apart doesnt matter... I would just cast one side and keep going... Other thing... I would be outside of the dropoffs and casting to the inside... as for the flats... wouldnt hurt to go around it casting to the inside... or you could troll through...

[PDXFisher]

 Originally Posted By: Rebel9921

If I was to switch sides every cast...

I wasn't proposing that. Sometimes I have three peeps in the boat and, with a tiller, we often have one casting to the other side.

[Rebel9921]

3 people... meaning you'd cover more area on one side... plus 3 different lures... that would overload a muskie's senses and make her go crazy...

[PDXFisher]

 Originally Posted By: Rebel9921

3 people... meaning you'd cover more area on one side... plus 3 different lures... that would overload a muskie's senses and make her go crazy...

Crazy enough to bite! We actually had more action fishing three last year than two. Of course, that could be a product of being in the Bemidji area vs. metro as well.

But the pink showgirl never got us any action. It was all silver, all the time.

[cjac]

Boy, I hate to sound like a RK hand-puppet but his seminar addressed this very question........hey least he knows I listened!

This is obviously a classic spot, it "has a name" as he said. So, everyone does a bee-line for spots like this. His point was, unless every factor is on your favor; front coming, lunar peaks, baitfish stacked, etc., or no one else his hit the spot (like weather conditions that keep most on the dock or at the crack a$$ of dawn or earlier), then look to secondary spots adjacent to the main spot, the Garrison Reef in this case.

To find them, take the map and pull out another mile or so in radius. Tack the map to a wall and step back, and secondary areas may jump out at you.... Look for inside turns, secondary reefs or points, what he called "holding pens", meaning as fish move from prime stuctures, these are spots thay would stop on. They can be little weed pockets you'll actually see visually as your driving as well as map distinctions. Mile Lacs is a giant soup bowl, so even the smallest piece of structure can hold fish.

While the entire North end is heavily fished, a.k.a. the Congo Line, the stretch from Garrison the Wealthwood seems at times to get a little less pressure. There are fish there too, for sure! I have a couple little weed clumps that are further East towards Barnacles that I like a lot. Not on a map really, more visually identified, that I like a lot.

So, if I count more than a couple boats on the Reef, I look to Plan B, often don't have a Plan B, but we make it up as we go.

P.S. I hear there's a book coming out that'll help with some of these questions!

[PDXFisher]

 Originally Posted By: cjac

P.S. I hear there's a book coming out that'll help with some of these questions!

Already on order...

[cjac]

Back to your initial question.......

If I hit the Reef at pre-5:00AM, passing the night guys coming in after clanking the metal blades on the outer edge with Double 10s all night, I'd go right up top in less than 10 FOW with inline topwaters like a Pacemaker, wobbler-type bait, or mid-sized bucktails. Once it's light, but still early I'd Weagle it...

Overall, I like your path that you outlined, I'd just look for variances and hit 'em. Mille Lacs is funny, love it and hate it at the same time......

[Rebel9921]

Honestly... I swear if Chris started saying "Hiya" and "Cheers" I would've mistaken him for RK...

PDX... I know Pink wouldnt work for some lakes... but that still WONT stop me from bringing a Pink DCG with me anywhere I go... You will NEVER catch me without a Pink DCG anywhere!!! Im seriously thinking about dedicating one whole compartment in my boat just for DCGs, SDCGS, and Showgirls... nothing else!!!

[PDXFisher]

 Originally Posted By: cjac

To find them, take the map and pull out another mile or so in radius. Tack the map to a wall and step back, and secondary areas may jump out at you.... Look for inside turns, secondary reefs or points, what he called "holding pens"

At what depth should you be looking for this type of thing? Obviously something going on structurally down 40 feet means less to the muskie fisherman than something at 15. But near Garrison, the next thing that jumps out at me is about 2/3rd mile Southwest out in front of Pike Point. It only jumps out at me because I start seeing single digit depths. But much closer, around Three Mile there's a nice dropoff all the way around the thing. Problem is it's at 24 feet. Do I pay attention to that as well?

I mean, all these named places like "center bar flat" "south needle" "greg's flat" look interesting, but mostly for Walleye fishermen, right? At what depth do I start to care?

Also, my knowledge of places on ML are totally limited to what's on the Garmin map. I've only fished a few hours on ML once in my life. Launched out of Red Door, only lasted about an hour at that end due to wind. Went to Sha-Bosh-Kung and just putted around Betker Flat and the north side of Rainbow Island for a few hours. Had a hard time convincing the Walleye guy steering the boat to get shallower than 15 feet.

 Originally Posted By: cjac

While the entire North end is heavily fished, a.k.a. the Congo Line, the stretch from Garrison the Wealthwood seems at times to get a little less pressure.

My map has no "Wealthwood" on it that I have found yet. I assume the Congo Line is that gorgeous looking drop starting from the West where hwy 18 hits the shore stretching all the way East and South to Seventeen Creek? That really does catch the eye.

Thanks Chris! Allow me to take you out in my new boat some time in June as a true thank you

-Derek

[PDXFisher]

Correction, I found a "Wealthwood" on 385th Avenue a bit North of Red Door. If I try to throw a lure there, I'll catch a Buick, maybe. Do you figure 8 if you get a Buick follow ?

[cjac]

Wealthwood is an access a couple miles east of Garrison on the north end, pretty close to where 18 flattens out and follows the lake, Red Door is a few miles more to the East. Basically an inoperable access the last year or two with the low lake levels, moreso a reference point.

The "Congo Line" is really more like a 10 mile long train of boats at times. Pick a spot and ride the pinwheel! Few years ago a Wed or Thurs were decent, not so as much now. I like to go inside more often, sometimes with the boat inside and casting out.

Key is to find little points of differentation, more with the boat electronics and your eyes than a map really. Little weed fingers and pockets can be the ticket.

June you may want to be a bit more dialed in on the South end, but what do I know!

[PDXFisher]

South end is the rocks, right? Where do the rocks start and end? Can do the smallie thing down there when I get bored.

[Rebel9921]

If I can remember... Southeast portion tends to be very rocky... Not sure where it starts and ends but you could look at one of those plastic maps and it'll be obvious...

[RK]

Hiya -

Guys have covered the subject pretty well so far...

I love studying maps. I can spend an afternoon just looking at stacks of lake maps.

To expand on one of the things Cjac mentioned, sticking a map up on the wall is one of the best map reading tricks I've ever learned. I learned it from my friend and fellow editor Jack Burns years ago. It might be less relevant with a cereal bowl like Mille Lacs but then again, maybe not. On lakes with more contours, it's amazing what jumps out at you when you stick a map on the wall and step back 10 feet. Look for major changes in the lake's topography, things like that. What can look like a series of isolated pieces of structure up close can really be seen as giant complexes when viewed with a wider scale. When you look at it that way, what can seem like minor structure can suddenly become prime real estate just based on where it is in relation to what's around it. A great example is an absolutely ugly looking point on a lake I fish fairly often. Up close it's just a rounded, blah looking bump on a breakline, but it sits at the junction of 3 basins, and it's as close to automatic as a spot can be as a result. But if you just looked at the point itself, you'd drive right by it.

On bigger, commonly-known spots like you find on Mille Lacs, start by looking for stuff nearby, on travel routes, or the kinds of secondary parts of the spot - fingers, deeper bars, saddles, or just spots on the break where something is different. The kinds of things guys miss when they just fish the buoys or the main break.

As someone else mentioned, spots like these can be real good opportunities to sit on the break and cast OUT.

Off to Florida. Snook, redfish, and sea trout, here I come

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Nick Kuhn]

That's good info, but it really is only helpful for larger, clearer lakes. Usually I'm pretty good with lakes but there's one body of water that continues to stump me. It holds good numbers of good sized fish, and as an added bonus there will never be a PWC or water skier on this body of water, so it's very appealing to a fisherman.

The problems:

1. Water clarity is less than 2 feet, so you can't visually find anything.

2. Curly leaf pondweed and coontail grow very thickly throughout the entire body of water (consult lake map, you can see only a fraction of a percentage is deeper than 8 feet).

What we know: Summertime oxygen levels (see Lake Water Quality Report) forces fish to either stay in the shallower water or suspend (3-4 mg/liter oxygen is uncomfortable for fish, lower can be fatal).

So looking at this map, where exactly would these inside turns and such be. The weed scenario is far worse than the 1966 map indicates, put those T's everywhere, save the deeper channels over 10 feet. Really you have a main channel that is pretty fishable. There are 3 major bends in the channels path, all of which get fished heavily.

So what things should I be looking for on this water that'll hold fish? I like the lake, as during the summer it's as close as your ever going to get to a lake solely being used for catch and release fishing (you see exclusively bass and muskie boats). Just frustrating considering another nearby option is Bone, which is possibly the easiest lake in the country to see (but not necessarily catch) fish in.

Lake Map:

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/fhp/lakes/lakemap/2624200z.htm

Lake Water Quality Report:

http://prodoasjava.dnr.wi.gov/swims/publ...tationNo=493104

[Rebel9921]

Vahn... What I would do is throw topwaters that would skip over the weeds... or probably try some double-bladed bucktails (They're known for pushing aside weeds with the blades)...

My attack plan would be:

Sheet 1:

21/22... It seems like theres an underwater river bed with two bottoms at 15ft... I would cruise in the middle casting toward the shoreline following this "river"... but what throws me off would be the mud bottom... No harm in trying that area...

27/28... it seems like there is a transition spot... mud turning into sand... I would try that area... Another transition spot in the basin before the river leading to the dam looks good... There seems to be plenty of transition spots in the main basin of the lake... I would hit those...

Sheet 2:

There seems to be a nice dropoff all the way on the west shore... 5 to 10ft dropoff... I would cruise that... and that hump in middle 10 ft up to 5ft leading to 10ft basin probably would hold something...

I definitely would hit this lake with lures that makes whole lot noises given the clarity level... Just make sure your box is full of lures that gives out plenty of THUMP... i.e. Prop Style Topwaters and DB-10's...

I picked up a tip from a well-known Muskie guide... RIP a bulldawg or similar plastics... he calls this Bulldawg Salad... Just RIP her right thru the weeds... many overlook this tactic... dont tip or [jerk-bait]... just RIP her thru... Who cares about hooking weeds... as long it works...

Other method would be to bulge your bucktails on the surface... skimming over the weeds... DB-10's works well... But thats just me...

[Nick Kuhn]

Rebel,

It is the Apple River, the same one people tube down, just plugged up. So effectively it is just flooded dirt for the most part, with quite a few stumps. And yes, flooded dirt grows weeds (especially the exotic curly leaf pond weed) very well. The prop style topwaters work, but only early in the year and late in the year. Midsummer those weeds grow right to the surface, tangle in the prop and completely ruin the action. I do usually throw bucktails and weave them through some of the thinner areas of weeds. But I mean they are thick and everywhere, that's what keeps the recreational boaters off it completely, and scares away quite a few open water fisherman as well.

You are right on with the first spot though, I have a lot of luck there. Those shallow bays down towards the [PoorWordUsage] hold the mid 20's fish and bass it seems. Never seen anything with size in there.

The northern basin isn't as structured, and that trough you pointed out along the shore isn't very productive. I have seen it marked though, but that may have been for navigation as it was a series of milk jugs.

There is a secondary channel that doesn't break the 5 or 10 foot barrier that you can't see on the map. Occasionally there are fish in there, but not very often Or maybe it's just the pike I can never seem to catch. I snagged a pic from another forum, I can tell that's where he caught the fish. The 5-10 foot drop is right along the shore to the right.

Surprisingly though the narrows by McCarron Bridge never has fish, you'd think a few would pass through it, and you can easily cast shore to shore there.