| Actually, many lakes we fish are not lakes. | | | | the thin space between two layers of rocks. |
| They're impoundments. Originally, river | | | | Nevertheless, even such innocuous "drip |
| drainage systems that have been dammed by | | | | rocks" seem to have enhanced food chains on |
| humanity. | | | | and about the drips - more terrestrials, |
| | | | insects, moss, algae - and right on up the |
| A golden concept that applies to impoundments | | | | food chain that ultimately attracts bass. |
| year-round but especially each spring is | | | | |
| this: Fish impoundments as if they still are | | | | SHINING SAND OR WET SPOTS. I'd hardly call |
| the original rivers. | | | | these any sort of serious water inflow, but |
| | | | still bass have an uncanny affinity for such |
| This means targeting the locations that were | | | | areas, especially in the spring. Usually, |
| active flowing parts of the original river | | | | they're a dimple or depression in the back of |
| system before being dammed by man. | | | | a bowl or a teacup-type sand flat. They may |
| | | | be the last spot of shoreline to dry after a |
| Even though their banks may have been | | | | rain, or the last spot to stay wet as lake |
| overflowed and flooded over decades ago, the | | | | water levels decline. A good way to notice |
| age-old creek channels and feeders can still | | | | them is simply sun reflection shining off wet |
| be important to the bass. The creeks and | | | | sand rimming the shoreline - or a darker, |
| gulches and washes and trickles were the | | | | damp tongue of dirt impressed on an otherwise |
| oases of life before being flooded by the dam | | | | drying shore. Upon closer inspection, the |
| - and may still be the meccas of motherlodes | | | | spot may reveal an old channel cut either |
| of fish. | | | | coming out of or bending in close to the |
| | | | shoreline. |
| Although buried under water now, the riverine | | | | |
| environment is still intact under the | | | | I may have lost many readers here with the |
| impoundment, and the bass still use the | | | | drip rocks, shining sand and wet spots - but |
| impoundment as if it still is a river system. | | | | hopefully at least a few of you are nodding |
| | | | wisely about these heretofore undocumented |
| A river system (and hence an impoundment) is | | | | bass hotspots in every impoundment. |
| a mesh of countless connecting feeder veins | | | | |
| and water flows of the following exemplary | | | | Some of these spots, the smaller ones, are |
| types which you should learn to recognize and | | | | only recognizable from a certain angle, and |
| target. | | | | you really do get better at spotting them |
| | | | with experience. Often times, on a steep |
| Some of the larger constructs can be | | | | shoreline, such spots can be more easily seen |
| recognized from far away, and may extend down | | | | far up the land mass, and then traced down to |
| into the impoundment from far back on the | | | | where their journey descends into the |
| adjacent land. Some of the smaller constructs | | | | impoundment |
| often have an additional traipse of garnishy | | | | |
| greenery on the way down to the shoreline, | | | | MORE ON MAPS |
| which is a surefire cue to a few water veins | | | | |
| that fish like gold veins. | | | | Maps can be extremely important and often are |
| | | | the only way to get a full picture of the |
| However, many original river features may be | | | | rivers and creeks still flowing under and |
| far offshore underwater now, and spottable | | | | into an impoundment. |
| only on a map (more on maps later). | | | | |
| | | | Impoundments can range from several hundred |
| Here are some of the key river constructs | | | | acres to several hundred miles long. On some |
| underneath an impoundment: MAJOR CONFLUENCES. | | | | of the smaller impoundments, map availability |
| Where two rivers or streams that rarely dry | | | | may be limited. |
| meet (or would have met if they were not | | | | |
| flooded under water by man). Confluences can | | | | On the larger impoundments, new and different |
| be great summer and fall staging spots for | | | | maps can be ferreted out readily - and each |
| bass. | | | | new map has a habit of showing different |
| | | | creeks, different inflows than the other |
| PERENNIALS. These are more or less steady | | | | maps. Not just fishing, boating and topo |
| creeks that never completely dry up or only | | | | maps, but shoreline camping/hiking maps/books |
| stop flowing during the very driest spells. | | | | often note or describe water flows not |
| These usually have silty flood plain deltas | | | | documented elsewhere. I've come across snow |
| in the back, and may be marshland or flooded | | | | melt maps, rainy season drainage maps, water |
| brush basins in the back. | | | | rights usage maps, environmental impact |
| | | | statement maps, even forestation/vegetation |
| NON-PERENNIALS. These are where an | | | | density maps can give clues to creeks and |
| intermittent creek or wash, which may have | | | | water seeps. |
| been dry for most of the season, is now | | | | |
| underwater. The confluences where | | | | Bottom line, most every map I come across on |
| non-perennial or lesser side creek would have | | | | a large impoundment may reveal yet another |
| met a stream or bigger creek - some of these | | | | feeder creek clue or riverine perspective not |
| MINOR CONFLUENCES can be great winter or | | | | previously marked on other maps. |
| summer deepwater holding areas for bass. | | | | |
| | | | Now, never go target any of these areas while |
| SEASONAL INFLOWS. Places that don't flow | | | | they are still gushing or spewing water or |
| year-round but bring water in predominantly | | | | even soggy rain-drenched - and most of the |
| during the snow-melt season and/or only | | | | time, most places, they probably aren't like |
| during the rainy or monsoon season. Snow-melt | | | | that. But I take great caution to avoid any |
| is more "systemic" and runs off from | | | | such areas while they are gushing or active |
| deeply-saturated grounds whereas rainy season | | | | or rain-drenched or whenever inclement |
| inflows can often be but are not necessarily | | | | weather advisories are broadcast for an area, |
| shallower surface ground run-offs. In other | | | | since the land around them (which may be |
| words, snow versus rain water may not | | | | above you) seems to have a higher chance to |
| necessarily journey across the same terrain | | | | be unstable when wet - as in landslides, rock |
| nor enter the impoundment at the same places. | | | | slides, cliff walls falling, and flash flood |
| | | | surges of uncontrollable dangerous water can |
| INCIDENTAL INFLOWS. Places that usually do | | | | enter an impoundment from rainstorms |
| not flow but only convey excess water as a | | | | happening many miles away. |
| result of heavy downpour or flash flood | | | | |
| incidents. These can come from high ground, | | | | Always keep in mind, if your favorite lake |
| and may result in temporary waterfalls or | | | | was once a river, it probably still fishes |
| spills. The area may be highly dangerous to | | | | like a river. Many anglers I've met never |
| approach on rainstorm forecast days or during | | | | realize this about impoundments. Much of the |
| the wet or flood season, but during dry and | | | | rest of an impoundment (which was formerly |
| stable conditions, you may find a sand or | | | | dry ground) may be a poorer fishing prospect |
| sediment delta and washed-in debris deposits | | | | at times, although the original river and all |
| at the base. Sure spots for bass. | | | | its tributaries and veins still teem with |
| | | | life. In a very real sense, even though |
| SEEPS AND SPRINGS. Water squeezed out of | | | | dammed by humanity, the original rivers |
| rocks or coming out of the ground. | | | | remain the oases of life, and the connecting |
| | | | mesh of hidden underwater creek channels are |
| Actually, I don't think such water gets wrung | | | | often the premier places to be for bass. |
| right out of the rocks, but squeezed between | | | | |