Conference wahoo::fishing-v2

    John
    
    If you mark your spot I guarentee a few things will happen.  Someone
    will fish it, someone will use a lorance to mark it then someone will
    remove your marker.
    
    The only way you can do this is as you said triagulate three landmarks
    or buy one of the new hand held lorance units
    
    oats
    

    
    John,
    
    What ever you, don't mark it permanently.  It's the quickest way
    to turn a nice unknown spot, into just another pounded spot, post
    haste.
    
    The only way to mark it, is to use "triangulation".  It's method
    that works if you can find 4 landmarks easily to mark the location.
    As Brian said, you can use three spots, but it's not as accurate.
    In order to identify a spot, you want to line up you landmarks as
    follows:
                                             
                             o  (landmark 1)
                                          
                             o  (landmark 2)
    
    
    
    (landmark 3)  o         xxx (your spot)              o (landmark 4)
    
    
    
    The key is landmarks #1 and #2.  If you can find two land marks that
    are aligned, but at different distances, you'll find your location
    more easily.   If you can't find landmarks aligned in positions 
    1 and 2, you'll have to settle for 2, 3 and 4.
    
    Also, in regards to Brian's other suggestion regarding hand help
    Loran or GPS systems, these devices are typically *NOT* accurate 
    enough to find such small humps etc.
    
    Good luck,
    
    Gus-man
    
     

    The THREE land marks that I use now  will give me a better point
    then a non-militray GPS receiver.  This spot is about then 10 ft 
    in diameter.  I was told about in in 1991 and it took me this long
    to find it.  (as most lied about it location)
    
	Thanks Gus-man, the idea of landmark 1 & 2 is a great one 
    and that should give me the + - 10 ft that I need to find this
    spot.  This way I don't have to look over my shoulder and add that
    error into the location.  One of my current land-marks is very 
    narrow and will make a nice land mark # 2.

    One last trick I found out...
    How to locate most of the shallow humps in the lake...
    Go to the local boat house and find out who has sheared off 
    the most props pins in one day, in this case her name was Kim.  
    She has the lake record of SEVEN in one day..  
    Kim was more then willing to tell me where all the spots are 
    that can break a prop.  Most were great spots, but this rock pile was 
    found by a Navy Plane during WWII when the Navy use the lake to practice 
    landings. One plane hit the rocks and flipped over.

    thanks john              
    
    
    ps I was only going to leave the marker in long enougth to move
    away  from the spot to see if I could find a better land mark,
    ie with land-mark 1 & 2 and the hot spot I should be able to
    get less the 5 deg error or within 8 ft.
    

	How about using a hand-held compass along with the landmarks ?
	sort of like dead reckoning ?

	/Ken

    
    .re -1
    
    A compass???
    
    John,
    
    If this rockpile is shallow enough to hit with a prop, I cannot
    see how you could have trouble finding it even if you can get
    only within 50 feet of it.  
    
    Of course I can think of two exceptions:
    
         1) You're fish South Watuppa (Rock-tuppa) where the water 
            is so stained that you can't see 6 inches into the water.
    
         2) You're looking for this small spot in a *huge* lake (unlikely
            in a 7 foot boat). 
    
    Just curious.....
    
    Gus-man
     
    
    

    Normall the water level would be 4 ft,  but at times it could be as low
    as 2 ft. The lake is lowered 2 to 5 ft each fall for spring flood
    control. The winter run off and spring rains then set the summer levels
    run + or - about 1 foot.  A near by sand bar (18 inch) is what Kim
    most likly has been hiting, plus how she trims the boat I think
    see needs a good 3 ft.
    
    
    The Water is stained, visability  varies from 2 to 6 ft, worse on
    weekends.
    
    It is a very small spot about the size of my boat. It has
    heavy boat traffic, a strong current, and a strong wind. If I was off
    by 10 ft I dont think I would see the spot.
    
    
    I will try  the two post in a line trick.
    
    The idea behind this one is to keep the two post in line, when
    I see the 2nd post I am off line.
    
       me -------hotSpot---------------------post1----post2
    
    I will post the results.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

re:                     <<< Note 401.6 by BUOVAX::SURRETTE >>>

>    A compass???

Why not ?   It would be a helluva lot more accurate than using just
your vision against landmarks.  If you had n degrees for landmark 1,
and m degrees for landmark 2 for a given position, you should be able 
to get back to the same position, or at least close.

Dead reckoning was a technique I learned in a coast guard class,
where you use a hand-held compass (preferably) to determine where you are.

/Ken

    My next door neighbor told me about a way to find most sunken islands,
    wait untill winter,then the ice above the sumerged island will bulge up,
    now you can walk out to it and find accuracte shore line markers so
    that you can return to it in the spring.  This one should do that as it
    is the only rock pile and all around it is a muddy bottom, plus it will
    be only about 6 ft below the stiff water.
    
    enjoy john
    

    This year the Dam needed repairs. To do this, they lowered the lake
    about 5 ft instead of the normal 3 ft.  The results were that the
    sunken island was just above the water line for about 3 days.  I was
    able to get several good photos and a video of the area. I was also able
    to get detail of boulder concentrations, breaks from rock to gravel or
    clay to muck areas.  I tried to find a note on making a readable map
    for a lake but could not find one.  Could someone point me to the right
    area else If interest I will start one.
    
    john
    

    I don't know if this is right for here or belongs elsewhere, but I have
    also found that hot spots physically change from year to year. 
    Sometimes the vegetation changes or other changes like increased mud or
    dead debris alters the location.  Over the years I have seen my
    favorite hot spots go stone cold for a couple of seasons before
    returning later when it changes again.  Anyone else have this
    experience?
    
    Brian

re.: .10

Hey John... forget about trying to map that hump.  They drained the lake 
down so low that all the bass are now down river!

    
    The map is for next year, I am trying to make it both a bottom 
    structure map and one that has land reference points so that I 
    can return to these spots as suggested in the previous notes.
    
    The hump now under water, it was only out of the water for about 3 days
    and if you did not know it was there you would not have seen it. It
    look like a pike moving threw the water more then a fix structure.
    
    There is a  drop off next to the hump and this should  be a good
    area for early ice fishing.
    
    The area I like to  fish  has no water.  I was able to walk the area and 
    mark all the  logs locations, rock areas, the deep channel location, 
    and any surface changes.  I have also found two unmarked under water 
    inlets.  Next year I can add the seasonal weed growth.  I now have 
    a better understanding  of some areas that are  better for SMB
    or for LMB.   
    
    I also took overlapping photos so I  have a 360 degree  view of the
    lakes bottom structure.  Now all I need a good method of putting it on a
    flat map.
              
    
    john