How To Fish Stillwaters

December 6th, 2004

Stillwaters, lakes, ponds and reservoirs are the most underutilized fisheries in the North America. Why? Because the average fly fisher doesn't know how to fish them, or where to start. Stay tuned, you too can master stillwaters! ~ LadyFisher


Stillwater Mapping

By Paul C. Marriner

Limnologists use a wide variety of measurements to describe a lake. Few of these are important to anglers. One that clearly is, is a depth profile, or in the lingo, a bathymetric map. Vast numbers of lakes have been mapped and the maps are usually availabe from government sources. Fishing a lake (as opposed to a pond) without a bathymetric map is handicapping yourself. The rapid expansion of computer products includes three-dimensional bathymetric maps. Figure 2a is a standard map and Figure 2b an example of a 3-D map. Both were supplied courtesy of Underwater Technologies Inc.. Information on how to obtain the 2-D and 3-D maps (in colour) of many North American lakes can be found at www.utmaps.com.


Figure 2a: Bathymetric map of Lake Anywhere, a typical glacial lake that would support salmonids.


Figure 2b: A 3-D map of Lake Anywhere.
~ PCM

More next time.

Credits: Excerpt from Stillwater Fly Fishing, Tools & Tactics By Paul C. Marriner, published by Gale's End Press. We appreciate use permission.

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