Feature finding without a marker rod setup - short stay session

[sluk]

Hello all, im extremely interested in your views here.

 

So picture this, you get to a venue that you're maybe not too familiar with. You've left your float gear at home, so the option is straight lead or feeder.

 

You find a peg and can see the usual surface features perhaps, say an island to the left, maybe some lilies closer in on the right. There are no fish topping. These surface feature are, I gather some pretty useful points that would be useful to fish to. But... what about the features under the water? Sure, you can use a marker float setup to map the underwater bars and shelves but on for a short stay pleasure session where you wouldn't want to be casting a whopping great lead around the swim, what are the options? How would I get a picture of the underwater geography?

 

If you were to say fish waggler or pole tactics, its pretty simple to get some idea of the depth layout without making too much of a splash and noise. If fishing a feeder or lead though, do most of you take an educated guess as to where to fish? Do you count down your feeder making repeated casts all over your peg looking for changes in depth?

 

Im keen to know how everyone else does this. I'll be honest in that if there are no surface features when im feeder fishing its usually a loose chuck and hope that I can attract fish to my swim, whether that be a distance I know I can hit on the spot everytime or just what I think I can handle in the weather conditions. This to me doesnt seem quite right. I've convinced myself that there must be a more knowledgeable way to do this. So come on you good folks at AN, please enlighten me...

 

Forever in your debt...

[BoldBear]

If I am fishing an unfamiliar lake which I wanted to find the depth in various places before I fished and I only had leger rods with me; I sometimes attatch a cork or something simiiar to my hook and after tigthening up to the lead start releasing line a foot at a time counting each time until the cork apears on the surface. I usually take a small cork or float for this when I am fishing a lake that I hadn't fished before.

 

If I wanted to find out whether the bottom was mud, sand or gravel I would feel through my fingers as I slowly reeled in, occasionally wrapping my lead in plasticine to imbed some bottom matter (Sand or gravel etc.)

You can also map the bottom finding bars and troughs etc this way.

 

If you are sensible with the size of the lead you use you shouldn't spook the fish too much, in-fact Tench and other fish are occasionaly attracted by the bottom disturbance.

Edited April 23, 2009 by BoldBear

[sluk]

If I am fishing an unfamiliar lake which I wanted to find the depth in various places before I fished and I only had leger rods with me; I sometimes attatch a cork or something simiiar to my hook and after tigthening up to the lead start releasing line a foot at a time counting each time until the cork apears on the surface. I usually take a small cork or float for this when I am fishing a lake that I hadn't fished before.

 

If I wanted to find out whether the bottom was mud, sand or gravel I would feel through my fingers as I slowly reeled in, occasionally wrapping my lead in plasticine to imbed some bottom matter (Sand or gravel etc.)

You can also map the bottom finding bars and troughs etc this way.

 

If you are sensible with the size of the lead you use you shouldn't spook the fish too much, in-fact Tench and other fish are occasionaly attracted by the bottom disturbance.

 

Now thats a clever idea! Presumably the ledger would need to be on a running rig in order to pull the line through and to the surface then?

[BoldBear]

Yes use a running leger.

Edited April 23, 2009 by BoldBear

[Elton]

It's also not unusual to feel for gravel with just a lead tied onto the end of your line. You don't need to cast umpteen times. Once or twice could well be enough.

[Dick Dastardly]

A quick look on Google Earth can often give some good information.

[sluk]

some good pointers there. Cheers lads.