Plumbing, feeling out your swim..

[tilly05]

I havnt had a full read up, or in fact practiced this.
So, I'm planning on fishing a new stillwater, first thing to do?? Turn up first thing, watch the water for fishy signs.. Plumbing up a float for depth I can do but reading different articles about how there's a bed a weed, or a gravel bed, silt patch... Etc. Etc.. Without a diving suit how do I know what's in front of me when I get to a new swim?
Chuck a weight around guesstimate the depth, but bottom conditions? If it comes back covered then it's weed

Cmon, someone give me some newbie tips before I go searching online.. What would you do first time at a new lake

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

chat with any other angler you see fishign it

if you chuck in a weigth use braid line as it gives a better "feel" if you are pulling the weight back over weed, mud or gravel

 

[greenie62]

Have a read of this thread: http://www.fishingmagic.com/forums/beginners-improvers/352516-depth-exploration-help.html
It's got some useful info in it and links to other threads and articles.

The traditional way was to use a large-ish plummet with vaseline smeared on the bottom eek: - Ooh arr missus!) Inspect the vaseline after each plumb, noting weed, sand, soil, gravel, leaf bits, etc. Clean off, re-apply vaseline, re-plumb, repeat until ...... lose will to live!
Always explain intended procedure to parent/partner in case they get funny ideas about why you are going through 3 tubs of vaseline a weekend and come back with towels with 'stubborn stains'! mg:
Tight Lines!

 

[sam vimes]

The simple ways are either to "lead around" or use a float and plummet. Much depends on your style of fishing and the kit you have available to you. Using a marker rod/float is in effect just a slightly more elaborate mix of leading around and using a float with plummet.

When using general coarse tactics, I'd rarely do more than plumb up with either pole or rod. However, that will usually mean that I'm fishing a venue that isn't too deep and weedbeds are either non-existant or very obvious.

I'd generally employ real marker work and leading around on deeper gravel pits where I'm intending to fish specialist or out and out carp tactics. I'd be looking to find features (gullies, bars, gravel patches, silt etc) or find unseen weedbeds.

 

[nicepix]

A lot of what you can find out about the water can be derived from the bank around it. For example if the banks are steep it is likely that the water will be deep. If the banks are gently sloping then you can expect the bottom to shelve away equally gently. Generally the dam end will be deeper than the neck end.

Sometimes where streams come in you will find deeper channels and possibly shallow sand or gravel bars dependent on what is washed in by the stream. Also, weed can sometimes be found growing where streams enter lakes. Where a lot of trees are present southerly or easterly banks can be silty due to leaves decomposing at the end of their drift.

If the lake has been formed by damming and flooding you can sometimes find the bed of the old channel and deeper water by studying the tree lines along the lake edge. As in this Google Earth image........



The tree line on the north bank indicated to me that is where the stream ran that had been flooded to form the dam. A few minutes plumbing confirmed that the north bank had an extra one metre depth close in. This channel will be warmer in winter and hold fish.

In windy weather it pays to have a walk around as the wash from the waves can stir clay or mud from the bottom of sand bars and the differently coloured water indicates where these lie. You can see the sand bank next to the 'bump' in the south bank. On a windy day the clay is washed off the bar for about 20 metres out.



Again in windy conditions flat areas of water can indicate weeds growing near to the surface.

Finally, Google Earth is a valuable tool for getting an idea of your local waters.

 

[sumtime]

Have a read of this thread: http://www.fishingmagic.com/forums/beginners-improvers/352516-depth-exploration-help.html
It's got some useful info in it and links to other threads and articles.

The traditional way was to use a large-ish plummet with vaseline smeared on the bottom eek: - Ooh arr missus!) Inspect the vaseline after each plumb, noting weed, sand, soil, gravel, leaf bits, etc. Clean off, re-apply vaseline, re-plumb, repeat until ...... lose will to live!
Always explain intended procedure to parent/partner in case they get funny ideas about why you are going through 3 tubs of vaseline a weekend and come back with towels with 'stubborn stains'! mg:
Tight Lines!

Brilliant, Mike.

 

[greenie62]

Brilliant, Mike.

Thanks Dan,
NO - the Vaseline warning isn't from personal experience - but it is based on a friend who worried his wife by buying a large tub of Vaseline - "And just what do you think you need that for?" - she demanded. His subsequent explanation sounded flimsy even as he told her! mg:

 

[tilly05]

Fantastic as always thanks everyone, gives me something to ponder on my 3 days off. Thanks again

 

[nicepix]

If you are fishing a totally new water with no signs of structure of other fish attracting qualities have a walk around and look for the most used swims. They will over time have become popular because of their producing better catches then other areas.

And, if all else fails just set up in the first swim after the car park. Guaranteed to be a flyer