I read again the excellent article by Frank Hammill in the S/P issue a few months back. Loads of info I never considered on the original makeup of reservoirs before they were flooded. High water, low water effects on the original river channel. Msre obvious things I never considered but shoud have.
One thing that was not mentioned and I ask the question here for the more experienced S/Ps......
Is there more of a current in the old river channel beneath the top waters of a reservoir. All the water moves toward the dam but is there a difference in the main body and the old river channel in current velocity? If so this would be a breakline that might have a seasonal significance. I intend to fish closer to the dam this year in hopes of bigger walleye and current might play a role. My experience has been that walleye prefer moving water if available No difference in water color I have noticed to date. Any thoughts would be appreciated.................pat
(I'm trying to catch up after a long absence.)
I would not say it is entirely illogical that variations of current might exist between the top/bottom layers in some portions of a river/reservoir. But I do doubt that it would remain consistent, and I certainly would not let it take precedence over the more tangible features where I can be assured of securing proper depth control. In rivers/reservoirs where current is a major factor, breaks create eddys, and fish will certainly hold in such areas that offer them some degree of refuge from the strong current.
Have you ever seen a reservoir where the reverse is true? Water levels are quite high, and the upper layers have a stronger current due to the overflow at the dam.
Pat, A good rule of thumb is to always work the features you can interpret, first. And if along that path, you happen to catch fish suspended, suggesting a current or temp. break, then you might want to investigate a little further; but only with respect to executing proper depth control from various angles/approaches, so as to put more fish in the boat.
I can only imagine what kind of techical information Buck could have included into the Spoonplugger's lexicon, with his command of "knowledge" in subjects like biology, science, physics, etc. And to this day, as I learn more and more about Spoonplugging, I'm all the more impressed (and thankful) at Buck's ability to incapsulate the essentials of his multi-faceted system of fishing so laymen would/could be able to comprehend it.
