Bridge piers

[CHAMP]

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[Garry B]

1. In a reservoir, the home of the fish is the river channel. The channel runs between the two bridge supports.
2. Weather and water conditions have allowed the fish to migrate from the channel to where they are pictured.
3. There is a flat from the right support to the rip-rap. There is a slope from the left support to the rip-rap on the left side.
4. With down scope and forward scope, one can probably catch some of the 3 fish on the right side.

[Garry B]

1. In a reservoir, the home of the fish is the river channel. The channel runs between the two bridge supports.
2. Weather and water conditions have allowed the fish to migrate from the channel to where they are pictured.
3. There is a flat from the right support to the rip-rap and without any breaks the 3 fish are not going to migrate any farther. There is a slope from the left support to the rip-rap on the left side, so if conditions are right, the four fish could migrate all the way to the rip-rap.

[John Bales]

If the fish were a little more active, the rip rap would have produced. It appears that the movement has been restricted to the edge of the channel. The left side where the fish are sitting appears to have a nice sharp breakline into the channel. The right side of the channel does not offer that sharper break but the opposite side of the piling does. A good trolling pass would catch both groups of fish where they are positioned. Or in these days, a quick look with the livescope would show the fish in either spot and if casting would offer the right depth and speed, both groups of fish can still be caught. In 1982, a few passes on both sides of the pilings would get the answer. As long as it took to position the boat on each side of both pilings and ten seconds to look on each one with the livescope and then its a matter of making a good cast. That sharper breakline where the fish are on both sides would show up on the forward facing sonar also. We have more choices now a days which in a way is a shame but again, not really. John

[Team9nine]

I’ll throw one out that hasn’t been mentioned. Being midsummer, it could be a light condition positioning them, with the fish being located on the shady side of the piers, and the movement not being a good one that only has the fish to the top of the channel breakline and adjacent to that first break or pause location.

[Steve Craig]

I swear that Buck took this example right from the 36 bridge that crosses Raccoon Lake in Indiana.
Because that is where I used to catch them many moons ago. The migration route is to the left side on Raccoon and on the southwest corner of the rip rap.
Last time i was there, there was a pretty good migration and the bass had followed the lower edge of the rip rap for about 30 yards
along the causeway. caught several 2 1/2 - 3 pound bass there. There was also a school of White bass using the left side under the bridge.
It is had to believe that Buck told me about the Causeway and Bridge being productive exactly 50 years ago this month! Where has that time gone?

[peh@007]

Hmmm, to me it looks like a Delta situation. Question, will fish go down the backside of a hump?
I know a bridge I fished years ago had a Delta from collected debris and the larger fish were always on the channel side or the top.

[Team9nine]

I swear that Buck took this example right from the 36 bridge that crosses Raccoon Lake in Indiana.
Because that is where I used to catch them many moons ago. The migration route is to the left side on Raccoon and on the southwest corner of the rip rap.
Last time i was there, there was a pretty good migration and the bass had followed the lower edge of the rip rap for about 30 yards
along the causeway. caught several 2 1/2 - 3 pound bass there. There was also a school of White bass using the left side under the bridge.
It is had to believe that Buck told me about the Causeway and Bridge being productive exactly 50 years ago this month! Where has that time gone?

If he did, it doesn't look the same these days
Totally silted in the channel. This is from the SW corner.

Raccoon Bridge.jpg (198.02 KiB) Viewed 111003 times

[Steve Craig]

What a shame!
2 great structure a 100 yards apart, and both ruined! Oh well, we still have Cataract.