Humps

[Cpt_DJ]

Bill, I have been following your info (and the info of others) on this board all summer and I must say, it has been an education to say the least. I have not had the time to get out on the water, but I have been working on the mapping aspect of things and having some trouble determining humps. In one of your maps, point 16, you show "H" for hump, yet to me this looks more like a long gravel point. To me, a hump is not related to anything such as a gravel point, saddle, etc, it would be kinda out in the middle of the lake with deep water all around it, such as an underwater island, rather than attached to a point? In my reading of posts I understand there are numerous humps from KimCity to Baxter yet I am not finding them on the maps, unless I am not clear on just what they would look like. So, can you further define what a hump might look like? Thanks for the superb job of daily reports and coverage the past few weeks. That info is priceless!

Dale

[Bill Babler]

Cpt.DJ You simply cannot see the underwater humps on a map as well as you can physiallly being on the water. There are at least 10 seperate lifts that are not unrelated to any point in that 16 area.

There are many more in the cemetary, Point 9 Joe Bald, Red Barn and Campbell Point. area. You simply have to get out and map these with your electronics.

Some are no bigger than your living room and some are the 100yrd. thru.

From Mill Creek at Kimberling to Joe Bald, there are at least 20 unrelated humps, from mid-lake to the shore on the Joe Bald Side.

From Kimberling City thru Cow Creek, and pt.5 there are litterly hundreds of spots like this. Most will come within 40ft. of the surface.

Seems the bass guys were keying on long points and midlake underwater ridges, these ridges were usually along the old white river channel, which now may be in the middle of the lake to either bank, The maps will show you the ridges.

[Cpt_DJ]

This is kinda what I had figured. I need to get out there and graph it, and will notice the "irregular" features around pt 16 and other area's. I guess I was correct in that the humps are not necessarily related to long gravel points, they can be just about anyplace in the lake unrelated to things and I certainly never realized there were so many in just that 1 area. WOW! So just running over an area, graphing it thoroughly, one can find these humps and wal-lah! I prefer to fish the area's between Shell Knob and Baxter and I cant wait to get on the water and put this info to use. Thanks for your informative reply!

Dale

[Fishin' Freak]

Bill,

Without giving away your sweet spots can you tell me where you are refering to when you say cemetary and Red Barn? I have looked all over my Hot Spots maps and can not find them. Thanks!!

[Bill Babler]

Freak, those are big time guide spots. Cenetary is near pt. 9 on every map and Red Barn is Red Barn, This can be a hide and seak puzzle for you. You have a pretty good clue. Its in the area we have talked about all summer. Mike the Ike, sat on Red Barn, for 6 streight days. If he can find the hump at Red BArn, so can you.

I am about out of spots and if I devulge anymore I will be hung.

[Fishin' Freak]

Bill,

Not a problem, I understand. I will figure these two spots out--I am on a mission!!

[SKMO]

Capt DJ - Humps will show as circles, and actually the hump on 16 does show up. See the number 20 right next to the H? It is halfway covering the circle which represents a hump, very small. The H is covering the "saddle" which makes this a hump and not just an extension of the 20' line you see running out as a ridge. Most humps are actually more or less in the middle of these ridges. Think of them as underwater islands. Now think of all the actual islands and real shallow shoals and humps that you see sitting way off the points with a hazard bouy on them, but yet it may be deep enough through the "saddle" to run a boat.

The reason you can't see a lot of them is this: The current maps have 20' contours, therefore there needs to be a 20' elevation difference for them to be mapped. For example in the middle of the ridge just south of the H which the map shows as 20', there could theoretically be humps up to 19' "tall" that are not going to get mapped. On most of these ridges (or points, same thing) there will be numerous little humps maybe only a few feet tall that will never show on a 20' interval map. It doesn't take much of a hump size-wise to hold fish, sometimes. There are guys who make their own rockpiles as structure and they are obviously not going to be very tall.

For every hump you can pick out on the map there are many many more that are not going to show up. Find them on your own, mark them with GPS, and you will probably have something more productive than these big humps that anyone with $8 for a hotspots map is fishing.

[Cpt_DJ]

SKMO - Thanks so much for the info....Coincidentally, I got out my structure graphics maps last nite and looked at certain detailed info and found the circles you mentioned above....it is amazing how different this map is compared to Hot Spots....there are also a couple different versions of the structure graphic maps that show slightly different detail...I enjoy studying maps when I cant get out and fish....Thanks again for the info, now to just find the time to get out there and GPS the sweet spots. Dale

[Bill Babler]

Just finding these locations is only part of the battle. Fish will not always be on these lifts, and sometimes be there, but not related directly to the shallowest part of the lift.

Humps are also a timing thing, you can graph fish on these locations at certain times and have them absolutely not bite. They will turn on at certain times and immediatly just quit. The Humps, at 16 are completely famious for this. Usually only a couple of feeding frenzees per day that will last maby if your lucky an hour each.

Its fun to just find these locations, and they are everywhere.