Plunge Point

[bfishn]

I love fishing bobbers. Not those plastic clipons, but balanced and sensitive bait rigs. I drag 'em and drift 'em and let 'em sit still.

Years ago I started noticing something funny on TR. At times, if I was anchored, the rigs set at 10-15' would sit still, but the ones at 25-30 would move downlake at a respectable clip. Only way that could happen is if there was a deep current slipping under still shallows. I played with it a lot, and if you found that spot, loosed your bobbers and let them drift to it... bingo. All kinds of fish. It was different depending on generation conditions at both ends and surface temps, but there was always an advantage over dead water if you could pin the spot.

In summer, on riverine reservoirs like Beaver, the zone where the incoming surface water dives because it's colder and denser than the adjoining surface waters (plunge point) is generally way, way upriver. The newest ADEQ report has a lot to say about that;

http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/water/branch_planning/pdfs/site-specific_water_quality_criteria_02-08-08.pdf

In TR, the Kings and James work that way too, but the White arm is way different if they're moving water. The effects go much farther downlake and cause some surprisingly strong subsurface currents.

Aside from the obvious thermal action, the other variables get thrown in the mix... oxygen, and you know... everything else;

Try as I may, I can't get my head around all the variables. At least not enough to predict the spot much of the time. All I can say is there's something there, if you can find and exploit it.

[96 CHAMP]

very interesting topic, basically you are fishing a big flooded creek and now you cant see the current or breaks due to high water, you find the right current, break, and structure that supports baitfish and you have a recipe for success, and of course that is subject to change from year to year, It takes many years to learn a lake like TR in that manner, wish I new TR like some of the creeks and rivers i fished from years back,

[Pepe]

Thanks for posting that information with the link and diagrams. Very interesting stuff. Maybe one of these days our Lowrance & Hummingbird units will calculate the hydrology physics and show the currents in different colors.

[Champ188]

Very progressive thinking, bfishn. One thing we do know ... contrary to what us 50-somethings were taught growing up, bass do not shy away from current, particularly in the hot months. It brings food to them, cools and oxygenates the water, etc.

Thanks for sharing the diagrams and your personal experiences. This is good stuff.

[rps]

As far up lake as I am, with Beaver periodically dumping very cold water into the lake, I can see the current here at Holiday Island (somewhere around 12 - 14 river miles down stream from the dam). We often have temperature induced fogs in the morning during the summer, and I have found several patterns keyed to whether we have just received a new dose of Beaver.

Small examples: In the late summer when normal surface temp is 85, if we have a late evening electricity peak generation from Beaver, two patterns develop. You can find shocked shad in the river upstream from Beaver town and fish the under side of those schools. In addition, large mouth will move to sloughs and cuts out of the cold current and pick off the lethargic bait fish from the current edges.

When he passed, Chuck was trying to teach me the effects of the cold current on the walleye up here. I am still trying to put that all together, but it definitely changes the holds point and the angle of attack with your baits and lures.

[bfishn]

Good comments guys.

You're right RPS, the direction of approach is big for current fish. When you've got current at HI, you're above the plunge point though, so it's river tactics. Further down where the current runs below the surface is less intuitive. I've seen it as far down as your junkpile by point 3, and from there to big M is simply awesome when you hit it right.

The only way I've been able to identify sub currents is with slip bobbers. Balance a 1/4+ oz bait on a 6" pencil float, and the bobber goes where the bait goes. The physos with a budget have GPS loaded devices that are nothing but a fancy float rig that auto-logs and transmits.

I've observed that the strongest sub currents pretty well follow the river channel, and they even eddy where you'd think they would. Strongest is relative though, as you'll seldom see more than 20 feet per minute. The uplake side of any point, hump, or break that catches the current is usually where it's at.