Educate me on channel swings

[Bradsnation]

Trying to figure out this lake is sometimes very difficult. If been studying topo map and the swings seem like go to places. I never really paid much attention to them in the past. 

[Dan the fisherman]

Wish I had some input.  Maybe someone will chim in.  

[Guest]

This is my favorite type of spot. What area of the lake do you fish & I will show you a screen shot.

Think vertical banks where the creek channel swings away or into the bank. Look at a topo map of the lake & see where the creek or river channel makes a 90 degree trun right against the bank. Beaver has hundreds of them. The more subtle & less obvious there are, the more likely they hold fish. IMO.

[Guest]

Here's an obvious channel swing near the HWY 12 bridge. Ive never fished it, but after looking at the topo, I'm going to try it this year.

This is google earths topo overlay, so it doesn't show the detail of a Navionics card. 

[SR4]

Navionics webbapp is a good topo for your computer if some of you haven't tried it. They also make an app for phones that come in handy some times. 

[Stump bumper]

Where channel swings hit an incoming creek are really good, I am thinking around point twelve but not looking at a map. Can anyone find one? The main point of a channel swing is the channel is a highway for the shad and when the shad lay low you will usually find them lying in the channel and using the low terrain to hide from big fish. Where the channel takes a turn near land or other obstacles makes for a good ambush spot or funnel. When the water is warming in the back of creeks the shad will use the creek channel to escape to the river channel when the fish hit them in the back of the creek, then the big fish will move out of the back of the creek to the next ambush spot.

If you take away the water and imagine machine gun fire those low trenches make since, if you are lower than your enemies line of sight you have a better chance of survival. You can only see so far from above, so you hit them where you can easily close both sides and hide above them.     

[dtrs5kprs]

The "ins" and "outs" of swings, where they touch a point/bank/bluff are often more important than the actual full contact area too.

[showmebass]

Ignore the channel swings. They absolutely don't hold fish.  

Seriously though, what species do you typically target?

[Bradsnation]

Thanks guys for reply. I fish bass mostly.  I lived in east Texas before moving here. They difference in fishing between those lakes is huge. I love the challenge of beaver and the beauty of it.  Was planning on goi g to lost bridge area this saturday(might be a little cold). Been fish in Rambo area the last few weeks. It was tough to get a bite and really didn't see much bait. 

[Guest]

11 hours ago, Bradsnation said:

Thanks guys for reply. I fish bass mostly.  I lived in east Texas before moving here. They difference in fishing between those lakes is huge. I love the challenge of beaver and the beauty of it.  Was planning on goi g to lost bridge area this saturday(might be a little cold). Been fish in Rambo area the last few weeks. It was tough to get a bite and really didn't see much bait. 

I use a 10:1 ratio on beaver. If the fish are 2ft deep at a shallow lake, thats equivalent to 20ft deep at beaver. At beaver, 100ft of water in the river channel is equivalent to 10ft or water in the river channel at most flatland resoiviors. The main difference is weather, these Ozark bass will bite in post front conditions with a north wind blowing. that would kill the bite on a grassy shallow lake down south. 

My 10:1 ratio is really geared towards navigtion. I wont cut across flats at beaver that are less than 40ft deep. There's standing timber lurking out on those flats & I dont want to destroy my boat. I run the river channel even in high water. 

I agree theyre night & day, but there are similarities. You still have to find the fish to catch them & channel swings offer shallow & deep water in the same spot.