Maps are an important tool and great asset for bass anglers and a good topographic map can be the very best map resource.
Being an outdoorsman, most bass fishermen likely know at least a little about topographic maps especially about using them for navigating across their local fishing and hunting haunts …
Beyond indicating the nature of the topography (elevation changes across the map area), topographic maps also show the presence of water (lakes, streams, etc.), vegetation (trees, brush), and manmade features like structures and roadways.
If you fish reservoirs and are fortunate enough to locate older topographic maps that were created before the reservoir was constructed, you are definitely in for a treat …
Why? … Simply because all of the original natural and manmade features are usually shown on the map. What a great way to identify bass-holding structures and cover that many anglers may not even realize are there!
In the following video, Doc Bass describe the features to look for and where to access “FREE” digital versions of many topographic maps …
I hope you found the video useful and hopefully you can find a few of the older topographic maps to assist you on your next bass angling adventure …