Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Marshall
Can someone explain exactly what the "channels" in a reservoir are? I have a vague understanding but it's always been a bit of a mystery to me...
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TK gave a good answer and I will add some to it. The pictures are from some hydrologic modeling I did on Old Hickory a few years ago.
Old Hickory is a reservoir on the Cumberland River and the main channel is the old river channel. In the lower end the river channel and lots of the old floodplain areas are underwater. As you move upstream of Gallatin, it begins to transition to more of a flooded river, but the top of the river channel banks are now long islands. By the time you get to the upper river section from about Bartons creek upstream the lake is fully within the old river channel.
You can see these zones in the following picture.
For more of a close up look, in the lower end you can see the main channel from the air and it is obvious where the main channel is when looking at a depth cross section. In the following picture, the main channel is going between the two powerline towers.
The shallow water at the top of the old river channel banks are the "ledges" that you may hear people talking about fishing during the summer. Lots of bass move out to the main channel edges during the summer. When fishing the ledges in the summer, you are looking for irregularities in the top of the old channel. A small cut, some old trees, mussel beds, etc that may hold fish. You just have to fish it to find the good spots.
Moving upstream, in the transition zone, the islands are the top of the old channel (what would be the ledge downstream).
In this area, creek mouths are real good, but there are still ledges as the channel moves from one side to the other. Shallow wood that sits at the edge of the channel is a great thing to look for. Remember to fish the deep edge under the wood and not just the obvious visible wood.
By the time you get up river, Old Hickory fishes like a river. The water is still confined to the old river channel and very little of the old floodplain is underwater. Find eddies, cuts, rock piles, and holes and fish any cover in those areas.
In all areas of the lake. Humps, breaks and holes in the bottom of the main channel hold big fish. Stripers, catfish, white bass and most any type of fish can stack up in these areas. In the deep holes, sometimes the fish are just resting and are hard to get to bite. You may have to wait for them to move to the nearest break for them to start feeding. The more current in the main channel the tighter the fish will be to defined spots. Without any current, the main channel can be tough to fish.
We have had good water flow through Old Hickory all year and it has been really good fishing. In the past few low flow years it was hard to get a consistent bite.
Hope this helps,
Jim
Ohl 7/13/13
Main Channels ... <'TK><
