county, publications from local water
districts, geological research papers
regarding springs, written histories of
communities around reservoirs and
maps made before a lake was impound-
ed. Available online, these resources
could lead you to a new fishing hole.
3. Search Google Earth
Google Earth is a valuable tool for
scouting tournament waters, and it can
reveal springs, too.
Start by scanning for unusual varia-
tions in water clarity – a clear patch
where there otherwise should be dirty
water, or some sediment buildup in a
clear creek (springs sometimes force silt
to the surface). Even if it’s not a spring,
you might have found a drain that’s
worth remembering next time the area
gets a heavy rain.
Check the original creek beds in the
backs of large pockets for streams of
clear water flowing in. Pay close atten-
tion to grass beds, too. An obvious hole
in the grass could be a deep or shallow
spot, but it could also be created by a
spring.
Be sure to scan through historical
images as you search. Some years have
more or less grass growth that better
reveal springs, or water levels might vary
based on precipitation around the time
an image was taken. On drawdown
reservoirs, in particular, wintertime
imagery can reveal cracks, divots, drains
or (sometimes very obvious) holes along
exposed flats and shorelines.
An hour spent scanning Google
Earth could provide enough leads to
fill an afternoon scouting mission on
the lake.
4. Pay attention on the water
By far, finding springs while on the
water is the most effective way, but it’s
by no means efficient. Many springs are
found by anglers who simply stumble
upon them.
Usually, the first clue is a water tem-
perature change. That’s how McCaghren
found his favorite springs at Grand Lake
in Oklahoma.
“The ones at Grand I found just going
up a creek and paying attention to the
water temperature,” he says. “When I’ve
really keyed on them is when it’s really
cold. The water will be warmer there.
“If it’s really cold and you come
across some warmer water, there has to
Is the area indicated a pond or a spring? We can’t say without checking in person, but the satellite images taken
at different water levels suggest it’s worth checking out.
be a reason. And, naturally, the fish will
be concentrated there. It’s the same dif-
ference in the summer. You can almost
overlook it if you just idle through a
place and see it’s piled full of bait.”
Tennessee pro Brad Knight looks for
water temperature changes, too, but also
other clues: a patch of clear water in a
murky creek, cloudy water in a clear bay,
a slick patch on a rippled surface or a
ring of bubbles rising up.
“You can hunt for them and find
them,” says Knight. “It’s just about
APRIL-MAY 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | FLWFISHING.COM
studying and time on the water looking,
because there’s no real type of thing that
makes you think, ‘Oh, this looks like it’d
be a good place for a spring.’ There are
still some trade secrets that I’m not will-
ing to give up, but you’ve got some obvi-
ous visual clues.
“I went by one the other day. I was
showing some guys, and I said, ‘I can
show you a spring you’ve driven by a
million times and have no idea.’ They
said there was no way. So I drove them
up to it and showed them. This was in
45