South of Grano

[ndfishin15]

I was checking out the south side of Grano crossing when I found this. Any idea what could have made these?

 

[Davey Crockett]

I like mysteries. Clue me in, Are those holes or divots on the left side ? Bluegill nests ? Any idea how big they are whatever they are ? I'm not sure who was behind the project but they used to collect Christmas trees and sink them with cinder blocks in that area. Perch nesting habitat was the reason I believe.

 

[Duckslayer100]

Those are what happens when you spill a 24-pack of Bud Heavies over the side of the boat.

 

[ndfishin15]

They look like bluegill nests but there are no bluegill in Darling and I doubt bluegill would nest that deep anyway. Judging buy the scale on the bottom they must be much bigger too.

 

[gone_fishing]

I believe smallmouth will make nests like that.

 

[Fly Carpin]

Can't imagine it'd be the nest of any species in almost 12 feet of water. Smallies generally spawn in less than 5 feet, and they'd be spaced out quite a bit more. Pretty territorial on the beds. My guess?

 

[scott_reb]

in order to cast a shadow like that they might be about 1' deep

 

[ndfishin15]

Definitely odd and these holes were in a decently large area not just this small section on the screenshot.

 

[Davey Crockett]

How big of an area and was this in current or in backwaters ? Is there shallow muddy shoreline close by ? They sure seem like fish nests of some sort but they are out of place. Mudhen dens ? I did convinced a buddy once that they dig in and hibernate.

 

[ndfishin15]

These are in a decently large area maybe a 50 yard area or so on the flat just off the west side of the channel on the south side of Grano Crossing. Basically where most people usually ice fish during the winter probably 100 yards or so from shore. In normal years there is a decent amount of current in this area but this year they haven't let any water out. Some holes had a large rock in them but I didn't get a screenshot of that.

 

[Fishmission]

Those are not craters

 

[RustyTackleBox]

I went up there today and saw these all over the place... No fish but tons of these pot holes and the thing that occurred to me was, they could be holes dug by diving ducks that are eating something in the sand/mud

 

[dean nelson]

Those are very interesting. Your looking at 120 feet wide in 12 feet deep. Each hole looks to be around three feet wide by over a foot deep. Bluegills and smallmouths nest are similar but these seem too deep both in the depth of the nest itself and how deep the water is. They can and do make nests a foot deep but most times it's more like 6 inches or less and in under 6 feet of water unless the water is super clear. Then take into account this looks like mud and is ten degrees to cold to have them to wound up just yet to spawn. The SM will tend to spawn when the water gets to the upper 50's coinciding with a full moon. One easy way to find out is drop a jig down there if there SM nests you will be hooked up in seconds.

Other then nest I have not seen this before outside of areas with current on the river and they are dug into hard clay often where the base of a dead tree came to rest for awhile. If it does have current then would guess it's some form of erosion...but they are extremely uniform in size and that generally points to some animal.

 

[RustyTackleBox]

We thought erosion also because of the flood in 2011 but you can see striations just outside of the channel by the grano bridge but I'm really leaning towards sone sort of diving duck making them... I didn't see any in less than 10fow and as much as 15fow... One stretched almost 100 yards but most were 50 feet long or so.... Saw 5-6 different spots with them today... I pulled cranks over most of them and got no hits

 

[Riggen&Jiggen]

3 things I think they maybe from. 1. basketball size rocks that stuck up a few inches of the bottom and during the flood of 2011 the extreme current washed the mud out around the rock. 2. Turtles made the depressions to hibernate in during the winter. 3. Depressions made by bullheads (not sure if bullheads lay in the mud during winter). Darling has tons of turtles and bullheads. I am thinking option 1 though.

- - - Updated - - -

Thought of 1 more option. Maybe there is a methane pocket under the surface in that area and it seeps up to the surface creating the pockets. Fishing the bridge I have noticed bubbles coming to the surface quite regularly but always chalked it up as from turtles.

 

[dean nelson]

The bubble idea ran through my head as well. As steep as the side on some are times steep to have been there long unless it's packed clay. The turtle idea seems interesting but the would have to be snapping turtles to make such big holes.

 

[Captain Ahab]

I'm putting my money squarely on smallmouth beds.

 

[Davey Crockett]

I'm putting my money squarely on smallmouth beds.

I'm with ya, I don't know what else it could possibly be.

 

[Flatrock]

You should send that to Bruce "Doc" Samson of Lowrance. That guy is an electronics freak and he'd probably like to see it. Maybe you could post it on his facebook page or something.

 

[ndfishin15]

I emailed it to the refuge to see if they may know but I haven't heard anything back yet. Maybe I should send it to the G&F instead.