Map making project help!
 

I fell in love with a lake that is 5 minutes away from my house, sadly, there is not even a contour map for it.

The lake is an absolute jungle: thick bur weed and cabomba cover the bottom (which I believe is 99% mud) and reach the top, lily pads grew nearly everywhere (which was unheard of) and as a result, you cannot see on the depthfinder anything other than a mass of green.

I'd figure that I would have to take my electronics with my yak when the weeds recede and die off to really get going on this but I have no idea how to start.

Ideally, I want the end result to be a nice topographic map but right now, a contour map would be a nice thing.

Anyone have suggestions or knowledge in how to do this sort of thing?

Sounds like fun
How about a print out from google earth for starters...
Draw a north arrow on it in the field,
Then sound it from the yack with a compass,,,
Plot the depths, "Maps By Zeal" LOL

Navionics- sonar chart live. The videos are amazing. Sean Ruge on facebook posts videos of updating charts around Chatham.

This lake isn't covered by navionics unfortunately.

And even with the setup, my electronics aren't compatible with the app.

Contact RIRockhound (Bryan O), he is our resident Geologist. He may have some ideas. Of course you can always contact your state Fish and Wildlife agency which could already have some data.

If you have an iPhone, you could use a marked lead line to find depths and then in your maps app, add a marker at your location and note the depth. After you do this to all of your spots you like to fish, you could go to google earth and transfer your data to it as a layer which you can access at any time from your phone or print it and laminate it.
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I think if lily pads grow to the top almost everywhere, I think you have already answered that question, shallow everywhere:).

The DEC doesn't have anything as usual, they are picky around here on what they want to map.

Zeal - is it a private or public body of water? Reason I ask is maybe a local college or university has an Environmental Sciences/Fisheries program where graduate degree candidates can study a body of water. They did this in Rhode Island and I have a book that was created of bodies of water, contour maps, oxygen levels, types of life, etc. Would make a great research project for a student.

It's public and an old lake at that too which is why I'm surprised at the lack of any kind of a map for this one. However, it is vastly overshadowed by 2 famous lakes, 1 of which is literally 3 minutes away and has had a lot of research done.

What electronics do you have? Some Raymarine units allows you to do your own mapping.

Checked local library?

Humminbird.

I'll give the library a shot but what to look for there?

IMO ya making this waaaay to much of a project & difficult ,,,,,,,,,,,,what did the Indians do all those years ,,,,,,,,,what did we all do before electronics >>>>?????? what did tooooooooooooooooooooooo many fishermen do before electronics & facebook & u-tube >>>>>>>>>>>Oh that,s right they didn,t fish :cputin:

Rock and string
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Use to be a surveyor, and did some body of water surveys. It is so time consuming look hard everywhere else before you get into mapping the bottom. If all else fails I could tell you hiw to accomplish the task, off line from here!