# How to safely navigate lake livingston



## SeaIsleDweller

I've been going up to livingston more often this year than ever before to camp, usually wolf creek. I've brought my old lake boat up there a few times now and have a lowrance elite 7 with the plain map that comes with it. This past weekend I just tried to run the old river channels that I could see on the lowrane over to the pine island area and up to the 190 (i think) causeway and noticed a ton of water hazard markers, what I am assuming is trees in 30'+ feet of water etc. What is the best map to buy that has most of the hazard areas marked? ... navionics? I drove around a bit marking what I could find but would love to have a more detailed map. 

thanks for any info ...


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## Tails-Up

I think what most of us do is exactly what you said, drive around and mark hazards as they show up. Some guys on here have shared some gps files of the stumps they have found and some safe routes.

Personally, i dont use those files because it clutters up my screen more than I like. I use my own file and try to stick to running familiar routes once I find a safe one.


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## Ducktracker

Might try a search on here, there have been several people that posted stump locations for Livingston. I carry a hand held with them marked which helps me.


Good fishing to all!


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## OutlawDave

Im just now getting into freshwater fishing and have heard enough horror stories about Livingston over the years that Im hesitant to venture up there.


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## fishinganimal

Safest route to the island from Wolf Creek is to go around the cape and stay offshore about 200 yards and go past the point that heads back in to The Cape Marina about 1/4 mile then head toward the South side of the island. If you take a straight shot from Wolf Creek to the island you will go through a stump field.


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## SetDaHook

When we first moved up here, I went out with at least three different guides to learn the lake in addition to fishing tips. It's been money well spent. Lots of hazards up here. Like a previous response, do a search on this forum for boating hazards as there has been much written about it. Good Luck and stay safe.


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## richg99

Navionics for your phone/pad for $10.00 annually is a good start. You can mark spots on your own with it, they say.


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## fishinganimal

If you seen this lake when they were repairing the dam it is spooky. Stay away from the middle of the lake heading from the island to the 190. Like SDH says a couple guide trips you will learn more in a half day that take months to learn.


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## SeaIsleDweller

Thanks for the tips guys. I've never seen that many stumps in deep water like that before. Very scary lol


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## shadslinger

Livingston is a unique lake in that regard, deep water stumps/trees. I posted the coordinates for the stumps I have marked over the last 10 years. Some are still there and some where temporary hang ups that later moved on down the lake.
I leave them on the GPS however as most of the time there is a reason they hang up at that spot, like a deeper underwater log jam. And when a big rise occurs there could be a hang up there again.

I have a 10" screen and when I run the lake very far I put it on just GPS to make sure I miss the marked stumps.
On anything less than a 10" screen it will crowd it pretty badly however.

Running the river channel seems like a good idea I know, but most of the really BIG trees grew along the banks of the river. They got plenty of water and it stayed too wet to log them a lot of the times.
So on Livingston unless you go very slow and blow the map up to a 20' scale running the river north of Pine Island is very hazardous, especially around the sharp bends.

There are some very big ones closer to the island than that, especially from the center of the lake to the west side. They are usually sticking up above the water. 
The ones further north, not so much.

Most Livingston regulars have safe routes to the places they fish around the lake.
Try to hook up with someone who knows the lake and learn some safe routes to the places you like to fish.

A special caution for the southend, the long point on the east side sometimes called Memorial Point and some maps call it it Tigerville, has a massive stump patch of submerged hawthorns, musclewood trees, and iron wood trees that are about 500 yards south of the point from the point running east for a good half mile or more.
The patch is about 200 wide yards give or take a little.
When the lake is low it will scare the daylights out of you!
Many boats have been sunk or badly damaged in that stump field.


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## Gofish2day

Contact Hopn on this site or search for "Stumps". You will see the posts and can Private email Hopn. He will email you a file to download to your lowrance. You will then have about 10 peoples stump locations and routes people here were kind enough to donate. Very easy to do. Go to UTube for the lowrance directions to upload.


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## Gofish2day

This should be the link to the post. The standard Map in your lowrance is fine for this.

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=543321&highlight=Hopn


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## richg99

What a great site! and good people on it, too.


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## markbrumbaugh

*Stumps, Routes*

I have many of Shadslingers, and Hop'n stumps, as well as a hundred or so I captured myself. SS is correct, deep water is not the safest, but generally close to shore is well manicured.
I have marked the routes I use. The one into Dove Is was marked when the water was very low and I could see the stumps.

All are welcome to use these files, fishing spots are noted as well, and as a bonus, Galveston and Trinity Bay.
You can convert these into usr for use on Lowrance. I don't recall what I used, but you can google it.

PS, I the finally got the site to allow gpx files to be uploaded directly several years ago....now if we could just find some software that would 
1. avoid duplicate and allow merges
2. keep the symbols
3. output, input into all available formats.

PPS, My liability is limited to what you paid me for this advice. Use with care and appropriate seamanship. I am not responsible!!!!!


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## markbrumbaugh

richg99 said:


> Navionics for your phone/pad for $10.00 annually is a good start. You can mark spots on your own with it, they say.


iNav is my favorite iOS app and you can upload and download waypoints with it. It will use, for an added purchase fee...maps from Navionics. The Navionics+Regions is what I just upgraded to for my Lowrance. The south version even include bays and coastal waters. I use it on my HDS gen 2 as well as Fugawi 5.0 on my computer.


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## markbrumbaugh

SeaIsleDweller said:


> I've been going up to livingston more often this year than ever before to camp, usually wolf creek. I've brought my old lake boat up there a few times now and have a lowrance elite 7 with the plain map that comes with it. This past weekend I just tried to run the old river channels that I could see on the lowrane over to the pine island area and up to the 190 (i think) causeway and noticed a ton of water hazard markers, what I am assuming is trees in 30'+ feet of water etc. What is the best map to buy that has most of the hazard areas marked? ... navionics? I drove around a bit marking what I could find but would love to have a more detailed map.
> 
> thanks for any info ...


I have never found a map with the hazards marked.


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## Gofish2day

Great job Mark!


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## Ducktracker

That's what 2cool is about. Great job Mark


Good fishing to all!


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## dk2429

fishinganimal said:


> Safest route to the island from Wolf Creek is to go around the cape and stay offshore about 200 yards and go past the point that heads back in to The Cape Marina about 1/4 mile then head toward the South side of the island. If you take a straight shot from Wolf Creek to the island you will go through a stump field.


.


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## SeaIsleDweller

Wow thank you guys for all the help and info, I really appreciate it. I'll upload those files into my lowrance. I will feel a lot more comfortable next camping trip out on the lake, just trying to be safe and smart about it! Thanks again. 


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## whsalum

I see people leave Dove Island headed to Indian Hills almost daily that are running on borrowed time. That is a solid stump field a couple hundred yards south of Dove Island that is huge.


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## housewolf

whsalum said:


> I see people leave Dove Island headed to Indian Hills almost daily that are running on borrowed time. That is a solid stump field a couple hundred yards south of Dove Island that is huge.


I don't see them daily, but I bet I've seen enough on the weekends to make up for the ones I've missed!

I've followed schools of fish in that area with the trolling motor bouncing from stump to stump. I'm not exactly sure where it starts and where it stops, so I give it a w_i_d_e berth.

Lots of people don't use the (well marked) channel leaving the boat launch there too.


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## Whitebassfisher

This is a LL stump patch after the TRA dropped the lake level 4 feet due to concern about dam integrity after Rita.
See how all those stumps are about 3 & 1/2 feet tall? 
LL is maintained so constant level at 131.0 that most of the timber has rotted above about 130.0 to 130.5 due to constant exposure to air/oxygen. The portion of tree trunks that have stayed below the water level are still fairly solid.


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## SeaIsleDweller

what part of that lake was that picture taken?


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## Whitebassfisher

SeaIsleDweller said:


> what part of that lake was that picture taken?


I was standing on the TRA Tigerville public boat ramp when I took that particular picture.
However, it is representative of many stump patches that were visible around the lake when the lake was down.
Also, I took this attached picture later that same day. In between my 2 pictures someone cut some stumps, so that as a boat leaves that ramp, that the stumps are almost 4' down at normal pool level.


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## SeaIsleDweller

ah okay. I remember being at wolf creek park in maybe 2005 or 2006? and the lake was so low you could almost walk across the cove from the ramp ... wish I could find those pictures.


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## whsalum

Here's a few snapshots that were taken in October 2011 between Kickapoo Marina and Northshore. You can see the channel markers if you look close. We see people everyday running outside these markers and it is pretty well like this or worse all the way to the lake.


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## wwind3

I took some like this when it was down 4 ft. I'll try to find them---scary....


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## Whitebassfisher

I believe the last half of 2011 was as low as after Rita, about 4 feet down. But that was due to drought rather than to repair dam.


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## Danny O

Having gone through this many years ago and marking a bunch of stumps, I would suggest the following approach:

1. Use virtual safe routes. Connect a few waypoints to get you from A to B.

2. Only mark stumps near those safe routes and in your fishing areas. Don't venture out to find more stumps. There are too many. Where there is one tree, there are usually more. I always marked 4-5 feet south (dam side).

3. Keep an eye on the lake level. What is safe at 131' is different than 128'.

Old thread http://http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=350485&highlight=route


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## Bloomy

I sure appreciate all of the good info yall 2coolers have shared here. I am trying to venture out a little more. Years ago I hit a tree top in 26 FOW several years ago, coming from the western section of Memorial Point to Pine Island. The damage was a 3ft crack in the bottom of my hull. It kinda scared me off for a long time and only fished close and did not venture out. Thank yall.


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## DJ77360

whsalum said:


> Here's a few snapshots that were taken in October 2011 between Kickapoo Marina and Northshore. You can see the channel markers if you look close. We see people everyday running outside these markers and it is pretty well like this or worse all the way to the lake.


Hey Billy,that last picture looks like it may be the Bridgeview ramp in Onalaska.
Let me know if I'm right.
Thanks
Dennis


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## whsalum

DJ77360 said:


> Hey Billy,that last picture looks like it may be the Bridgeview ramp in Onalaska.
> Let me know if I'm right.
> Thanks
> Dennis


Dennis, Most of these were taken at the Kickapoo ramp before the boathouses were built. The last one I believe was taken at Northshore where the swimming area is. I met several of your neighbors on the water the other day. Good folks.

Billy


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## Bankin' On It

I have been guilty of getting complacent running back and forth to Memorial Point. This is a good reminder. I'm glad this thread came up to remind me how treacherous it is out that way.


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## I'llbecoastin

whsalum said:


> Dennis, Most of these were taken at the Kickapoo ramp before the boathouses were built. The last one I believe was taken at Northshore where the swimming area is. I met several of your neighbors on the water the other day. Good folks.
> 
> Billy


Stayed at Northshore once and saw all kinds of people running across the area of the last picture at full speed. Even a family on a jet ski ran strait through there. Hopefully this thread will save some people from hitting obstructions in the lake. Would be nice if the mods would give this thread a sticky to keep it at the top.


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## shadslinger

Safe route one;
Going from the island to Indian Hills flats. Put the cliff/clay bank on the north face of the island(eastern end) on your stern and line up with the cove that is just north of the flagpole on Memorial point. Flagpole on your right.
You can go fast, and then when get about 75 yards from the east bank turn and go north all the way to Indian Hills Flats keeping about 75 yards away from the bank.

Safe route two;
Avoid the middle and west side of the lake North of the island unless you know it!

Safe route three;
Stay within 75 yards of the bank when traveling from Memorial Point towards Tigerville park. There are a couple pf places to cut out towards the big bay, but you have to know where.

Safe route four;
Know where the big stump by Browder's is.


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## McSpoon

LOL at Shadslingers safe route number 4..... if all else fails remember the big stump at Browder's 


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## Danny O

shadslinger said:


> ...
> Safe route four;
> Know where the big stump by Browder's is.


Browders stump
N 30 37.967' W 095 03.065'


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## kellis

Whitebassfisher said:


> I was standing on the TRA Tigerville public boat ramp when I took that particular picture.
> However, it is representative of many stump patches that were visible around the lake when the lake was down.
> Also, I took this attached picture later that same day. In between my 2 pictures someone cut some stumps, so that as a boat leaves that ramp, that the stumps are almost 4' down at normal pool level.


This picture makes me sick. Livingston has suffered from loss of cover over the years enough due to nature. No reason for someone to take out all of those stumps especially in a no wake zone.


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## wwind3

Hi---finally found some pics.. taken when the lake was 4 ft low during the last drought. First pic is from channel at Kickapoo marina, Second is from my house across from Kickapoo in Twin Harbors. These stumps were a lot higher but a couple neighbors took a chain saw to them....cut off close to 4 ft of the stumps....


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## markbrumbaugh

*Update for those looking for stumps, navigation*



markbrumbaugh said:


> I have many of Shadslingers, and Hop'n stumps, as well as a hundred or so I captured myself. SS is correct, deep water is not the safest, but generally close to shore is well manicured.
> I have marked the routes I use. The one into Dove Is was marked when the water was very low and I could see the stumps.
> 
> All are welcome to use these files, fishing spots are noted as well, and as a bonus, Galveston and Trinity Bay.
> You can convert these into usr for use on Lowrance. I don't recall what I used, but you can google it.
> 
> PS, I the finally got the site to allow gpx files to be uploaded directly several years ago....now if we could just find some software that would
> 1. avoid duplicate and allow merges
> 2. keep the symbols
> 3. output, input into all available formats.
> 
> PPS, My liability is limited to what you paid me for this advice. Use with care and appropriate seamanship. I am not responsible!!!!!


Follow this thread down to number 14 or so and you will see gpx files

Some of the stumps on this map are gone. Rotes are still good.


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## shadslinger

Maybe this will load, tried it and it didn't work from the page.
I dk might work, it downloaded it to the bottom of the page and I can open it from there.
It will fill up a screen less than 10" but I use it all of the time to navigate and just size my screen for the area I am in.


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## Whitebassfisher

shadslinger said:


> Maybe this will load, tried it and it didn't work from the page.
> I dk might work, it downloaded it to the bottom of the page and I can open it from there.
> It will fill up a screen less than 10" but I use it all of the time to navigate and just size my screen for the area I am in.


Maybe since I have EasyGPS downloaded on my computer, your danger waypoint wayfiles came up fine. :cheers:

I could transfer to my unit if needed.


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## shadslinger

If you load those files on anything less than a 10" screen the skull and crossbones will fill up the screen! It's still useful if you just look at a small area at a time.
When I bought my new to me boat it came with a HDS 10, pretty much just like mine.
I didn't make it a 100 yards away from the dock where I bought it before I put my old unit so I could avoid stumps!
Since then I loaded them on a SD card and updated the new unit.
I have passed out many a SD card with those hazards on it to folks, I am sure it has saved some one some $ and maybe kept somebody safe.
I have not compared, but I would bet Mark's file is more complete, knowing what I know.
:cheers:


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