Today one can find many of these hidden treasures simply by running the boat lanes and looking for these patches of timber. In older lakes where there is little timber left standing one can still locate high places by looking for the taller snags. All the trees in the lake end up breaking down at about the same height above the ground and as a result the trees that grew on the humps and ridges will extend further out of the water appearing taller. Willow trees are dead giveaway that a wet area existed prior to the lake being filled. A circle or ring of willow trees out in a lake will almost certainly reveal the location of an old stock tank or flag pond.
Inundated ponds are excellent fish holding structure.
The dams of ponds will hold good concentrations of fish in both summer and winter. In addition, submerged dams, when coupled with the right water depth make excellent spawning areas. Ponds in relatively shallow lakes are many times the deepest water in the entire lake and the knowledge of these places can really pay off when the dog days of summer hit. Just as willow trees mark the location of old ponds, cypress trees always have some type of waterway hidden under their branches. Cypress trees have tall straight trunks with flared bottoms.