Picking deep structure

[Neilslure]

When checking underwater structure with electronics what do you look for to determine if it will be holding fish? I can find all kinds of brush piles, rock piles, roadbeds and dropoffs but waste alot of time fishing these areas with no action. What makes you stop and fish rather than moving on to the next one? Appreciate any advice.

[shawn706]

Best advise I've gotten was to buy/borrow and underwater camera. Take it out and dont even worry about trying to fish. Instead spend you time compairing what you see on the graph w/ what you see on the camera. Once you get to were your confident that what your seeing on the graph is a fish you can work different bait and techniques till you find out what they want.

[Bass Hawk 87]

Whenever I am fishing deep structure, I always look for areas where there is a depth change like a creek channel etc. If there is cover in the area even better.

Sometimes the fish are holding on rock, or stumps, but also sometimes they hold on brush. Try different depths as well, until you find the right combination of cover and depth. You can often see fish holding over the cover, waiting in ambush for the baitfish which usually hold inside. The real key is being on a ledge.

[JoshKeller]

baitfish

[200xp]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JoshKeller &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">baitfish</TD></TR></TABLE>

What he said

[Ouachita]

Baitfish + structure/cover = high bass potential.

I cruise around structure at trolling speed hoping to pick up a fish arch. If bass are in a brush pile or under a ledge, that probably wouldn't show up. But if not wrapped up in something, you should be able to pick those out if you have the sonar settings right. Zoom in to a bottom view. A Lowrance 32C has several options that enhance ability to see a fish on bottom. Use all the features your unit has to offer.

Jim

[Bass Hawk 87]

If you can locate baitfish that's great, especially when you find arches just below the school of bait.

What you will often find on large brushpiles in deep water though, is that you will only see the bass on the sides or over the brush, and not necessarily the baitfish. The reason is that the baitfish often hide inside the brush, and the bass will cruise around the outside waiting on them to come out. I am not sure if the baitfish in the brushpiles will show up on color units, as I have no experience with those, but I do know that you won't see them on the gray units

[Ouachita]

A LMC332C will show red splotches mixed with a brushplie shown in yellow, indicating some sort of fish. It doesn't matter whehter that's baitfish or bass. It means you have an active brush pile. But not all brush piles are equal. Some are set on a dismal plain where baitfish nor bass ever come by it. Look for those on the edge of a channel or ditch. Scattered stumps or rockpiles nearby are a bonus. But don't settle for that. The best brush piles are situated between a travel route used by bass and baitfish daily, and a shallow feeding area like a vegetated flat. A brush pile set at a cut-through that leads from channel to flat is a bonus.

There is usually a lot of structure of some type, but what I look for is "different" where bass have access to relative deep and relative shallow a short distance apart. By "relative" I mean a bass might hold on a river channel slope 30 feet down, but has quick access to a flat that was a corn field on the river's edge, the flat being 20 feet down. If that flat has stickups, stumnps or fence posts, all the better. At that depth it is possible to have some hydrilla if the water is clear. Those a deep depths, but are examples of deep to "shallow".

Another factor is depth of a thermocline. There is no point in searching any structure below that. Knowing the depth of it will eliminate a huge acreage on any lake. Find where it intersects desirable structure and or cover.

Think about what season the bass are in. A safe bet is looking close to where the bass spawn, some never leaving the general area. Otherwise look for the migration routes and where bass ought to be in any particular season. For instance, right now bass are coming up from deep water to 20 feet around main points at the entrance to main creek tributaries. They are setting up for the fall feeding frenzy on upstream.

Jim

[Fish Loco]

Your going to have to find a pattern of where the fish are holding on a type of structure first. If your fishing 10 deep and the fish are 15 than its useless to fish a new place if you don't have a clue how deep. Fish may be on a point or hump 6 months out of a year but not always at the same place. They may be on top of a point or hump 8 foot deep in the morning but by noon may be on a channel break or stumps 12 foot deep. Same with road beds they may be on top one day and holding off the side the next.

If you know a place you have confidence and can catch a couple of fish go find other similar places and try to fish them the same way. You can at least save time by not fishing dead water just specific places on a point or hump.

I read a lot of your fishing reports and you sometime seen to struggle to find a pattern and we all do. Most good fishermen try to be really keyed in on where, what depth, and how they catch their first fish and duplicate it the rest of the day.

Also fishing new places when fishing is tough can make you lose confidence in a place that could be productive some other time. I know some places I fish can really produce one year and dry up for two more years.

Electronics is a great tool you can mark bait but that don't mean there's active fish feeding on them timing is everthing sometimes. I have seen places that I have marked bait and fish but the fish ended up being white perch thick as flies on honey.

fishing is not always simple as some people think, they can really stump you sometimes................at least they do me. I guess they don't read the book that says this time of the year fish will be on this pattern.

[cajundaddy]

Underwater islands, mounds, or humps are a deep water angler’s delight; these spots are especially productive when power is being generated at the dam, causing a current in the reservoir. Bait fish will gather on the upper end of these mounds and the bass will bunch up to feed on them. When located near a creek or river these areas can be your big bass hole. A tail spinner or Rat-L-Trap fished across these areas or a 7 to 8” worm can fill your stringer quickly. Position your boat shallow and fish deep with Texas Rigs or Jig to find the bigger bass.

Submerged bridges are excellent holding areas for big
bass, many times these bridges have been blown when the lake was built, creating structure in the form of pilings, concrete rubble (rock piles). This form of deep structure can be a summer and winter glory hole.

Outside bends of a river or creek are common hangouts for deep water bass. Because of the water flow in the river or creek a ridge has been formed on the outside of the bend. Find the point of these ridges; anchor the boat in 12’ to 18”, cast deep with Texas Rigs or Jig to find the bigger bass.

Spots where two creeks intersect or where a feeder creek intersects with the main river are areas experienced deep water anglers seeks. Inside the “Y” created by the intersection is where you want to anchor the boat in 12’ to 18”, cast deep with Texas Rigs or Jig to find the bigger bass. In winter months fish these areas with jigging baits in 20 to 30’ of water.

Submerged roadbeds should never be overlooked, locate these on a topographic map, then pinpoint with your depth finder. These are common migration routes to and from spawning areas in the spring, they also hold feeding bass in the summer. Seek out 12 to 18’ depths where a sharp drop off occurs on each side of the roadbed. Fish plastics or deep running crank baits across these roadways. Ideal spots are where two roads junction or where the road makes a noticeable turn.