General 'rules' in fishing are just that, general. Yes, if we have an idea how active the fish should be it gives us a starting point and is better than blindly throwing baits. That being said, fish location is the most important factor when it comes to catching. Think about that general statement, which I agree with. Now apply location to the activity level and say you're targeting laydowns that extend from shore out to 12-18ft. The laydown isn't the location. you could be sitting in 14ft. of water and pitching to the thickest limbs and trunk only to have the majority of active fish under, or behind you. The same thinking applies to structure fishing. Targeting a ridge is a generality. The points, pockets, rock piles, etc. are what you look for.
I guess what I'm attempting to show you is that you need to extend your thought process past a generality, sometimes taking multiple things into account. Otherwise when the wind is from the east, you'll be golfing and we all know that golfing is a waste of good fishing time.