Lessons Learned

[RoLo]

When Bill Dance was asked, "Which is more important: Structure or Cover?", Bill said 'Structure', and for good reason.

 

For every holding site I generally end up with 2 or more waypoints. Only ONE waypoint however

will be founded on bottom contour (structure), a fixed location I refer to as a 'static waypoint' for my own edification.

In sharp contrast, plant coverage, weedline configurations and plant specie junctions are in constant transition.

For instance, the weed pocket or plant merger that was a waypoint last year, may be a little different, extremely different

or completely absent this year (Mother Nature doing her job). Changeable waypoints based on weed fingers, weed alleys

and plant mergers, I refer to as 'dynamic waypoints'. Although the structural nucleus will remain essentially fixed,

the dynamic waypoints tend to waltz around the static waypoints.

 

Here's the nice thing about differentiating between the two (between static & dynamic).

If the DNR (fish & game commission) kills the vegetation down to the ground, or if the lake undergoes

a severe and prolonged drawdown, you are still in business. All your static waypoints (structure numbers)

will serve as jump-off points for establishing your new dynamic waypoints (cover numbers).

 

Roger 

[Catt]

Quite eloquent there Roger

That explaination is what I'm talking about when I say "I fish the same STRUCTURE I did 50 years ago."

It is also why I would bet 90% of anglers on this site do not really understand what structure is or how to fish it effectently.

[roadwarrior]

When Bill Dance was asked, "Which is more important: Structure or Cover?", Bill said 'Structure', and for good reason.

 

For every holding site I generally end up with 2 or more waypoints. Only ONE waypoint however

will be founded on bottom contour (structure), a fixed location I refer to as a 'static waypoint' for my own edification.

In sharp contrast, plant coverage, weedline configurations and plant specie junctions are in constant transition.

For instance, the weed pocket or plant merger that was a waypoint last year, may be a little different, extremely different

or completely absent this year (Mother Nature doing her job). Changeable waypoints based on weed fingers, weed alleys

and plant mergers, I refer to as 'dynamic waypoints'. Although the structural nucleus will remain essentially fixed,

the dynamic waypoints tend to waltz around the static waypoints.

 

Here's the nice thing about differentiating between the two (between static & dynamic).

If the DNR (fish & game commission) kills the vegetation down to the ground, or if the lake undergoes

a severe and prolonged drawdown, you are still in business. All your static waypoints (structure numbers)

will serve as jump-off points for establishing your new dynamic waypoints (cover numbers).

 

Roger 

 

WOW!

 

 

[deep]

Thank you for sharing that Roger. One of my pet peeves is confusing cover with structure. The other is saying action, when you really mean power.

 

Structure is the bottom of the reservoir itself. More precisely, it's a discernible part of the bottom. Anything that's settled on it, or grows on it, etc etc, is cover.

 

Now, there's a reason that aquatic grass stops growing at a certain depth, or creates points and pockets, or one type of vegetation gives way to another type; and these often correspond with what I refer to as soft structure (soil type breaks for example).

[deep]

Quite eloquent there Roger

That explaination is what I'm talking about when I say "I fish the same STRUCTURE I did 50 years ago."

It is also why I would bet 90% of anglers on this site do not really understand what structure is or how to fish it effectently.

 

I know you have a toledo bend thread. But do a thread on fishing structure Catt, please, if you have the time. We can all learn from you if you begin from the beginning. Your posts are sometimes a little too hard to follow, since most of us do not have the time on water that folks like you have had.

[Team9nine]

   

[Catt]

I know you have a toledo bend thread. But do a thread on fishing structure Catt, please, if you have the time. We can all learn from you if you begin from the beginning. Your posts are sometimes a little too hard to follow, since most of us do not have the time on water that folks like you have had.

I have several around here, 2-3 under "the best of section".

Yea I could write you a story book

[corn-on-the-rob]

1. Keep focus at all times during a tournament. (more than half my club tournaments it's a struggle to catch one fish the entire day so you better be ready for that one bite you might get) I had some bad hook sets because I was not paying 100% attention and lost potential tournament winning fish...

 

2. Trust your instincts.

 

3. as uncomfortable and unfun it may seem, get out of your comfort zone to become better. Force yourself to utilize techniques and lures you don't have confidence in.

[deep]

I have several around here, 2-3 under "the best of section".

Yea I could write you a story book

 

Thanks, found them. Time to study.

[A-Jay]

The 2014 fishing season was very different than recent years past for 2 reasons.  First, the ice went out almost three weeks late, and second, the water temps warmed very quickly in the spring and then cooled just as fast in the fall. - Looking back at it, I'd say every thing happened like most seasons, it just happen faster or earlier. 

 

My spring bite came late & ended quickly. Seemed like the spawn for both lmb & smb happened simultaneously.  My summer bite started and ended a little sooner than I expected.    During mid summer historically speaking, most of my smallmouth come from deep water on a drop shot. The largemouth can be targeted with jigs on shallow and mid depth cover.  This summer both big smallies and largemouth stayed shallow and  I caught more good fish on shallow crank baits this year than most recent years. Can't really account for it but I did enjoy it.  Square bills and lipless baits worked all year, jigs not so much.

 

The fall bite here started the first week of August and was done by the second week of September. Traditionally that's two or three weeks early and the same time frame short.  

I had a hard time putting anything together.  What is usually a great tine to find fat bass chewing jigs - never really materialized.

 

 I had what seemed like a late fall / winter type bite in early October that was mostly a blade bait deal.  That turned out to be something that did last a while.  I was able to hop from lake to lake depending on the weather / wind and get onto a few very respectable bags of smallies.

 

So what I learned may really be more of a reinforcement than an actual lesson.  And that is  each & every year is different in some ways and yet quite similar at the same time.  

 

A-Jay

 

 

[Paul Roberts]

So what I learned may really be more of a reinforcement than an actual lesson.  And that is  each & every year is different in some ways and yet quite similar at the same time.  

 

A-Jay

"Reinforcement" is the holy grail in fishing! Each year and day can certainly throw us curves however.

[MassBass]

A log of noteworthy catches is key. "Either do something worth writing or write something worth reading".