Bottom Composition In Shallow Water

[VABasser]

I fish shallow, tidal bodies of water for bass, many of which have a lot of vegetation in them.  One thing I continue to try and improve is my efficiency and ability in finding those "spots within a spot" I hear pros talk about.  Their ability to eliminate areas that are more likely to be unproductive, when to the average angler there may be little to no noticeable difference.  One factor I feel like plays a role, I just haven't always known how much or how, is bottom composition.  This year I have been paying more attention to the bottom composition of the areas I fish, where I'm at it's generally either a sandy or mucky/silty bottom, there are no rocks.  I was just watching a video from mikeybalzz on YouTube and he made a comment about avoiding the areas with mucky bottoms in the natural Florida lakes he fishes.  I thought I'd ask you guys what your experience is in fisheries like this with sandy or silted in bottoms.  If a firmer bottom is generally better, why is that?  From my standpoint it seems like aquatic vegetation will grow in both types of bottom.  Thanks guys for any insights helping me improve my game    

[Catt]

My question is why watch videos on Florida natural waters if your are fishing tidal water?

The bottom composition in tidal water & vegetation will not be the same.

[VABasser]

My question is why watch videos on Florida natural waters if your are fishing tidal water?

The bottom composition in tidal water & vegetation will not be the same.

Because it's fun to and you can still glean useful things from people not fishing the exact body of water you are.  In my opinion a Florida lake is closer to what I fish than a lot of other bodies of water in this country.  Catt you're down there in Louisiana, certainly you've got some experience in tidal waters as well as lakes

[Ozark_Basser]

In the places I fish, mucky bottoms are no good. Crawfish are a main foodsource so so I figured that might be the reason. I have caught bass out of cover like fallen trees or brush in areas with mucky bottoms though.

[Catt]

It depends on how far inland you are!

Tahe the Sabine River for example; the sourthern end nearer to the Gulf of Mexico is very brachish, soft bottomed silted marshes, little to no trees. Vegetation is more emergent grasses with less submergent grasses.

The middle section is your traditional river system with creeks, bayous, back waters; harder bottom compositions with hard woods. Vegetation is both emergent & submergent grasses.

The northern end is more creek like with sandy bottoms, less hard wood, more willow trees, and brush. Vegetation is scarece with most cover being laydowns & overhangs.

[gobig]

I fish the CA Delta and maybe I am doing it wrong but I am looking for current breaks. In the winter I want less current, in the summer more current. Rocks, trees, weeds, islands, bars, tules, sunken objects, bridge pilings, bends and swings in the river all create breaks. The fish position accordingly based on the time of year and the tide. Timing is critical.

[Catt]

Do a Google search for, bottom composition bassresource.

[Danny Hollenbeck]

On June 24, 2015 at 0:07 PM, gobig said:

I fish the CA Delta and maybe I am doing it wrong but I am looking for current breaks. In the winter I want less current, in the summer more current. Rocks, trees, weeds, islands, bars, tules, sunken objects, bridge pilings, bends and swings in the river all create breaks. The fish position accordingly based on the time of year and the tide. Timing is critical.

Hey GoBig,

I fish the CA delta too. When you say "timing is critical" do you run the tide and fish specific spots based on water level and tidal flow direction?  Can you elaborate on this? I always want to learn how to run the tide in the delta; specifically where to fish while combining diff elements (water temp, tide, water level, weather, structure and cover)

There isn't much rocks in the river channel except for the first few feets from riprap. In fact I don't see too many objects on my fish finder in the delta. Do you look for structure in deeper water (say more than 8 feet)?

["hamma"]

   If your shallow tidal waters actually have muddy or sandy bottom composition isnt really going to be a "major" factor. Your attention should be directed more to the cover areas that have standing water nearby even at low tide. IE; say you have a large patch of grasses, that run right out towards the channel edge, OR, old pilings that abutt water at low tide, Or a jetty that runs out to the channel.  

  You should be seeking things that have access to water no matter what the tide is doing. Any tidal waters Ive ever fished, bottom composition might play a role during spawn, but thats about it. In tidal waters its the current, bait, structure WITH cover, channel edges, submerged logs caught in a outside bend of the channel,.. Objects that still have water during low tide, these I consider highways that the fish use to travel in and out of areas that "will hold forage" during the high tide,.,... so,..a huge expanse of weeds may be dry at lowtide, but be just barely visible at high tide and the bait will use this to hide in. But may not be used by bass if it doesnt have contact to hard structure. It may be a good area if the fish have hard structure to use while the tide is dropping,...like a sunken barge, or something like that, or a old jetty,... They prefer a hard structure in tidal water to relate to because the waters depth itself is not viable cover, they like that security of hard structure  within that weedbed. In some capacity the change from mud to sand may hold "certain" weeds. which may hold fish or bait.,, but in the big picture of tidal waters its not really the bottoms composition thats the draw,..its the fact that weeds may be the right spot at the right time coupled with hard structure to follow at any tide

Bottom composition doesnt have as much of a determining factor in tidal waters as one may think, there are many more important parts of the picture in tidal waters. If you follow the idea that composition is a factor in a tidal situation, you may be seeking flounder, but as far as bass? look for hard structure with cover.

 Just my opinion, not stating scientific fact.

[gobig]

I sent you a pm danny.