What kind of fish like sand flats?

[Luke Barnes]

A lake I bank fish from has a cove with a nice amount of rip rap that i like fishing, but I noticed there is a big flat that's sand bottom and almost nothing in it cover amd structure wise. What kind of fish cruise the flats like that? I didnt think bass would unless keyed in on a school of shad that went that way. But it has large and small jaw plus walleye in it and everything else in between. I think hybrid white bass/strikers too. Anyways, anything ever come up on something like that to feed or spawn?

[Bluebasser86]

Carp love sand flats.

 

Bass will get on sand flats, especially if there's some scattered cover like clumps of grass or rocks.

[bulldog1935]

The shallows are the busiest place in the lake (or the bay) in spring.  The water warms up there sooner, crappie, white bass, then black bass spawn.  But also, cyprinids (carp) and other baitfish spawn.  Invertebrates will be rich in the warmer water. 

Some baitfish evade better in open water than they do in cover, and their fry will ball up and seek the shallow open wedge for their version of hiding.  

Many gamefish will slash into this type structure to feed on the small baitfish - even the abundance of invertebrates.  I've seen schooling white bass sipping tricos during a hatch here, and you couldn't buy a strike on anything but a dry fly.  

[Luke Barnes]

Thanks for the info both of you. Without cover I wasn't sure about the bass. I figured blues and flats would roam them for baitfish but didn't think about carp. I may have to take all 12 combos, including fly rod, and see what I can catch when it warms up. 

[TnRiver46]

White bass aka sand bass