How do YOU choose cover to target?

[nappyboy28]

Hey all - new guy here. I grew up fishing creeks in Maryland. Joined the military, didn't fish for 10 years, and got back into bass fishing heavily when I moved to Vegas. Mead fishing like a highland reservoir so I'm keyed into lakes like that. I do pretty well at the one by me (Canyon Lake.) What I struggle with sometimes is fishing the murky lakes here in Texas. I'm fishing from my 20' bass boat. Some days I go out and do really well, while other days I can't catch anything. What do some of you all key in on when fishing lakes with hundreds of grass patches, stumps, bluff walls, submerged trees, etc. I know how and when to key in during the seasons. But what do YOU personally key in on? Certain trees? Certain types of humps or stumps? Thanks for your insight. If you ever want to chat about highland reservoirs I can help you out lol ?

[BigAngus752]

It's not about the cover as much as it's about where the cover is located.  The bass will relate to structure under the water by season and weather.  Figure out where the fish are likely to be on that particular day (on flats, close to deep water, on their way to shallower water or on the way to deeper water, etc.) and then go look for cover that is in those areas.  A stump in a foot of water in the back of a shallow flat that looks identical to a stump in a foot of water that's adjacent to deep water are the equivilent of two different worlds.  My step one when I launch is trying to imagine the lake without any visible cover and looking at all the circumstances to figure out what structure/depth the bass should be.  

[Bluebasser86]

Easy, there's none in our lakes so I don't have any to target ?‍♂️

[Biglittle8]

3 hours ago, BigAngus752 said:

It's not about the cover as much as it's about where the cover is located.  The bass will relate to structure under the water by season and weather.  Figure out where the fish are likely to be on that particular day (on flats, close to deep water, on their way to shallower water or on the way to deeper water, etc.) and then go look for cover that is in those areas.  A stump in a foot of water in the back of a shallow flat that looks identical to a stump in a foot of water that's adjacent to deep water are the equivilent of two different worlds.  My step one when I launch is trying to imagine the lake without any visible cover and looking at all the circumstances to figure out what structure/depth the bass should be.  

Good explanation by Big Angus... I like to find cover with my SI , mark it ,move in and use my DI to see if there are any fish on it. I especially like drop offs that are close to large flats in the summer. If I'm pond fishing, I look for things that catch my eye... Like a point, an area of grass mat that sticks out further then the rest or a place where the water narrows significantly. I find that the wind can also play a part in spot selection. I try to fish banks that the wind is blowing towards. 

[BigAngus752]

5 hours ago, Biglittle8 said:

I find that the wind can also play a part in spot selection. I try to fish banks that the wind is blowing towards. 

Excellent point

[Mobasser]

When your looking at cover, try to find something different from the surrounding cover. It can be anything. Bass like to hide around that one thing that's slightly different.

[Deephaven]

If I have my way, I do it visibly as I always want to frog fish.  If that isn't logical, see the structure comments above.  Once there I'd still prefer visibly, but may have to resort to graph goggles.

[Catt]

Structure is the cake, cover is the icing 

 

Look for structure according to seasonal patterns, sometimes cover isn't necessarily needed.

[E-rude dude]

Every lake is different. If I’m struggling, I look for structure with deep water very close by. That way you can move in and out of the water column faster and hopefully key in on the depth they are at.

[Bankbeater]

Think of fishing cover like casting along the bank.  When I'm fishing lilypads I'm looking for points, pockets, and other types of cover buried in the lilypads.

[RDB]

Lot’s of great advise.  When I fish a new lake, I find it helps to break it down into smaller sections.  A new lake can be overwhelming but if you take a smaller area and look at it like a lake unto itself, it is much less daunting.  Eliminate what you would consider to be dead water, focus on high potential areas, and keep moving until you get some clues.

 

I would add that as a fellow Texas, I can appreciate the frustrations with the tremendous amount of cover in many of our lakes.  When fishing a new lake, I think there can be too much cover.  I am not going to spend hours covering a 50 acre flat of trees unless there is something unique within that flat (ditch/channel, etc.).  I would rather focus on an area with a little less wood and pick it apart more efficiently.  If they are relating to wood, I can always go back to the larger area with a better understanding of what I am looking for.

[DitchPanda]

Well alot of the lakes and ponds I fish don't have a ton of cover so.that makes it easy. Few trees here and there...maybe a short stretch or two of rip rap. The plus side to that is when there isn't much cover when you do come across some it usually has fish on it.

[papajoe222]

The weeds themselves can give you clues as to where there is deeper water nearby and if there is a change in the bottom content.  Points and cuts in the weeds are a good indicator as is a clump of weeds that taper off at some point (subsurface weeds) along with the weed edge.  Isolated clumps of weeds often times indicate an underwater hump, or a change in bottom composition. Speaking of change in bottom composition, when you see a change in the type of weeds, or and area where they begin to mix, it's almost always because of a change in bottom composition. Those transition areas can be some of the best producing when confronted with large expanses of weeds. 

[Bankc]

Anything different is good.  So I'll target any piece of cover that isn't like every other piece of cover around it.  

[nappyboy28]

On 3/21/2021 at 8:54 PM, BigAngus752 said:

It's not about the cover as much as it's about where the cover is located.  The bass will relate to structure under the water by season and weather.  Figure out where the fish are likely to be on that particular day (on flats, close to deep water, on their way to shallower water or on the way to deeper water, etc.) and then go look for cover that is in those areas.  A stump in a foot of water in the back of a shallow flat that looks identical to a stump in a foot of water that's adjacent to deep water are the equivilent of two different worlds.  My step one when I launch is trying to imagine the lake without any visible cover and looking at all the circumstances to figure out what structure/depth the bass should be.  

Awesome information. Thank you to everyone who responded. You definitely helped me out. There's flats that taper to the back of covers with submerged trees in my local lake that I'll try out this weeked (water temps low 60s.) I understand what you mean by the stumps being different worlds. Thanks again!

13 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

The weeds themselves can give you clues as to where there is deeper water nearby and if there is a change in the bottom content.  Points and cuts in the weeds are a good indicator as is a clump of weeds that taper off at some point (subsurface weeds) along with the weed edge.  Isolated clumps of weeds often times indicate an underwater hump, or a change in bottom composition. Speaking of change in bottom composition, when you see a change in the type of weeds, or and area where they begin to mix, it's almost always because of a change in bottom composition. Those transition areas can be some of the best producing when confronted with large expanses of weeds. 

I hadn't thought about the change in weeds signifying a change in bottom composition. Thank you guys for helping me out! I'll try out some of the different weed beds and their cuts this week. I appreciate your insight!

[RDB]

34 minutes ago, nappyboy28 said:

Awesome information. Thank you to everyone who responded. You definitely helped me out. There's flats that taper to the back of covers with submerged trees in my local lake that I'll try out this weeked (water temps low 60s.) I understand what you mean by the stumps being different worlds. Thanks again!

I hadn't thought about the change in weeds signifying a change in bottom composition. Thank you guys for helping me out! I'll try out some of the different weed beds and their cuts this week. I appreciate your insight!

I don’t know Canyon Lake well but if it were me, I would be focusing on the spawning areas this weekend.  There are a lot of fish moving up on beds, especially at the upper ends where the water is warmer.  If you don’t like fishing beds, pull back to the nearest cover, structure, deeper water and look for the females who haven’t moved up yet (they won’t be far).  Finding bass is pretty easy this time of year.

[nappyboy28]

10 hours ago, RDB said:

I don’t know Canyon Lake well but if it were me, I would be focusing on the spawning areas this weekend.  There are a lot of fish moving up on beds, especially at the upper ends where the water is warmer.  If you don’t like fishing beds, pull back to the nearest cover, structure, deeper water and look for the females who haven’t moved up yet (they won’t be far).  Finding bass is pretty easy this time of year.

I definitely will. I found them spawning last year and it wasn't too bad. I know it sounds ridiculous but I have better luck in the summer than I do this time of year. I'll definitely be targeting females who are looking to pull up. They typically hangout around timber up the river where it feeds into the lake.

[Catt]

18 hours ago, nappyboy28 said:

I hadn't thought about the change in weeds signifying a change in bottom composition.

 

Then I doubt you understand bottom composition changes are structure? 

 

They're called breaklines ?

 

Layers

 

The bottom of the lake (structure) is the first layer, the vegetation, wood, brush (cover) is the next layer.

[RDB]

5 hours ago, Catt said:

The bottom of the lake (structure) is the first layer, the vegetation, wood, brush (cover) is the next layer.

This^^^  

As Ott would say, structure is the topography.

[nappyboy28]

9 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Then I doubt you understand bottom composition changes are structure? 

 

They're called breaklines ?

 

Layers

 

The bottom of the lake (structure) is the first layer, the vegetation, wood, brush (cover) is the next layer.

I hadn't thought of them as structure to be honest. We have multiple spots on the lake where it transitions from chunk to pea gravel, or sand to clay, but I hadn't thought it so much as structure. I appreciate that insight as well!

[Catt]

@nappyboy28

 

Breakline: A breakline can have more than one meaning. It can be another word for a drop-off/ledge, or a point of any quick change in depth. It can also be used to describe the edge of a vegetation line.

 

For example, a "weed break" is the area of the weed bed where the weeds meet up with open water; or, where one type of weed meets up with another.

 

The last example happens when bottom composition changes, as different weeds prefer different types of bottom composition. In rocky impoundments, a breakline can also describe a line where rock meets mud, pea gravel, etc.

 

In other words, the most correct definition for a breakline is "Any distinct line that is made by cover or structure which leads to an abrupt change in bottom depth, composition, or cover transition".

 

Ya confused yet? ?

[Mobasser]

1 minute ago, Catt said:

@nappyboy28

 

Breakline: A breakline can have more than one meaning. It can be another word for a drop-off/ledge, or a point of any quick change in depth. It can also be used to describe the edge of a vegetation line.

 

For example, a "weed break" is the area of the weed bed where the weeds meet up with open water; or, where one type of weed meets up with another.

 

The last example happens when bottom composition changes, as different weeds prefer different types of bottom composition. In rocky impoundments, a breakline can also describe a line where rock meets mud, pea gravel, etc.

 

In other words, the most correct definition for a breakline is "Any distinct line that is made by cover or structure which leads to an abrupt change in bottom depth, composition, or cover transition".

 

Ya confused yet? ?

Catt, most of my own fishing is casting to breaklines. Weeds/ open water, or two different weeds close to each other. These spots have usually been good. I'm always trying to find something a little different from the surrounding cover. Most times, a depth change is the ticket. 

[nappyboy28]

5 hours ago, Catt said:

@nappyboy28

 

Breakline: A breakline can have more than one meaning. It can be another word for a drop-off/ledge, or a point of any quick change in depth. It can also be used to describe the edge of a vegetation line.

 

For example, a "weed break" is the area of the weed bed where the weeds meet up with open water; or, where one type of weed meets up with another.

 

The last example happens when bottom composition changes, as different weeds prefer different types of bottom composition. In rocky impoundments, a breakline can also describe a line where rock meets mud, pea gravel, etc.

 

In other words, the most correct definition for a breakline is "Any distinct line that is made by cover or structure which leads to an abrupt change in bottom depth, composition, or cover transition".

 

Ya confused yet? ?

Lol it actually makes a lot of sense. I use google earth to study what I now know to be breaklines, cover, structure, etc. and have a lot of success casting parallel to the weeds. But I haven't used my topo map to match up the grass/changing in depth too much. I live and die by by Navionics webapp and the google earth program.

[RDB]

I use the term edges or transitions v. breaklines because it eliminates many of the disagreements around what constitutes a breakline.  Ultimately in the context of locating fish, we are talking about the same thing.  Edges can also include water temperature (I.e. the thermocline), water color/clarity (I.e. a mud line), water flow (I.e. an eddy), a shade line (I.e. a dock), substrate (I.e. chunk rock to pea gravel), etc.  Basically it a transition that can influence bass behavior.

 

Typically you will see weedlines formed based on depth changes.  When working weedlines, I often set my trolling motor to a contour associated with the weed line.

[Skunkmaster-k]

On 3/22/2021 at 12:08 AM, Biglittle8 said:

I find that the wind can also play a part in spot selection. I try to fish banks that the wind is blowing towards.

Good stuff