Why do bass prefer isolated structure?

[Caiden24]

Why do bass like isolated structure more? I have heard they like isolated structure more but I also have heard that they like thick cover in summer time so what is it? And when do they prefer one versus the other?

[WRB]

Like lots of terms used by bass anglers isolated structure needs to be defined.

The entire lake bottom is structure of some type. Man made structures like bridge and dock pilings could be called isolated structure or structure.

My view point is an underwater island or hump is structure and a large boulder or rock pile located on the hump is isolated structure. There are hundreds of different types of isolated structure, could be a stump in lieu of a boulder for example.

Cover is another term to define. So use the isolated rock pile or stump with a weed bed ( cover) growing on top. You can’t see the isolated structure but it’s there and so are the bass, that is the spot you want to target.

Remember that green aquatic plants produce dissolved oxygen during day light and provide shade cooling the water temps comfortable for bass and other fish.

The isolated structure provides the bass a place to hide and is home to prey, win, win, win for predators like bass.

Tom

[Catt]

Larger bass are usually located on prime structure & in prime cover   They setup on structure & in cover that allows them to see all directions at once. Maybe not 360 but it'll be as close as they feel comfortable.

 

They like to see without being seen

[Reel]

Bass frequent isolated structures because there are no other structures around.

[Craig P]

Bass are like grumpy old men. They don’t mind being left alone and out of sight.

[casts_by_fly]

3 hours ago, Reel said:

Bass frequent isolated structures because there are no other structures around.

this. If you have a half mile bank with one blow down tree on it, that’s where they will be.  Bass like cover and if that’s the only cover around they will be there. They will roam away from it but if it’s the only cover around they will come back. Compare to a half mile by half mile grass bed and they can roam that whole area and still be in cover. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

It starts at the bottom of the food chain, isolated cover/structure in an area is a beacon for all the forage the big Bass want to consume in said area.   Instead of expending copious amounts of energy chasing around bait in an area, why not camp out at the local hangout for prey fish.  

 

In saltwater/pelagic sport fishing, there are things called FADs(Fish Aggregating Device) in the middle of the ocean, many times 50-100 miles offshore.   In turn they end up becoming home to the largest predators in that area.   Anglers pay thousands of dollars to charter trips to FADs to catch huge Marlin, Tuna, Dolphin Fish, etc.  These devices work because they start the food chain in the middle of a literal ocean.  

 

A piece of isolated cover/structure many times does the same thing on a smaller scale in a lake.  

 

The Bass come to those places because they provide easy meals in short imho.  

[Caiden24]

5 hours ago, WRB said:

Like lots of terms used by bass anglers isolated structure needs to be defined.

The entire lake bottom is structure of some type. Man made structures like bridge and dock pilings could be called isolated structure or structure.

My view point is an underwater island or hump is structure and a large boulder or rock pile located on the hump is isolated structure. There are hundreds of different types of isolated structure, could be a stump in lieu of a boulder for example.

Cover is another term to define. So use the isolated rock pile or stump with a weed bed ( cover) growing on top. You can’t see the isolated structure but it’s there and so are the bass, that is the spot you want to target.

Remember that green aquatic plants produce dissolved oxygen during day light and provide shade cooling the water temps comfortable for bass and other fish.

The isolated structure provides the bass a place to hide and is home to prey, win, win, win for predators like bass.

Tom

Ok that makes more sense, so for wanting to target that type of isolated structure how do I target it when I can’t see it? And when you say log with weeds growing on top do you mean like the ground with big weeds growing up and a log in the middle of it? I am just a little confused on that. And what would structure that isn’t isolated be and when could that be effective? Thanks for the help!

4 hours ago, Catt said:

Larger bass are usually located on prime structure & in prime cover   They setup on structure & in cover that allows them to see all directions at once. Maybe not 360 but it'll be as close as they feel comfortable.

 

They like to see without being seen

What would be some examples of prime structure and cover? And what makes the structure and cover prime? Also I am noticing that structure and cover are different. What is the difference between them? Thanks!

3 hours ago, Reel said:

Bass frequent isolated structures because there are no other structures around.

I see, I would assume that it’s easier to pin point bass in the isolated structure as well.

30 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

this. If you have a half mile bank with one blow down tree on it, that’s where they will be.  Bass like cover and if that’s the only cover around they will be there. They will roam away from it but if it’s the only cover around they will come back. Compare to a half mile by half mile grass bed and they can roam that whole area and still be in cover. 

Ok, so it seems like it would be easier to find them on those trees versus going up and down a giant grass bed.

[IcatchDinks]

43 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

this. If you have a half mile bank with one blow down tree on it, that’s where they will be.  Bass like cover and if that’s the only cover around they will be there. They will roam away from it but if it’s the only cover around they will come back. Compare to a half mile by half mile grass bed and they can roam that whole area and still be in cover. 

On my favorite river, there's a good stretch that's all weed beds. You can cast just about anywhere in that stretch and get bit. Further down stream there's a long, flat sandy stretch with nothing but a couple of downed trees. Of course the bass will be up under those trees. You can cast all day, but if you're not working the lay downs, you won't catch anything. 

[Catt]

18 minutes ago, Caiden24 said:

What would be some examples of prime structure and cover? And what makes the structure and cover prime? Also I am noticing that structure and cover are different. What is the difference between them? Thanks!

 

See below 

Prime: of the best possible quality 

Structure: contour (shape) of the bottom of a body of water.

Cover: something the bass can hid in, under, or around.

 

[Bird]

I think of my fishing companion when working a stretch of bank and we say " look at this structure coming up, you take the left and I'll take the right " ....... That's isolated structure, something obvious that you know is holding fish and not amongst other structure/cover.

 

Further move, I find wood to be the most sought out cover for LM bass, isolated or not.

[Mobasser]

Bass gravitate to something different. It may be something small, but they like something different than the surrounding areas. They position themselves to get the best view and the best feeding opportunity.                           I don't know for sure, but I always figured the biggest bass get the best of these spots.

[Catt]

40 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

Bass gravitate to something different. It may be something small, but they like something different than the surrounding areas

 

Isolated cover can be amongst other cover...different!

[12poundbass]

I’m a simpleton, so I’ll put it in laymon’s term. Bass are smart but they’re also dumb. Take my cat for example, my wife’s pug hates the cat. She’ll attack him when she’s had enough of his games. The other day, she had enough and went after him. He ran away and hid under her mini trampoline she uses for exercise. The problem was half of his hind quarters were exposed, but he thought he was hiding under cover! He felt safe and secure but, was still vulnerable to her. Bass are the same way. They’ll think they’re being sneaky by ‘hiding’ behind a rock a quarter of their size. It works though because they’re camouflaged and because the prey is just as dumb as bass. 

[Tennessee Boy]

Very interesting thread.  People have been trying to define the rules of bass behavior for a long time.  Structure and cover seem to play an important role in it,  at least for the fish that are relating to structure and cover.

 

Personally, I’ve lost faith in the rules.

[Swamp Girl]

10 hours ago, Bird said:

I think of my fishing companion when working a stretch of bank and we say " look at this structure coming up, you take the left and I'll take the right " ....... That's isolated structure, something obvious that you know is holding fish and not amongst other structure/cover.

 

Further move, I find wood to be the most sought out cover for LM bass, isolated or not.

 

Because of assertions like yours, I work wood whenever I see it and I have caught some nice bass from laydowns, like a six-pounder last year, but I catch far more bass in weeds. Weird, isn't it, how bass behavior varies?

 

22 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Very interesting thread.  People have been trying to define the rules of bass behavior for a long time.  Structure and cover seem to play an important role in it,  at least for the fish that are relating to structure and cover.

 

Personally, I’ve lost faith in the rules.

 

Because I don't also don't consider the rules to be watertight, I lob lures every which way and have caught so many bass where there was nothing to suggest that they'd be there. For about every four casts at structure, my fifth cast is the middle of nothing. 

[Smokinal]

I like going to a big party but sometimes I like to take a quiet walk by myself

[Caiden24]

13 hours ago, Catt said:

 

See below 

Prime: of the best possible quality 

Structure: contour (shape) of the bottom of a body of water.

Cover: something the bass can hid in, under, or around.

 

Oh ok thanks! So would a log be cover then?

3 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 

Because of assertions like yours, I work wood whenever I see it and I have caught some nice bass from laydowns, like a six-pounder last year, but I catch far more bass in weeds. Weird, isn't it, how bass behavior varies?

 

 

Because I don't also don't consider the rules to be watertight, I lob lures every which way and have caught so many bass where there was nothing to suggest that they'd be there. For about every four casts at structure, my fifth cast is the middle of nothing. 

Yeah most the time I just cast at random crap hoping for a fish but I just want to narrow down my casts more

[Catt]

28 minutes ago, Caiden24 said:

So would a log be cover then?

 

Yes, make multiple casts from multiple directories.

 

Isolated cover can be a patch of pencil rods in a field of dollar lilies. A hardwood stump in a field of softwood stumps. 

[WRB]

My 1st reply noted defining cover is more complex then structure because few agree what cover is. For example is a floating dock cover, a dock on pilings cover, those are only 2 man made structures on the water surface that could be cover but the pilings are structure.

My personal definition for cover is anything growing organic in or on top of the water is cover. Man made cover replicates natural organic cover like weighted down brush or fish attractors. A tree that has fallen down into the water is cover in my book.

How do we find isolated structure under weed mats?  Boat with sonar, opening is the mat where plants can’t grow, visually when the water is low exposing the bottom structures, time studying the lake.

What appears as a large weed mat is actually made of several different aquatic plants that have reached the water surface. Most aquatic plants have a preference for water depth, what soil type they root in and some don’t root. Plants don’t root in rocks, sand or clay unless some soil is present. Study the plants in your lake. Different groups of plants are preferred by bass so edges where they come together can be called a edge or isolated cover.

Every lake is different for example a man made impoundment vs a natural lake. Every bass species are different in; Largemouth differ from  Smallmouth and Spotted are different. Each bass species prefers different structure elements and cover types.

It isn’t simple to define bass habitats.

Tom

[Catt]

In my little pea brain structure is "shape" of the earth's surface.

 

Now if y'all wanna discuss breaklines that's a different subject.

[Tennessee Boy]

I know it’s frowned upon but sometimes I’ll fish something even if I’m not sure if it’s structural or cover.  😆

[Catt]

When we're studying a map what are we looking at?

 

Contour lines!

 

A contour line is a line drawn on a topographic map to indicate ground elevation or depression.

 

Structure 😉

 

Structure is the cake, cover is the icing. 

[Tennessee Boy]

Buck Perry talked about structural situations where fish use what might be called cover as structural.   While I’m a big Buck Perry fan,  his explanation of how fish use structure has be proven wrong for the most part.  So the question becomes how do fish use structure and cover? and do they sometimes use structure as cover and cover as structure?

[Caiden24]

On 4/13/2024 at 9:40 AM, WRB said:

My 1st reply noted defining cover is more complex then structure because few agree what cover is. For example is a floating dock cover, a dock on pilings cover, those are only 2 man made structures on the water surface that could be cover but the pilings are structure.

My personal definition for cover is anything growing organic in or on top of the water is cover. Man made cover replicates natural organic cover like weighted down brush or fish attractors. A tree that has fallen down into the water is cover in my book.

How do we find isolated structure under weed mats?  Boat with sonar, opening is the mat where plants can’t grow, visually when the water is low exposing the bottom structures, time studying the lake.

What appears as a large weed mat is actually made of several different aquatic plants that have reached the water surface. Most aquatic plants have a preference for water depth, what soil type they root in and some don’t root. Plants don’t root in rocks, sand or clay unless some soil is present. Study the plants in your lake. Different groups of plants are preferred by bass so edges where they come together can be called a edge or isolated cover.

Every lake is different for example a man made impoundment vs a natural lake. Every bass species are different in; Largemouth differ from  Smallmouth and Spotted are different. Each bass species prefers different structure elements and cover types.

It isn’t simple to define bass habitats.

Tom

Oh ok thanks, so it doesn’t have to be like actually isolated it seems like. A patch of something different inside something else for example could still be isolated? I think I am understanding what isolated means just difference between cover and structure is where it gets messy it seems. Thanks!

On 4/13/2024 at 9:40 AM, WRB said:

My 1st reply noted defining cover is more complex then structure because few agree what cover is. For example is a floating dock cover, a dock on pilings cover, those are only 2 man made structures on the water surface that could be cover but the pilings are structure.

My personal definition for cover is anything growing organic in or on top of the water is cover. Man made cover replicates natural organic cover like weighted down brush or fish attractors. A tree that has fallen down into the water is cover in my book.

How do we find isolated structure under weed mats?  Boat with sonar, opening is the mat where plants can’t grow, visually when the water is low exposing the bottom structures, time studying the lake.

What appears as a large weed mat is actually made of several different aquatic plants that have reached the water surface. Most aquatic plants have a preference for water depth, what soil type they root in and some don’t root. Plants don’t root in rocks, sand or clay unless some soil is present. Study the plants in your lake. Different groups of plants are preferred by bass so edges where they come together can be called a edge or isolated cover.

Every lake is different for example a man made impoundment vs a natural lake. Every bass species are different in; Largemouth differ from  Smallmouth and Spotted are different. Each bass species prefers different structure elements and cover types.

It isn’t simple to define bass habitats.

Tom

You also say here “edges where they come together” when referencing the plants in the water. What makes that an edge? Do you mean like when one type of plant transitions to another type? Thanks

On 4/13/2024 at 3:17 PM, Tennessee Boy said:

I know it’s frowned upon but sometimes I’ll fish something even if I’m not sure if it’s structural or cover.  😆

Yeah, I feel like that’s how my dad fishes with me when I go out with him lol. 

11 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Buck Perry talked about structural situations where fish use what might be called cover as structural.   While I’m a big Buck Perry fan,  his explanation of how fish use structure has be proven wrong for the most part.  So the question becomes how do fish use structure and cover? and do they sometimes use structure as cover and cover as structure?

Yeah I didn’t even know they used them differently. I thought they were the same. I would imagine the cover would be used more for there protection from predators.

11 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Buck Perry talked about structural situations where fish use what might be called cover as structural.   While I’m a big Buck Perry fan,  his explanation of how fish use structure has be proven wrong for the most part.  So the question becomes how do fish use structure and cover? and do they sometimes use structure as cover and cover as structure?

Do you know of any YouTube videos that are helpful and more accurate?