Superstructure!

[Boo]

Im still trying to get the hang of fishing structure instead of beating the banks. Whats your favorite type structure to fish and what to look for on the sonar. I see fish on the sonar and throw the bait at them, but have never got a bite. Im really getting frustrated with this. I guess how do you know what too look for and decide which ones will be productive? Do you guys ever catch graphed fish? Someone please help, I'm not having any success fishing superstructuer. ???

[Rebbasser]

It takes a while to get a feel for it-I'm still learning how to read mine.  I really don't have a favorite structure to fish.  I use my depthfinder to find different structures though.  For example, I fish a lake that has a lot of hydrilla.  This time of year I use mine to find where the grass stops growing and fish the edge.  I also use it to find humps, channels, etc.  One big help is if you have a topo map of the lke you fish-you can spot good looking areas and then go find them with the depthfinder.

I turned the fish alarm off on mine-it get to be a distraction, and I never caught one either.  I just look for the structure the fish like.  If I'm fishing a flat, I like to go over it and see if there is a ditch or channel running through it-the fish will relate to the channel.  Also, if you don't already have some get or make some marker buoys.  Say for example you find a hump in open water with no visible structure around it you can key on.  I'll throw out a marker buoy on one side of it that I can use for a visual reference so I'll know where to cast.  Hope this helps a little.

[CBedo]

Use the sonar to find the EDGES of the grass or whatever structure you are fishing.  Then marker buoys are key.  Drop one somewhere off the edge so you know where to cast, or use your trolling motor to stay on the edge, and pitch ahead of you.  Don't worry about graphing fish so much.  Trust your instincts as too where "they ought to be."

Also, if you are graphing fish, are they the nice big arcs or little scratches.  I have found that if I'm getting big arches on my screen, they tend to be carp.  Smaller lines or arches are wipers or stripers.  Bass tend to show up as "scratches" either just off the bottom, or suspending close to cover.  Those marked fish are catchable, but if you're in a good area, there should be more than what you just marked.

[Boo]

Yeah I turn the Fish ID off and use arches with manual sensitivity. For instance the other day I was fishing the banks of a cove. Should I have checked the middle of the cove to see if there was a channel in it and fished it? Regardless if i'm marking fish or not. How about the first breakline away from shore, is that a good place to fish?

[Boo]

Hey Rebasser I noticed youre from San Antonio, TX. I'm from Amarillo, TX. Have you got a chance to fish Alan Henry Lake in Post, TX yet? I heard they were killing them down there!

[BassBandit35]

Roadwarrior is one of the "fishing structure" expert that might chime in to your rescue. Hey Roadwarrior, in the middle of the lake?  ;D

[roadwarrior]

Well, I don't know about the expert part, but I will throw in my two cents. I do like fishing deep structure and sometimes it does appear to be in the middle of the lake or river. Let's look at a specific lake structure that is always productive.

Points are obvious. What I really like is a steep drop or a laddered drop. Ideally the windward side of a primary point that drops into very deep water. Sometimes it's a secondary point with these same characteristics. The keys are bait fish and a deepwater escape route.

In a river the most obvious superstructure is the channel itself. Big smallmouth will suspend near the break. Big boulders or piles of rocks that attract baitfish and break the current are also prime targets. The more isolated the structure the more likely it is to hold the biggest bass on the river.

[Boo]

Thanks fellow fisherman for all your tips and insights. I will continue my quest to become a better structure fisherman.

[2_Poppa]

Hey boo,

Take some time-off from fishing banks/shoreline, especially during the summer.Get yourself a couple of floating weighted markers and fish the areas "RoadWarrior" suggested. Most fishermen that I fish with(during tournaments) do not know how to utlize there sonars,graphs,monitors, fish-finders etc...

What your looking for is anything/something odd or unusual from the "normal" bottom. Can you tell the difference from a soft/mud bottom to a hard/rocky bottom? If you answered no, this is where you start to begin reading deep water structure 101.

 Take your sonar seriously, read the book(instructions) every time you are out on the lake, before long you will begin to erase the fish off of your sonar. Most guys turn their "fish alarm" off. Not me. Why? Even if I'm not looking for fish and the alarm goes off I toss a couple of baits at the desired depth...Wham! I'm usually hooked.

One last thing you must know is at what end of the boat the transducer is located...DWS 101

  GUARANTEE!!! If you begin to fish Deep Water Structure as much as you hit the shore-line, you will hook-up more quality fish... If ya got the toy, read instructions so ya can fully enjoy... :-*

[Boo]

Hey thanks 2 poppa for the tips. You said to read deep water structure 101, where do I find this articel or did you mean the owners manual to my sonar?

[2_Poppa]

  boo,

Use the owners manual with your knowledge and fishing experience... Soon you will be able to get a feel (with rod and line) and see things that are on the bottom, where a ledge becomes a "laddered drop," a hump, submerged structure that you created and placed there, etc.

A buddy and me use to get trees that were already cut, tie them together, and tie large rocks on them so they would sink and stay there. We would find a ledge on a main channel or primary point, where the grass stops growing (see Rebbassers' post) and drop the trees with the rocks tied to them in deep water. We would make sure the water was anywhere from 12ft. to 30ft. deep. We made sure the structure we dropped was natural and would always sink sufficently.

Next step, go over it with your sonar or fishfinder and read and perceive what it says. We would do this in several different areas of the lake. There was always one or more holding fish.

We too, would drop large rocks, boulders, to make our own hump. What does that look like on your sonar? Ya won't know until you look...

Experiment and be creative... The dog days of summer are coming, the fish will be there, 8) will you?

Hope this helps,boo.

[Rebbasser]

No, Boo, I haven't fished Alan Henry but have heard some good things about it.  My favorite lake is Choke Canyon, which is about 75 miles south of San Antonio.

[Boo]

Rebasser one of my friends said he's fished Choke Canyon. He said it was nice. The Hill Country is beautiful country. Thanks guys, I'm going to Wally World and get me some mark bouys.

[Sweetwater]

I fish deep water structure 70% of the year. Here's what works for me:

I do not look for "fish" on the depth finder.

First, I use the sonar to pinpoint the exact locations of underwater structure like humps, points, roadbeds, and creek channels. Anywhere there is an abrupt change in water depth.

Second, I use the sonar to locate baitfish near the structure. If there are no baitfish present on or near a certain structure, I generally will not fish it.

Third, I use the sonar to pinpoint sweetspots within the overall structure. I.E: A field of stumps along a creek channel bend. The 8' breakline along a point. A rockpile on a hump. ETC.