Fishing Structure

[rbrick]

What structure do you prefer to fish???

[soccplayer07]

green trees that are still alive

[RoLo]

Since "cover" wasn't mentioned, I'll confine my reply to "structure".

My favorite bottom contour could not be any simpler, it's any spot that provides "Rapid Depth Change".

Fishermen have lots of names for such spots, we call them drop-offs, holes, ridges, channels,

sunken islands, bars, points, humps, yada yada. To a predatory fish though, it's just a rapid change in depth.

Roger

[S3NKO]

Soccplayer07,

Did you mean trees with green foliage that have recently fallen into the body of water? If so, then surely this can be considered structure. Don't be discourage, if you get your line wet your a fisherman. Lately I've been a big fan of underwater rock shelves.

Chris

Confine yourself to a fox hole JA.

[Guest avid]

Well living where I do in Florida there is no structure.

Only weeds.

Lotsa weeds.

GAWDAMTOOMANYFREAKINWEEDS.

My favorite cover?

I dunno, I'll have to give it some thought.  :-?

[Bankbeater]

So Avid, do you ever get a chance to fish in the weeds???? ;D

I like the creek beds that run right through the middle of a shallow flat.

[roadwarrior]

I like Rogers response, but to be specific: narrow, steeply sloped, stepped points surrounded by much deeper water. Bass or any other species cruising this structure tend to be feeding and VERY aggressive. Larger fish will sometimes stage in ambush at different depths on the steps. Besides the opportunity to catch big fish, the "fishing" over this type of structure is just plain fun.

p.s. "Structure" is permanent or at least a long lasting physical feature. Vegetation (broadly defined) is generally "cover" even though it sometimes takes on the characteristics of structure.

[Catt]

The terms "structure" and "cover" often are used interchangeably by bass anglers, but it's helpful to differentiate between the two.

Structure is the contour features of the lake bottom.

Cover is wood (brush or trees) or grass that serves as bass hiding and feeding places.

Few can serve as both structure & cover; piers, bridges, & huge boulders.

Spots where two creeks intersect or where a feeder creek intersects with the main river are areas experienced deep water anglers seeks. Inside the Y created by the intersection is my favorite structure.

[CJ]

I don't think of it as my favorite structure,but the bass's favorite structure.Regardless "structure"is key this time of year,especially when there is cover nearby.

I guess I do have a few favorite spots.There features are horseshoes,humps,and as CATT mentioned intersections.As Roger mentioned they all have steep drops,and they all have some form of cover.

[Panamoka_Bassin]

My home lake has a nice point sticking out, but not much drop off, just a real gradual decline.  I find that at the very bottom of that slope is the best spot to find some nice fish.

[Guest avid]

p.s. "Structure" is permanent or at least a long lasting physical feature. Vegetation (broadly defined) is generally "cover" even though it sometimes takes on the characteristics of structure.

Anyone ever tell you how sexy you are when you talk like that ?  

J/K  

[Taliesin]

It depends on the lake i am fishing, but:

Shallower lakes (<30' deep): I like channels, especially intersections.

I currently fish a deper lake (up to 100' deep). In this lake I like the points and the rare creek intersections that aren't below 25'.

The majority of the river channel (at least in the area I fish) is 50'+. They might hang out there in the winter, but I haven't found any there otherwise.

Rapid depth change is good, if it isn't too rapid. Our 30' cliffs may hold a couple at the top, but that's it.

[Matt Fly]

Old road beds and sunken bridges are a steady favorite in the summer months.  

I love creek bends with big trees in late winter months for staging spawners.

Matt

[John J.]

I'd say my favorite 'structure' would be either channel drops or mid lake humps. My favorite 'cover' would be weedlines, lily-pads, trees that fell in the water, and overhanging bushes/trees.

God bless  8-)

[IdahoLunkerHunter]

I like fishing drop-offs (Large) and ripwrap (Smallies). I have found that my most productive spots are culverts though. I can usually pull 1-2, 2-5# fish from every culvert I throw into.

[RoLo]

To do justice to the subject of favorite structure, we'd have to segregate structure by "Lake Type".

Our favorite structure on one lake type, may be totally inapplicable to our favorite structure on another lake type.

The first love of largemouth bass is soft cover (vegetation). In natural lakes , a sharp drop-off will normally form a weed-line,

the depth of which will depend on water clarity. The drop-off is a structural asset but is not a prerequisite.

In natural lakes, bass will also aggregate along weed-lines that are unaccompanied by a sharp slope.

Further, if the vegetation is perennial it will hold bass year-round.

On the other hand, many manmade impoundments do not support lush vegetation, generally because of unstable pool levels

&/or poor bottom content. In the absence of aquatic plants, bass do not rollover and die but are forced to adapt.

If you remove those same bass from the vegetation of a natural lake, and thrust them into an artificial reservoir,

you'll likely find them patrolling submerged gravestones, road culverts or a sunken junkyard. In the name of survival,

bass will readily substitute soft cover with hard cover, which to us might appear like a move from "cover" to "structure",

but bass don't understand those terms

Roger

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Confine yourself to a fox hole JA.

What does JA mean?   :