Structure tips.

[Red]

Well I recently got a new depth finder and I also recently stopped catching fish shallow.  I have been doing a bit of "looking" with the graph and have located some deeper structure.  I haven't had the chance to really slow down and fish it yet, but I plan to this weekend.  I have found a roadbed that is about 15 feet deep in which tonight I saw some sort of "stuff" on it and also saw what I believe was balls of bait fish.  This roadbed is also within a good long cast from a set of flooded trees where I caught a nice 5lber a few weeks back.  Those trees are in about 7-8 feet of water.  I have also located a creek channel that drops from about four feet down to 12, and the shallow part of this is an outside treeline. I also noticed several bends in this channel. The last thing is kinda hard to explain.  The creek channel comes up to a flat then drops back down forming another channel.  Picture the letter "T", each line being a channel with a small flat in between.  This side channel is lined on both sides with flooded timber in about 8 feet of water.  I caught one that was also around 5lbs from this treeline.  My question is how would you approach these areas when it is 100 degrees out and bright sun?  This is all new to me so lets have it.  Thanks for reading my long post, any help is much appreciated!!

Thanks

Cliff

[Catt]

Cliff, going from fishing shore lines to fishing off shore is not as difficult as one might think; what makes it seem difficult is the removal of the visual aid (the shore line). What we have to do is replace a visible shore lines with invisible break lines; the road bed and creek channels you have described have now become your "shore line". The difference now is instead of being able to only fish a certain distance from the shore line up to dry land, we can now fish a deep side of the break line and a shallow side of the break line.

The same rules that apply to a shore line apply to off shore break lines, bass must have a visible path of breaks and break lines on structure from deep water all the way to the shallows; which is where the bulk of food is available to bass.

As far lure techniques always work towards your strong points 

[Paul Roberts]

To add, what those "breaks" are are places that hold resting fish, or stop them for a period when moving. They commonly move from break to break as they hunt. Find and probe those breaks. They are the "sweet spots" on the structure.

In general, the depths offer security, the flats food. The breaks offer orientation, security, and access to food.

Graph time -mapping time -is critical. Be patient. You are on the right track.

When you fish, be patient with expectations. Structure and breaks aren't magic. Fish your strengths (and add new ones as places require). Sounds like you are well on your way to becoming "lucky".

[Catt]

Thanks Paul, great to see you around 

Break Line: A break line can have more than one meaning. It can be another word for a drop-off/ledge, or the 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 break line can also describe a line where rock meets mud, pea gravel, etc. In other words, the most correct definition for a break line is "Any distinct line that is made by cover or structure which leads to an abrupt change in bottom depth, composition, or cover transition".

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Take Catt's advice.  He's the local guru of structure fishing.  I've learned a bunch reading his posts.  The only thing I can offer is this:  once you find the fish, use a reference point as to where to make your casts.  Sometimes having that one specific angle can make a world of difference.  I like using marker buoy's along with some kind of shoreline reference so I can make that same cast repeated times.

[Catt]

Thanks for the kind words but there are many anglers here with my level of expertise and above

[Paul Roberts]

Thanks Paul, great to see you around

Break Line: A break line can have more than one meaning. It can be another word for a drop-off/ledge, or the 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 break line can also describe a line where rock meets mud, pea gravel, etc. In other words, the most correct definition for a break line is "Any distinct line that is made by cover or structure which leads to an abrupt change in bottom depth, composition, or cover transition".

Thanks, Tommy.

A breakline can be ANYTHING that contains bass in time and space. There! I actually wrote something LESS voluminous than Catt! LOL. How does he put it, "Wisdom lies in the consolidation of knowledge" -or something a long those lines.

OK...so much for brevity...

It's not (often) that mature bass hunt as a "school", moving together like starlings, or shad (the likelihood of this depends on forage type and water layout though). Instead, since bass most commonly operate in loose aggregations, a break or breakline can collect them. Fishing is tough, and comparatively boring, when we are left to catch one bass at a time. It's multiple catches we are after. Breaklines, and esp breaks on them, give us by far the best shot at "the motherload". Because of mature bass' loose associations with one another, they are not always piled up in motherloads. But, at times, conditions and circumstances can come together. That's what we are seeking. It's much more satisfying, and frequent, when you know what to look for. So-called "breaklines", and "breaks" on them, are where the game of bass fishing is played.

An easy to "see" example is an isolated stump on a weed line. The weedline is the breakline, the stump is the break. That stump is NOT the "bass' "home". It is merely a stopping point, a hold, or in some (awesome) cases, a break in the cover that offers a hunting advantage to bass. They know a good spot when they see it. So does an astute angler. For the bass it's a matter of survival, for us it's almost as bad -boredom! ;D

Take Catt's advice. He's the local guru of structure fishing. I've learned a bunch reading his posts. The only thing I can offer is this: once you find the fish, use a reference point as to where to make your casts. Sometimes having that one specific angle can make a world of difference. I like using marker buoy's along with some kind of shoreline reference so I can make that same cast repeated times.

Ditto the reference points. Buoys, lining up objects on shore, GPS, and something Catt has penned about: visualizing the unseen structure below -like it were an easily visible shoreline.

[NateFollmer]

This may not apply to you because I don't think you have muskie or pike to worry about but if you find what looks to be a sweet spot, but it's dead, you may have stumbled upon an area that's holding one of these toothy creatures. I see it a lot in Raystown, you'll find a great looking structure point, maybe even the perfect piece of structure, and it's a dead zone OR you pull in a Muskie.

If bass aren't on the top of the food chain where you fish, just keep looking for good structure that ISN'T holding a gator

[WRB]

You live in Texas where several generations of very good bass anglers live and bass fish.

Learning to structure fish is a good plan, the bank fish get a lot fishing pressure.

It sounds to me that you have located good classic structure areas that should hold bass. The next thing is to learn where the smaller isolated structure elements are located within the same area.

Surveying or "metering" with your sonar unit is a good way to learn how to use your unit, but don't rely on the feed back totally. The sonar zone the transducer is sending targets back is small compared to the structure area you are looking at and bass tend to move away from boat noise. You need to mark interesting targets with the GPS and a marker buoy, and fish the spot with a bottom contact lure to learn what is down there.

Also keep in mind the most obvious looking structure is obvious to all the other good Texas anglers. Continue doing what have done; survey small high percentage areas and fish them.

Learn to find the life zone; the depth the baitfish are using, the depth the thermocline is at and you will also find the depth the bass are holding. You don't want to fish too deep or under the bass, when structure fishing.

How do you fish 100+ degrees? early in the morning, the evening and at night.

Good luck.

WRB

[Catt]

Bass must have a visible path of breaks and break lines on structure from deep water all the way to the shallows; which is where the bulk of food is available to bass. As bass move along a structure they pause or stop at "things"; breaks and break lines on the bottom. It is at such breaks that anglers can expect to make consistent contact with fish as they migrate along structure. This is why a certain stump or flooded tree, dock piling or submerged rock consistently produces bass for anglers. Most of the time such a spot is merely a break or bass stopping point on structure. Find more such breaks on the structure or break lines or even the deep water sanctuary near the structure then you'll find more and bigger bass more often.

What we as perceive to be "good looking" structure seldom is to a bass, we must train ourselves to look for the un-obvious. Example the mentioned roadbed is an excellent structure but obviously not the entire length, so what do we look for? When driving along a country road we notice where the trees were removed to build the road, the point where the trees stop is a break line. The drainage ditches along either side the road are break lines as are the edges of the hard surface itself.

I don't want anyone with brain overload so more will be coming

[NateFollmer]

Great info Catt! I can't tell you how many times I have fished with people that have to stop at EVERY tree they see that fell in the water. There has to be a reason for the fish to sit at that tree. Not all cover/structure is created equal

[brushhoggin]

Catt i'm gonna shack up at the Fin and Feather one long weekend and kidnap you and make you take me fishing ;D I'm gonna start calling you The Hummingbird

[Paul Roberts]

Great info Catt! I can't tell you how many times I have fished with people that have to stop at EVERY tree they see that fell in the water. There has to be a reason for the fish to sit at that tree. Not all cover/structure is created equal

Yes. Add proximity to deep water to my weedline and stump scenario -at least in waters with depth. I fish ponds a lot and many aren't very deep. Access to deep water isn't so much the critical factor it can be in deeper waters, or is much less obvious, but breaklines and breaks--things that contain/influence bass movement--are still key.

[WRB]

The one thing you learn with experience is not everything is absolute. We tend to believe what we know and as time passes we realize how little we actually know.

Apply this to bass fishing and keep an open mind. Structure is something that can be measured with sonar, physical features under water. Breaks come in a lot of different forms; temperature changes, water color changes, current, shadows, water surface, physical structure features, edges, cover or weed lines, etc, etc.

When you are trying to determine if bass might use a particular structure or break, remember bass are predators looking for an advantage to catch prey. It's a lot easier if the prey is approaching the bass.

WRB

[Red]

Wow!  Thanks y'all for all this great info!  I will be putting it all to good use as soon as the freakin wind lets me!!   AHHHHH I hate the wind!!  I went out tonight with intentions to get onto that roadbed but it was way too windy, so I just went home.  I will keep you all posted on how I am doing, keep the info flowing!!

Thanks

Cliff

[Catt]

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

Bass are very much creatures of habit so while temperature changes & water color changes can be considered "break lines" if they are here today and gone tomorrow a bass will likely ignore it. If these temperature changes & water color changes are associated with an underwater spring, a creek or river running through the body of now we have a constant "break lines".

Our job as anglers is to find the things that are "constant" before we even consider the variables. Structure in the form of creek/river channels, tree lines, roadbeds, humps, ridges, points, rock outcropping and many other are constants. The most obvious example of a variable would be a weed line, while the weed bed as a whole will remain in the same location the overall shape (weed line) is constantly changing throughout the year and from year to year.

[Paul Roberts]

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

Bass are very much creatures of habit so while temperature changes & water color changes can be considered "break lines" if they are here today and gone tomorrow a bass will likely ignore it. If these temperature changes & water color changes are associated with an underwater spring, a creek or river running through the body of now we have a constant "break lines".

Our job as anglers is to find the things that are "constant" before we even consider the variables. Structure in the form of creek/river channels, tree lines, roadbeds, humps, ridges, points, rock outcropping and many other are constants. The most obvious example of a variable would be a weed line, while the weed bed as a whole will remain in the same location the overall shape (weed line) is constantly changing throughout the year and from year to year.

Excellent post.

[Red]

Thanks again guys, I am soaking it all in.  Can't wait for a decent NON windy day to put it all to use.

[Matt Fly]

100 degree days and sunny,

pitch to the shaded side of those newly flooded trees that are about 8ft deep.

     A good jig n craw does the trick.   Concentrate on the northern treeline if Waco has had good southern wind for a few days.  Make the pitch to the shaded side only.

    Raising lake Waco 7 feet and flooding all that timber has made Waco a little sleeper.    Waco is chock full of 5-8 lb class bass.   

    

[kb55]

Great thread!