What do deep fish do in the Morning?

[FishnBen]

So, I have a tournament that I pre-fished for yesterday, and absolutely smoked them. The spot they're on is a long random underwater pier that comes out into the lake about 100 yards, and is about 6 feet deep on top, and drops into about 16 feet on all sides. The fish were stacked up right on the drop. I didn't find the area until about 10 am, and my question is; I know the fish will use this point to move up and down to feed, but should I try to fish the shoreline it connects to first thing in the morning, or should I expect them to still be out on the drop? Any advice is welcome!

[brushhoggin]

wow sounds like a money spot! i would fish shallow to deep in that spot in the morning since the water has had all night to cool off (assuming it's hot there), they could be shallow feeding. shouldn't take long too see if they're biting in the shallows before you moved a little deeper. at least you've got it narrowed down to that area. good luck

[piscicidal]

So, I have a tournament that I pre-fished for yesterday, and absolutely smoked them. The spot they're on is a long random underwater pier that comes out into the lake about 100 yards, and is about 6 feet deep on top, and drops into about 16 feet on all sides. The fish were stacked up right on the drop. I didn't find the area until about 10 am, and my question is; I know the fish will use this point to move up and down to feed, but should I try to fish the shoreline it connects to first thing in the morning, or should I expect them to still be out on the drop? Any advice is welcome!

You've got a honey hole. I would hit that first thing in the AM.  If they're there, you'll know it...if not work the adjacent stuff.

Those kind of spots are awesome for tournaments, as they'll reload after you pull a few fish off of them. I'd make a plan around hitting that spot 3-4 times during the day and working the adjacent structure while waiting for it to reload.

[fishfordollars]

Check the entire pier as well as the shore line each way. You might find a creek that swings up close to the bank and it could be the path that they take to the point and pier. It's not always the end of the point that draws them there. you just need to do a little looking.

Good luck

[WRB]

Sounds like a obvious location that other bass anglers could know about, you may want to protect and catch the fish you located. The risk in going up tight is losing the outside to another boat. If it's isolated, no other boats, then work the entire area. Start by approaching quietly along the bank and fish your way around. The shallow bass should move outside as soon as the sun gets on the water and the bait moves out.

Outside bass are affected more by wind, current and cloud cover. Flat water and bright sky tends to push them deeper, winds helps to generate waves to break up the light penetration and cloud cover keeps the bass active longer.

Good luck.

WRB

PS; stay outside if the bass are smallmouths.

[boneil]

my guess is that you'll have fish running the entire length of the pier in the morning.  I wouldn't spend too much time though near shore unless you're bangin them. Good luck.

[J Francho]

It just 100 yards, can't you simply let the bass tell you where they are?

[Catt]

Start deep & work shallower 

[bigtimfish]

I would go opposite of what Catt says depending on what time you get to your spot. As we all know bass move in shallow at night to feed. If you are at your spot at daybreak you may still get some good early morning shallow fish, then move out. But if you get there and the sun has already been out then just do as Catt says and start deep and move in.

[fishfordollars]

I would go opposite of what Catt says depending on what time you get to your spot. As we all know bass move in shallow at night to feed. If you are at your spot at daybreak you may still get some good early morning shallow fish, then move out. But if you get there and the sun has already been out then just do as Catt says and start deep and move in.

12-15' is shallow to a fish that has spent the day out in 30-35. If I had to start instead of just looking i would start out off the end in the deeper water. when the sun got up over the tree line I would then move in and try to pick off a few sitting under the pier. If that didn't produce i would move right back out deeper and look for rock piles and brushpiles out off the break.

[bigtimfish]

He didn't really say that the fish were coming in from 30' deep.That is based on an assumption. All I read was 16' on both sides. The area may only be 20' at the deepest of the lake for all I know. I have no clue what the depths are on the water he's fishing. So to me shallow would be 8' up to 1'. And I may be completly wrong here, but I truley believe if a fish is in 30' to 35' of water and has a good comfortable habitat at that depth, that is a fish that will never move out of that area.

[FishnBen]

Thanks a ton for all the valuable information guys, I never thought I'd get this much! It's a small lake with a maximum depth of only around 25-30 feet. Also, it has been mid 90's the last few weeks here, and the day before I prefished, there was a cold front and rain all day cooled the water from about 90 down to 78-80. It was cloudy with a slight wind, and saturday is supposed to be sunny with no wind. I'm assuming that even though it's going to be warm tomorrow and Saturday, the temps will be running around 80 first thing in the morning.

Also, what a smoked them on was a 10 inch Blue Fleck power worm in the late morning. I plan on starting shallow with a buzzbait, swimbait, spinnerbait, and crankbait, then working my way out the pier to see exactly where they are. As someone stated, yes it is a relatively small area, so yes I will fish the whole area to try and figure out what they're doing. I was just curious as to what you guys thought they might be doing a little earlier in the day. One obvious thing I'll have to keep in mind, is that they will be wherever the bait will be. Thanks so much guys!

[Catt]

Well let's see we could run straight into the shallow water spooking everything around or start deep and quietly move shallower while probing ahead with long cast.

The dice are in your hands, roll em

[.ghoti.]

Nobod :Dy really answered the question, "what do deep fish do in the morning?"

Well, they get up, start the coffee pot, turn on the TV, and tune in to the weather channel.

Then they know where they're supposed be, and what they're supposed to be doing.

[WRB]

Well let's see we could run straight into the shallow water spooking everything around or start deep and quietly move shallower while probing ahead with long cast.

The dice are in your hands, roll em

+1

Bass are used to anglers approaching a point noisily and parking on top of them. The bass simply shut off and move out into deeper water until the boat leaves.

WRB

[Big-O]

Start deep & work shallower

X2...ease up quietly within casting distance of your located sweet spot. Most of the time, if there are fish along the dock, they'll definitely be on the point because the submerged structure is both shallow and deep opportunity for feeding. 6 ft is shallow water and the fish will treat it as such.

The advantage this gives you is primarily all day fishing opportunity because when the fish are actively feeding shallow, they'll be on or around the top of the dock, then moving down to the base of it or under it in off peak times.

That spot will most always be the key spot for obvious reasons. Watch for bait working along the length of it because the bass will be there too.

Good fishin'

Big O

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