Interesting thing I don't really understand in a book I'm reading the comment reads as follows.

Summer structures appear relatively flat or gradually sloping. 

 

Now why is this something to look for I always thought it was the quick drops to deep water and not the gradually sloping banks?

What’s the name of the book?

11 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

Interesting thing I don't really understand in a book I'm reading the comment reads as follows.

Summer structures appear relatively flat or gradually sloping. 

 

Now why is this something to look for I always thought it was the quick drops to deep water and not the gradually sloping banks?

Sounds like it's speaking to shallow summer bass. Good cover in this type of structure with deeper water near by is a good strategy. I have a couple of places where bass will sit in 1-3 feet of water in essentially a mud flat all summer long. That being said, in larger bodies of water with good deeper habitat, most bass, specially larger ones will spend more time in the deep (I don't like the term "offshore" for fresh water fishing, confuses the issue).

I think you’re confusing what the author is trying to point out. Obviously nothing is an absolute, but late fall and winter I’m often focusing on steep channel banks and swings, bluff banks - stuff with sharp (often >60 deg) drops right into deep water. In summer, it’s often the opposite - searching out long points and bars that run a good distance out into the lake before dropping off into a river channel, or big feeding flats that run a couple hundred yards off the shore before dropping off - a.k.a., flatter banks.

Theres a gentle sloping flat that I fish every time I visit a certain lake  . The entire flat is not productive , just the end near a drop off . I dont catch many bass on the lip or on the ledge I catch them on top of the nothing looking flat . Big ones too .

9 hours ago, scaleface said:

Theres a gentle sloping flat that I fish every time I visit a certain lake  . The entire flat is not productive , just the end near a drop off . I dont catch many bass on the lip or on the ledge I catch them on top of the nothing looking flat . Big ones too .

I know several flats like you describe. The productive ones always have a feature that draws and holds fish, a point, spine, ditch, knob.... the spot on the spot. 

22 hours ago, Team9nine said:

I think you’re confusing what the author is trying to point out. Obviously nothing is an absolute, but late fall and winter I’m often focusing on steep channel banks and swings, bluff banks - stuff with sharp (often >60 deg) drops right into deep water. In summer, it’s often the opposite - searching out long points and bars that run a good distance out into the lake before dropping off into a river channel, or big feeding flats that run a couple hundred yards off the shore before dropping off - a.k.a., flatter banks.

Thank you I think that’s exactly what I was doing you cleared it up. Many others helped in here also thanks everyone