5 hours ago, Catt said:

 

How many of y'all undersrand why?

Pretty sure I do but hope you elaborate a bit more.

A graph and a good topo map are your best friends here. As @Catt and @WRB alluded to depth wise, there are a ton of good breaklines showing in that 14’-21’ range (approx.). That would be one way to determine a starting point.
 

Another would be with your graph, taking some time to look around at what depths you see the most activity at, as well as at what depth you stop seeing any. A graph will also help with pinpointing any thermocline that might limit fish.

 

Finally, another basic rule of thumb is to expect to find and catch most of your fish about 3X-4X the waters visibility or less.
 

Put all those things together and you should be able to start pinpointing a bunch of areas to start checking out.

16 hours ago, Catt said:

15' +/- 3' 😉

My simple thought is, active bass will be under the bait, but within striking distance.  Bait 10-15'?  No need to look at a school of bass in 25' because they're probably neutral at best, and no need to look shallower than 12'.  My guess is water clarity has to play in this calculation though.

 

scott

7 hours ago, RipzLipz said:

Pretty sure I do but hope you elaborate a bit more.

 

6 hours ago, softwateronly said:

My simple thought is, active bass will be under the bait

 

In most bodies of Hydrilla, Coontail, & Milfoil stops growing somewhere between 12'-18', 15'+/- 3'.

 

This helps us understand where the outside "grassline" is. I ain't talking visible outside grassline but the one you have to find with your electronics. 

 

I start my searches here

56 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

 

In most bodies of Hydrilla, Coontail, & Milfoil stops growing somewhere between 12'-18', 15'+/- 3'.

 

This helps us understand where the outside "grassline" is. I ain't talking visible outside grassline but the one you have to find with your electronics. 

 

I start my searches here

You sure you ain’t part bass? Every time I think I’m getting to understand where you’re supposed to be, you end up on the other side of the lake. 😉 🤣

Establishing the depth is valuable information but is only part of what we need to establish.

 

What's below & around them?

 

Let's say they're at 20'

Are they on the bottom?

Are they suspended?

Are they on a ledge?

Are they on a creek channel swing?

Are they on a ridge?

Are they in timber, brush, grass?

 

Answer these questions & we can start duplicating similar areas on maps. 

And…. Are they sitting still?? Seems like SMB swim drop offs back and forth pretty quickly

@Catt,

Back to your original 15’ ± 3’ comment & my response above…I was thinking you were originally being sarcastic in that fish can be on the move due to changing conditions throughout the day therefore it’s possible there isn’t a definitive answer for precisely locating them.

 

Now I’m smelling what you’re stepping in!👍

 

Thank you!

 

 

32 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

And…. Are they sitting still??

Or quite possibly, did they get sprayed by a skunk the day before Thanksgiving???

 

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Many years ago I asked a very successful pro what is the most important information to get before a trip. He said "depth" without hesitating. His method, and now my method is to first ask friends and then graph points. It's far from an exact science because fish could be super shallow and sonar isn't perfect, but that is what I do. Find um at 12' and you will probably find them on many major structures in the area at 12'.

7 hours ago, RipzLipz said:

there isn’t a definitive answer for precisely locating them.

 

That's where the fishing part comes in!

 

It's called fishing not catching because we do a lot more fishing than catching.

5 hours ago, Catt said:

 

It's called fishing not catching because we do a lot more fishing than catching.

I’ve used that one many a time. 👍

On 11/22/2023 at 7:09 PM, Catt said: