sorry about how basic these must be, but i really would like ta find out the answers.

i live in virginia, and the pond i fish is about 7 acres, and is really deep.  it was dug out to build up land to make an over pass for a highway.  the edges are really deep, just 3-4' out drops off anywhere from 3-10' deep.  there is fallen trees and lots of brush covering the entire shore line, all the way around, but there is no brush away from the edges.  do you think there are bass hanging around the middle, or away from the shoreline cover?  i do not hand a depth finder or fish finder, so im not sure what is in the middle.  

question two.  for fishing the edges that are really deep, like 10-15', there is brush and fallen trees all the way down.  what is the best way to fish these areas and what would a good lure be to try?  

and finally question 3.  in the fall and winter, do bass stay near the top of the water, or down deep?  if you had 8' of water, what level would they be?

i know these are really basic and really general, but i would like some basic answers to help me understand.  thanks for the time and for any help!

They are probably staging along the edges as the water temperature drops.

They may swim around very slowly as the water gets cold, but mostly the large bass will stay put, waiting for a meal to swim by while the smaller bass will be a little more active.

I attended a Bassmaster University back in January of 2004, and Ken Cook was one of the presenters.

Ken discussed the fish, itself, and gave us these metabolism rates so we would understand how the bass feeds.

You can use this information when considering how to fish for the bass during the winter and why they do not feed as fast as they do in warmer water.

SPEED OF METABOLISM

40* = 8 days to digest a minnow

50* = 7 days to digest a minnow

60* = 2.5 days

70* = 24 hours

80* = 18 hours

80*+ = 18 hours

73* to 75* degree water is the most efficient metabolism for a bass.

Ken went on to remind us that a bass is a preditor and they go on search and destroy misions by ambushing or taking advantage of their prey.  

Edges are important to a feeding bass.

The bass will eat anything that presents itself as it looks for an easy opportunity for a nice meal.

When the water temperatures are under 60* and over 90*, Ken said the bass want a "roof" over their heads when not feeding.  They will use water for a roof or go deep, go into grass beds, lilly pads, boat docks and piers and any structure they can find for cover.

When the water turns cold, Ken says to go with minnows or shad colored baits.

So all I can add is to take Ken Cook's advice and go for the bass staging off the edges, just sitting there waiting for your beautiful minnow or shad colored bait to float by for an easy meal or fish any underwater structure you can find where they can hide.

Give it a try and let us know how you do.  

Sam - WOW!  Thanks for the awesome post!  

This is why I love this site so much...so many knowledgable folks who are so willing to share this kind of info!

I appreciate the time and efforts you put into making a post like this one...believe me...it helps out experienced fishermen as much, if not more, than complete newbies!

lot more info than i expected!  thank you very much, it really clears up alot for me!