I've been fishing some new waters the last few days. The water is gin clear. It's a small river that is no more than 18 feet deep. I fished a couple of docks and I got my lure stuck on a dock so I cruised in to get it off the dock. After I got it unstuck, I looked down and within a few feet of my boat, I noticed a couple of bass just swimming along like I wasn't even there. I didn't think much about it. I figured if I can see them, they aren't going to accept anything I threw at them from a few feet away.

From there I saw a promising spot directly across the river on the opposite bank. I just used the trolling motor as it was only a couple hundred feet to the other side. Right in the middle of the river, I happened to look down and there was a small tree branch at the bottom and right next to it, in plain sight, as clear as day was a beautiful looking bass just sitting there. I went right over the top of it. It was just sitting on the bottom. The FF said it was 14 feet deep at that point. Yes, the water is that clear here. I could see it plain as day like it was in a fish tank. I figured what the heck, I'll drop a Senko on it's nose and see what happens. I didn't have any confidence at all that I would get bit. Well, a few seconds later, BAM!!! It grabbed it and ran. I got a good hookset and it fought like a lion. The hardest fighting bass I have caught so far. Not the biggest I've caught but certainly the biggest fighter.  Several minutes later I finally got it in the boat. It was the most beautiful 3 pounder you ever saw.

All this finally leads to my question and I know this will illicit a response from RW. lol.

I have heard about deeper bass around structure but I have no clue as to how to fish that way. I'm relatively new to bass fishing and I've been successful fishing the banks but it was interesting to see and catch one in deeper water.

I have a Hummingbird 565 FF so what do I look for as far as structure. How do I identify it (what would it look like on the FF), how do I know there would be bass there and what do I throw at them? As I say, the water is gin clear, surface temps around 67, less than 20 feet deep and this place is usually wind protected. Typically just very light winds as the river is in a valley.

There are also lots of places in this river that has submerged weeds. About 2 feet below the surface and they end abruptly to deeper water. A definate submerged weedline. I've fished that weedline around some pilings and while I've got a few bites, I haven't landed anything from the weeds just yet. I'm hopeful that the weeds are productive as well. ;)

How's that for questions?? lol.

When I see something on the FF I will take a CR and see if I can figure out what it is.Now about that weed bed on the drop off, I would have to take my CR and use about a five foot leader with a #1 hook and a Trick worm to get those bass out of the grass. I would almost bet my wife's diamonds that bass visit that grass often.