Excellent read

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/fishingtips/news/story?page=b_FT_GV_DeepWater

 Anything worth learning is a struggle at times but "going out and turning your back on the bank for the whole day" is REALLY hard ...

skillet

Catt, can you discuss boat positioning? What do you look for, and do?

Skillet,

Structure fishing is not exclusively about deep water; I don't think everyone understands this. Even when I'm fishing the shoreline I'm looking for structure and not just aimlessly wondering down the shoreline. Again remember there must be a visible path of breaks and break lines on structure from deep water all the way to the bank (shallow water), this is where the bulk of food is available to game fish. It's not necessarily about putting your back to the bank as much as it is about getting off the bank. Example; the key area of a point may not be from bank shallow outwards, it maybe 15-25 yards off the bank.

Paul,

This is strictly personal opinion:

If a body of water has vegetation of any kind I will position my boat at a distance that allows me to reach 6-10' beyond the outside edge of the vegetation. This edge creates a breakline and is usually the first breakline that bass come into contact with when migrating to feed. Often it is the breakline that the bigger fish stop at.

If a body of water does not have sufficient vegetation I target wood still looking for breaklines.

Honestly when I go on Saturday I planned on turning my back on the back for the whole day. I am not bringing all of my rods. I am only bringing 4 rather than my regular 12. None of which will be fished shallow. except my topwater which I only planned on throwing for a very short time anyway.

I will position my boat at a distance that allows me to reach 6-10' beyond the outside edge of the vegetation.

Are you sitting on the vegetation and casting 6-10ft beyond?

I will position my boat at a distance that allows me to reach 6-10' beyond the outside edge of the vegetation.

Are you sitting on the vegetation and casting 6-10ft beyond?

Nope I'm positioned out from the edge of the vegetation casting into it

 I know you must sometimes think, it's like getting a rock to absorb water :-[. A little at a time it is sinking in ...

skillet

Anything worth learning is a struggle at times but "going out and turning your back on the bank for the whole day" is REALLY hard ...

skillet

It's all in the perspective.  

Interestingly enough, I do most of my fishing with my back to the bank.  I'm convinced it gives me an advantage.  Here's why.

The shore of my home pond is very rocky.  It's impossible to fish tight to the shore with any kind of outboard, unless you're into replacing propellers and lower units.

So, most fish what you typically see on fishing shows, drifting away from the beach, and casting toward it.  This is done at least partly by necessity.   Who wants to work a ten to fifty thousand dollar boat in among the rocks?

On the other hand, my canoe is right at home in the areas they cannot go.  

I "park" it in the weeds along the shore, and work an area by fan casting.  Some casts are parallel to, and tight to the shore or emergent vegetation.

While I may not get into some pockets, I get into most of them, and do not miss an inch of the weed line.

Backed into the vegetation, and stationed there, I can cover a semi-circle of bottom by fan casting.  When I cast away from the shore, I am casting beyond the working track of those casting toward the shore.

If the breeze hold me against the vegetation, I don't back in.  I fan cast, covering a ninety degree area from the bow to the side away from the vegetation.

I tried the standard casting toward the shore, but spent half my time, or more, on the paddle to hold position, or anchored.

When I started fishing from the beach outward, I caught more fish.  Part of it was that it allowed more time fishing, paddling only to move thirty or forty feet, then working that area.  But mostly it is that I was catching fish from areas my baits hadn't touched previously.

Most of my nice bass come from the areas away from shore the other fishermen never work.

I have yet to see anyone else cast away from the shore other than on rare occasions.  Works for me just fine.

The book by the late Bill Murphy "In Pursuit of Giant Bass" is a must read for any structure bass fishermen. Bill was the most detailed fishermen that I know of and explains boat positioning with detailed illustrations. Don't be confused with the title, Bill was a big bass fishermen, however adult size bass relate to structure using the same principles.

Bill prefered to anchor and stitching plastic worms or live bait simply for maximum boat control. The positioning is the same; a comfortable long cast away from the center of the target area you plan to fish.

Murphy anchored a lot of the time, most of us tend to fish with our trolling motor to position our boats. I preferred to fish jigs and position my boat with the trolling motor, stitching a worm is too slow for my taste most of the time.

WRB

My boat is anchored between the living room & the kitchen

My boat is anchored between the living room & the kitchen

That's why I quit drinking while fishing........

j/k. Catt; thanks for all the info and I know at least one guy it's helping.  

 Great post and replies ...

skillet