A ‘Cupful’ Of Bass May Be Yours for the Taking
By Tom Seward
Fishing Facts, MAR 1984
Excerpt:
If you don't own a high-end fish finder, you'll be pleased to know that at least one major form of structure cannot commonly be found using this instrument. In fact, the subject of this article may be difficult for the "untrained eye" to find with any depth finder.
I'm talking about, "The Cup," a major form of structural variation found in many man-made waters. This underwater condition is known to anglers fishing natural lakes as the inside turn, or corner, on a bar, weedline or other similar type edge.
Some form of the cup is generally found in natural and man-made lakes because nature usually plays the major role in its formation. In reservoirs, the activities of man in regard to land clearing before impoundment can affect the productivity of various cup formations, by altering the amount and position of cover left on each cup area prior to the reservoir filling up.
The important thing to understand about the cup condition is the universal, instinctive attraction of game fish to this structure and how it holds and centers their locations in a lake. Knowing when, and how fish are attracted and centered on major structural forms is the most important fishing knowledge you can obtain.
… The cup can be an all-season fish attractor and your ability to recognize it can produce good, "action-type" fishing, and often a lunker or two.
But, do not expect to understand this universal fish attractor by one-shot structure checks or casual examination.
One more tip. Most fish related to cup positions are caught by lures coming over the edge into deep water. I do not do nearly as well by casting out over the edge and retrieving the lure toward shallower water. Casting parallel along the exact rim of the cup, or making diagonal casts from deep water are also good if wind permits. You can also catch active shallow fish from deep water casting positions. My drawings will better describe these cup conditions and how fish relate to them.
From Structure Cafe