Get the Heck Out Of The Trees!

REFER TO THE MAP ABOVE THROUGHOUT THIS ARTICLE

(with footnotes)

    If you're like many anglers, you often fish man-made reservoirs - either by choice, or of neccesity. And within these formerly dry, flooded bodies of water, are many useful, man-made structures on the bottom.

    Here's the good news: these constructs make up some of the better structure found in reservoirs.
    Also, thanks to modern marine electronics and well developed hydro-mapping, these structures are not too hard to locate and observe. Moreover, they are usually cleaner of brush and debris than other areas one might fish.
    Finally, presenting bait or lures on such man-made structures, by both casting and trolling, normally requires less skill and presents fewer problems than on natural cover and structure, especially in the shallows where most anglers congregate.

    So what are we talking about? Well, "structure" refers to distinct features on the bottom of a lake or river that differ from the surrounding area.
    We are not referring to, "cover," aka, boat docks, ramps, trees, weed beds, etc....all the usual places anglers fish.
Rather, we mean 'structure.'
    It is crucial you understand that difference.
    Some common man-made structures of interest for this article, within a body of water (reservoir), might be things like:

1️⃣ Old submerged roadbeds

2️⃣ Causeways, or roads, that were constructed across certain portions of the reservoir during construction

3️⃣ The dam area

4️⃣ Power lines or old boat trails (1)...

        BONUS STRUCTURE: A lot of submerged "human structure" also exists on reservoirs bottoms as a bonus. These are things like old bridges, remains of houses or churches, old farms, quarries, river ferry crossings, sunken boats, walls, foundations, fences, etc.
    In short, wherever humans once lived BENEATH the waters you see today, there is a good chance that man-made structure could be there to attract fish. 

💯 However, two structure types should be first on the list for your attention:

- Causeways that cross the lake
- The dam and the areas adjacent to the dam

    Not every reservoir will have modern causeways crossing it, but if you are on a reservoir that has one, you're in luck. However, every reservoir will have a dam, by default.
    Regardless, both of these areas have clean workable structure, they can be worked in much the same way, and they are easy to locate.

    The dam area, especially, requires a lot of attention for several reasons.
1. It has to be there, by default, and it is easy to find
2. The deepest water in the lake occurs there
3. The structure is normally better and more varied
4. This particular area may have clumps of submerged, standing trees. (In many cases, these clumps of trees also represent a hump or some break in the structure, the meandering of channels, and so on. Such variations in bottom structure often hold fish)

    Something I noted on my nearby reservoir (Lake Murray, SC), was there were very few people making a concerted effort to really work the dam structure, itself. They buzz all around it, hoping to catch a striper or two...but it was rare to see someone actually working the dam methodically, as a structure feature all its own. 

✅ There is also a natural structure on every reservoir that intersects with man-made structure:
    The old stream or river channel.
    These channels wind and turn as they cross the reservoir bottom, and the overall depth of the channel doesn't vary a great deal from one section to that of another.
    A lot of human activity in the past will have occurred along the banks of the old river channel, too, so the odds of finding that kind of structure are increased there. And from a strictly natural structure viewpoint, the best structure on the channel will exist in two places:

- At the "turns," or bends, in the old channel
- Where the old feeder stream channels enter the main channel.

    You should check these areas thoroughly.

👉 My closing advice is this: take the suggestions from those around the boat dock (or Facebook) who tell you to head back to the trees (docks, shore, and so on) if you want to catch fish....well, take them with a grain of salt. 

    Yes, sometimes fish can be found there, under conditions that are largely a mystery to the average angler...and the entire industry is based on one singular idea:

    "Cast enough times into shallow, visible cover areas, with the latest 'hot lure' we are selling...
and you might eventually hook a fish."

    But the fish you DO catch very likely came from somewhere else to be there... a "somewhere else" you rarely, if ever, think to look.
    Flatly put, the places you are taught to cast to are not where the bigger adult fish live full time.(2)
    What happens is one gets lucky to cross paths with them when they are visiting the shallows, from time to time. But a few hours, or even minutes, either way ... and you might be fishless.
    Sound familiar?

    So in most cases, with little more to go on than..., "I caught a fish on a purple, Whack-A-Doo worm by a rock," well.... 
    Listen to such comments, but they are often a bum steer as far as locating the most consistently productive structure in the reservoir. And that should be your goal - finding consistently productive structure.
    To that end, I suggest you study this article and the included map, and put together a plan using what we've offered here. Then, keep in mind that you can usually do better by, "getting the heck out of the trees'!

- Buck Perry, 1973

Footnotes

(1) I had to look up, "boat trail,"... that term is unfamiliar to me...

"An underwater boat trail on a flooded reservoir is a submerged path historically cleared of hazards (like stumps or trees) to allow safe navigation through dense, flooded timber, or the original riverbed submerged by the lake.
Boaters use these established trails, usually marked with buoys or PVC pipes, to avoid major structural damage."

(2) Bob The Diver Dude, a local diver in Lexibngton, SC, has made a name for himself in the area recovering items lost in the waters of the local reservoir waters.

But Bob is a diver, and he is quick to recount all the large fish he sees - schools of them - swimming freely, with not an angler in sight. He is also certain they have never seen an anglers lure, because they simply live where anglers don't go looking for them.

Another instance along these lines that comes to mind is told by local guide, Chip Bragg. He says that, while trolling for striper, he is not surprised to catch hefty bass in deep water channels. 25 feet, or more... and I'd bet Ol' Chip hangs a few big catfish from time to time, as well.

The point is this: these fish don't live in the shallow shore waters we whip to foam with propeller lures and buzzbaits. Rather, they visit there on occasion, under the right conditions. After all, if big fish stayed under docks and other visible cover 24/7, we'd all be catching our limits and complaining a lot less.

It's just that most of us are unaccustomed to going after them in their true, deeper water sanctuaries.  

This was expanded from an article in the long out of print 'Fishing Facts' magazine. Hopefully it will help my fellow anglers.

Depth Finder Advice - From 1973

Stop Fishing Blindly! …Get a depth sounder

Back in 1973, your typical angler couldn’t afford a depth finder. 

According to the government’s inflation calculator, $175 for an average flasher unit back then is the equivalent of nearly $1,400 today. Tackle shops had to offer payment plans to help anglers swing the purchase. 

But George Pazik was steadfast in his thoughts that it was a tool you could not do without if you were halfway serious about your fishing.

“Broad daylight, clear sunny day... and these men are fishing blindly."

Look at the guys in the first pic. They are not novice fishermen nor are they fools, they simply don't KNOW that they're fishing blindly. It makes for a beautiful color photograph, but that's all. No fish caught. 

The next photograph in black and white shows the depth sounder reading that indicates the drop-off is from 10 to 17 feet, which is where they OUGHT TO BE FISHING.

In the last pic, you’ll see a contour map and you will note how far out from shore that drop-off comes. The section of the contour map shown on this page has an arrow pointing to the spot along the shore where those men were fishing. 

Now, it IS on a break structure that drops to the deepest water in the area. This is a decent bar, and fish do migrate up onto this bar at times where they are sometimes caught.
And thats the problem: a few fish are caught there under the right conditons. But nobody could you why...or where the fish came from to be there.

As you can see, however, these men were not where they should have been fishing. The preferred spot would be further back where the depth break seen in the second foto connects to the deeper water at 25'.

The men were close, but no cigar. They were unaware that IF fish were going to come up into the shallows where they were casting, they would be coming from the deepest water in the area.
And they would be working up the depth breaks like a staircase to get there. But they come that shallow under the right conditions...and super-bright, sunshiny daylight isnt all that inviting to them.
So the fish may have staged at the 25' mark (their sanctuary area)....but unless conditions were right and to their liking - it is unlikely they would come further...as the men found out. 

I also see the tip of the smaller island IF the depth break there contacts the 25' depth. But because it is a shallow slope, it would have to have some intermediate break for the fish to follow it all the way in, so it falls to 2nd place in priority.

So you can see, with a depth sounder, a good map, and a working knowledge of fish behavior, you can change your "luck." 

Trolling Is Key

 

The Importance Of “Trolling”

Back in the early days, Buck promoted trolling as being your “teacher.” But trolling quickly developed a negative connotation, at least in many bass fishing circles. 

What he was really talking about though was covering water to eliminate unproductive areas, and to locate higher percentage structural features to fish more thoroughly. 

Nowadays, you might refer to the same process as “idling“ or “graphing.” It’s not unusual to hear professional bass anglers mention spending nearly all their time in practice before an event doing nothing but. Today’s pros lean heavily on their electronics to accomplish this - Buck relied on his Spoonplugs. It’s the same concept in action,  before today’s modern technology existed.

Buck Sez: “The trolling, if done correctly, is your ‘teacher’ when on the water. It is the thing that will tie all the loose ends together such as structure, movements of fish, weather and water conditions, depth and speed control, mapping, and interpretation. The trolling will tell you when, where, what, why and how to cast. If you pass up the trolling process, it is doubtful you will ever become a great fisherman. 

But, after a couple years, you may be able to talk for an hour on ‘how to fish a plastic lizard.’”

How to: Analyze A Lake

 

Breaking Down A Lake

"This diagram shows the channels and the structure situations (marked with an "X") that must be checked out. 

You notice we have placed the "X" in relation to the deepest water in the area (channels). 

Please be aware of the fact our interpretation STARTS at the deepest water, not at the shallows. 

During our presentation of lures we may start at the shallows and work toward the deepest water (channels), but our "interpretation" of a PRODUCTIVE structure situation must start at the channel (deepest water in the area). 

Study this figure very carefully."

- Buck Perry, 1983

Source: Fishing Facts