Structure vs. Cover

"Our glossary of terms states:

 ‘STRUCTURE - the bottom of the lake with unusual features that distinguishes it from the surrounding bottom area.’ We must note the word BOTTOM. It is used not just one time in this sentence, it is used TWICE. 

At no time did it say structure was a weed patch, dock, tree, bush, rock, stump, etc.

That's because those are types of cover. 

The bottom of the lake (reservoir, stream, pond, etc.) was what it said, and what it meant.”

Buck Perry

📸 Fishing Facts, Feb. 1978

Man-Made Structure...Fish It!

Spence Petros On Man-Made Structures

Spence shares a few thoughts from his article detailing his Sep. 1973 trip to a couple Illinois reservoirs made with Buck Perry, John Buoy and fellow Editor Carl Malz.

✅ Buck pointed out that the easiest structure to find, recognize and fish productively are man-made structures. This includes the areas of the dam, roadbeds, bridges, causeway or anything else of this type that will extend to and meet the old river channel. 

✅ This type of structure gives the fish something to relate to, something to follow or travel along in his movements from deep to shallow and from shallow to deep. 

This type of structure is what is meant by saying that one of the ways to catch the fish is to find shoreline structure that reaches the channel. 

In the two flatland reservoirs we fished, a number of good fish were caught off these man-made structures.

✅ In all instances, when we fished the rip rap, we trolled. If a fish was hooked, we immediately made another trolling pass over the same area. Several fish hooked in succession would then lead you to believe a school of fish might be present. The immediate area should then be fished from a casting position in an attempt to locate the school.

✅ One thing you must remember is that most of the time you troll to find the casting position. A good troller's catches will almost always come from a casting position he has established after precise, exact trolling.

📸 Fishing Facts, 1974

Northside In Spring

Lowrance Scientific Fishing: Tip #8 (1974)

Surface Water Temperature

YOU'LL GET YOUR FIRST SPRING LIMIT IN THE NORTHERN COVES!

✅ Here's why: Before gamefish spawn, in early spring, they head for shallow water and tend to gather where the surface temperature is 10 to 15º warmer than the main body of water.

✅ As sunny days begin to warm the surface water, southerly winds push the water in a northern direction. This results in "Stacking" warm water against the northern shores and increases the temperatures in northern coves by as much as 15°

✅ These warmer temperatures attract fish to shallow structure adjacent to their deep-water sanctuaries. So, look for warm surface areas where gamefish have easy access to both deep and shallow water structure and you'll be most likely to find real action.

✅ The new Lowrance LTD-200 Surface Fish-n-Temp will help you scientifically locate warmer currents in spring or cooler water in summer. It's a permanent mount unit that accurately reports water temperatures even when you're running at full power.

Deep Water...Find It!

How Deep Is, 'Deep Water'?

Well,... it varies. And here we will tell you why it matters more than any other factor in fishing. More than weather, or lures and lure color, or rods and reels, fish finders, and so on.
In fact, Karl Malz answered this most important question of the day in this way…

✅ Karl Maltz....

<< We have to remember that the words "deep water" are relative. 

To a lake trout fisherman, on the one hand, "deep" could mean depths greater than 100 feet. 

To those who fish all types of natural lakes or reservoirs, it could mean anything from 8 to 10 ft. to well over 25 feet. 

But the important thing to remember is this:

We should deliberately seek to orient ourselves to fish near the deepest water. But, we must also keep in mind two little words that Buck Perry added yo his comments on the issue..., "...in an area." 

That is, "...you want to seek the deepest water in a given area."

This is because every body of water is different, and that includes creeks, streams, and rivers. Meanwhile, each body of water can be further broken down into distinct "areas." Each of these areas will be a unique environment within the larger body of water.  We naturally do this mental organizing, but we must shift our focus to concentrate on the deepest water in area as the primary target - everything else revolves around that.
Why?
Because, the adult fish we most want to catch will orient to this deeper water, too...it will be their "safe home." Then, they will come to know the breaks and breaklines in that particular area which they will follow in their feeding movements to and fro. It would be well for we fishermen to do the same. <<

- Fishing Facts, 1974.

Here's how this applies: Start with the deepest water IN AN AREA, and figure out the most direct path to shallower water feeding areas FROM that deeper water. Then fish along that "path of movement," from shallow to the deep water, or vice versa.
This isn't just endlessly casting lures at weeds and docks, hoping a fish made it that far.
It is a "total water view" that centers on the actual habits of the adult fish we all want to catch.