Understanding Bass Use of Structure

Structures, sometimes referred to as structure breaks, are types of changes in bottom depths referred to as bottom contours or contour patterns. Structures such as flats and roadbeds feature near uniform depths where ledges, points, creek channels, cuts/pockets, funnel/saddles, humps, holes, walls, and shorelines feature changes in depths sometimes referred to as drop offs. Buck Perry is considered the individual that made structures for bass fishing popular.

Why is understanding Bass Use of Structure Important?

Understanding bass use of structure is important to:   

  • Find Bass: All lakes are made up of a variety of structures to which bass locate near structures or use structures for migration and other purposes.
Understanding Bass Use of Structure
Bass use structures as:
  • Navigation Paths: Sometimes referred to as bass highways, some suggest structures provide bass navigation assistance for:
    • Seasonal Migrations: Bass winter deep (offshore) and move (migrate) to their spawning beds in the spring. In the fall they, if they are not already deep, will move(migrate) deep.
      • Staging Locations: Bass make stops during migrations, referred to as staging, which are often based on structures between the deep and shallow.
    • Deep to Shallow (and vice versa): Summer and fall some bass will be moving between deep and shallow water, some suggest, using structures to assist in the movements.
  • Escape Routes:  Bass when spooked will go to deeper water if possible as it provides more escape routes. As such bass will seek structures with drop offs.
    • Deep is Relative: Drop offs size is relative to the body of water and the immediate area. In other words, a 1 foot drop off can be significant on a flat structure. 
  • Concealment Locations: Some steep drop offs and indents on the bottom can provide bass location with ambush opportunities, shade and shelter, similar to cover.
  • Structures can feature:
    • Steeper Drop offs: Bass can more easily adjust their position in the water column with steeper drop offs some suggest is more desired in the summer months. 
    • Thermoclines: Bass will use structures with drop offs to quickly descend to the depth of thermocline when they exist.
    • Proximity to Shallow Water: Some suggest structures that feature quick access to shallow water bass prefer over long slops – similar to quick drop offs for escape routes.  
    • Secondary/Multiple Structures: Some suggest bass will seek structure combinations for example a hump on a point.
    • Hunting Baitfish:  Bass will use structures to push schools of baitfish shallow for example shoreline, hump/shoal.
Common structures include:
  • Creek Channels: Also called river channels and drains, are former creek that resided prior to that body of water being flooded in the creation of a reservoir. They are generally a weaving row of parallel drop offs.
    • Bass Locations: Bass will reside anywhere on the creek channel including seeking out cover on the former shores. 
    • Navigation Paths: Some suggest creek channels provide navigation paths from deep to shallow and typically to a cut/pocket.
    • Two Banks: Bass will associate with either bank even though one side can be quite a bit higher than the other bank due to factors for example current, shade, proximity to shallows.
    • Previous Shoreline: The end of a creek channel can provide insights to where the previous shore was located. Previous shorelines sometimes feature hard bottom sand and gravel and cover such as trees. 
    • Feeder Creeks: Typically, the main creek channels have feeder creeks, which bass will associate at the mouth or up the creek.
Creek Channel - Courtesy of Navionics
  • Cuts/Pockets [Bays]: Cuts/Pockets are raised on three sides and the opposite of a point. They are typically found off an underwater flat, creek channels and shorelines. A cut on a channel can be called a channel swing. A cut protected by three sides by land and protected from wind is sometimes called a pocket, especially when small.
    • Deep(Offshore) Cuts: Some suggest that on flats look for cuts as bass will locate on the top of the flat or in the cut at these locations due to proximity to deeper water. 
Cut/Pocket - Courtesy of Navionics
  • Flat: Flats are areas of uniform depth, or near uniform depths that can be shallow or deep(offshore).
    • Indentations: Bass will associate with indentations on flats not identified by electronics as sustained depth changes. 
Flats - Courtesy of Navionics
  • Funnel/Saddle: A funnel, also called a saddle, is two cuts back to back with shallow water in between. They provide a pathway, or gateway, a migration path, from one section of the water to another. In some cases, funnels will have land on either side.
    • Wind/Waves: Some suggest bass will position themselves in funnels when wind is blowing through a funnel ready for dead forage and forage that is chasing food through the funnel.
      • Funnel Size: Some suggest smaller shallow funnels will result in more current during wind.
    • Deep (Offshore) Funnels: Some suggest bass will navigate and position themselves in deep funnels.
Funnel/Saddle - Courtesy of Navionics
  • Hole: Hole is a low spot surrounded by higher land. In reservoirs it may have been a pond prior to the dam.
    • Bait Fish: Baitfish including perch will locate in the lowest waters but bass tend to reside more on the top banks of the hole. 
Hole - Courtesy of Navionics
  • Humps: Humps, sometimes referred to as a shoal, are drop offs on all sides, essentially an underwater island.
    • Wind/Waves: Some suggest bass will locate at the first isolated humps when the wind is blowing off the deep water onto that hump as it is where the food for baitfish will arrive first. 
    • Frequent Often: Some suggest bass will stop at humps as they travel from shallow to deep and vice versa presumably looking for baitfish.
    • Water Temperature: Shallow humps on calm days will heat up first.
Humps - Courtesy of Navionics
  • Ledges: Ledges, also called ridges, are a continuous row of drop offs. In other words, a line of a sharp transition from shallow water to deeper water. A ledge with a very dramatic drop off is called a bluff wall. Sometimes bluff walls are on shorelines.
Ledge - Courtesy of Navionics
  • Points: Points are drop offs on three sides. The fourth side is typically land, or an underwater flat. A point is opposite of a cut.  Secondary points generally refer to points between a main point towards the deepest water and a cut/pocket.
    • Shallow and Deep: Bass like to be close to shallow water and deep water and points represent both. Points are also time efficient to fish as there are relatively small areas to target.
Points - Courtesy of Navionics
  • Roadbeds: Roadbeds are flooded roads found in reservoirs. 
    • Hard Bottom: Generally rod beds have hard bottom with a variety of cover and soft/hard bottom on the sides.
    • Ditches: Choosing roadbeds includes the side of roads which can feature many irregularities including ditches. Ditches may not be identified on electronics.
    • Visible Bridges: In some cases roadbeds can be located near visible bridges as the roads now require bridges which are often constructed near the submerged roads.
Road Beds - Courtesy of Navionics
  • Shoreline: A shoreline is a ledge with one side being shore. Sometimes referred to as a bank, or in fishing terms – bank beating.  Albeit, not commonly considered a structure, it provides bass with
    • Forage: Forage that drops into the water or is washed into the water can attract bass to the shore.
    • Shade: Trees, docks and walls provide shade depending on the time of day.
Shoreline - Courtesy of Navionics
  • Small Islands: Small Islands also called it a ait, eyot, are typically exposed rock or sand and not commonly considered a structure. Small islands are an exposed hump and differ from shoreline slightly as all sides can be fished using a trolling motor.
    • Wind/Waves: Some suggest bass will locate on the windward side as baitfish food is pushed towards the island.
Fishing Considerations
  • Fish Deep to Shallow: When fishing a structure, some suggest starting with the deepest spot first and move shallow in a methodical order not to spook the more shallow fish. 
  • Wind/Waves: Some believe choosing structures with wind/waves is better then structures without wind unless sight fishing. This is true until the wind is too strong to fish then need to find structures protected from the wind.
  • Cast Up Wind: Bass face the current/wind as such casting up wind will allow the bass to see your lure approaching them and thus see it longer opposed to casting downwind. 
  • Parallel Cast Drop Offs: Cast parallel to drop off enables the lure to stay at a steady depth.
  • Fan Cast Flats: When not targeting cover, fan cast by starting at the deepest spot, fan cast all locations to maximize coverage, when not targeting specific cover. Multiple fan casting from the different locations to the same spots will provide a different look to bass present.
  • Establish Grass Depth: On most bodies of water grass will start growing at a certain depth. As such, some suggest establishing the grass depth then look for structures such as flats and points that would be at the high end of that growth range.
It's About the ALLURE™
Lures for Fishing Structures are Typically Based On:

Shallow Lures or Deep Lures

High Visibility Lures or Low Visibility Lures 

Contacting Cover

Fishing Fast Lures or Fishing Slow Lures

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