Fish Location

Being in the right spot is the single most important factor involved in fishing! Approximately 90% of lakes, rivers & reservoirs do not hold fish. The 10% that do however . . . have something called "structure!"

By definition, structure is any identifiable object, break, or change in under water terrain that holds and attracts fish. Areas that have structure are . . . points, drop-offs, rock piles, sunken islands, gravel bars, weed beds, submerged timber, stumps, logs & numerous other spots which involve a change in depth or bottom content!

Fish are predominately bottom relating creatures that use structure, because this is where the baitfish live. They use edges and contours of structure to travel, hunt, hide and ambush their prey! The majority of fish spend their non-feeding time suspended in deep water adjacent to these feeding grounds. However, structure areas hold the majority of the active catchable fish!

Once you locate a piece of structure that is holding fish, it's time to get more specific and find the "contact spot", or the exact pin-point location where the school is holding!

Some of the most productive "contact spots" for fishing are rock poles, gravel humps, weed pockets, brush piles, clam beds, dips or rises on flats, inside & outside corners of an off-shore bar, a little jog along a straight drop-off, or a shallow finger surrounded by deep water. In rivers, look for eddies where fish are free from current, pools behind wing dams, deep holes & submerged trees & stumps for the best fishing opportunities.