See what you have been missing!!!!

 As submitted by Rod Brady

  

As a professional angler I am always paying very close attention to current water and weather situations or conditions. By paying close attention to weather patterns you can almost predict when fish are sure to be feeding heavily. One thing however that is overlooked by most all anglers is structure and contours that are highly visible during low water periods.

 When our local rivers and lakes are at a low point I spend as much time as possible on the water………am I fishing, of course. What is actually being done during this time is a study of the area's I fish. You would be amazed at the tons of bass holding cover visible to you that is otherwise not normally seen.

 Now I take this to the extreme, marking maps, creating waypoints and photographing these pieces of cover which is excellent for my line of work. But for the average angler just a small mental note of a piece of cover in one of your favorite area's can pay huge dividends.

 For example I once won a little week night tournament here on our system three weeks in a row on what, I to this day believe was the same Smallmouth. The very small rock point I caught this fish off of was visible once the previous year during extremely low water table. Given the normal depth I knew this piece of structure would hold fish………and was confident it would hold a large fish.

 By knowing the layout of the bottom contour I was able to strategically place the boat where it needed to be and let my casting abilities and current do the rest. To this day I still watch guys fish the same shoreline of river and run right over the top of this fish magnet.

 So the next time your favorite body of water is thirsting for a drink take the time to take advantage. Get out there, take pictures make notes or mark the shoreline somehow, but be prepared to increase your catch. Remember not to get discouraged if some of what you find does not hold fish. It may mean being there at a certain time of year or  it may not hold fish ever.

 The  more you do this the more familiar you will become with locating the right pieces of cover in the right area's. This will pay off big as you become more familiar with what to look for, after all fishing is a learning game. Those who pay attention realize the value of time spent on the water no matter how small the time spent.

 Good luck in your fishing endeavors and remember keep only what you can use and release the rest to give the next angler to come along some joy. Tight lines and God Bless!!!!!

 

03/29/04