Boiling water and structure fishing

Now that the summer heat is with us, the shallow water bite has disappeared exept for those fortunate enough to have grass and pad fields in their lake. Lakes such as Table Rock and Lake of the Ozarks have so little cover(except for docks) that old time structure fishing is the best way to fish. Many types of lures may be used: jigging spoons, grubs, worms, football jigs, deep cranks, etc. The problem most shallow fishermen have when they first try structure fishing is establishing a pattern.

Establishing a pattern for bass is really very easy with today's electronics. Structure fishing revolves around finding bait schools for bass to feed on. If you learn the seasonal patterns of the bait fish, you can start looking for structure to fit their needs for that season. Hot water bait tends to suspend in two main locations; the mid channel and structure at the mouths of major coves.
The easiest structure to fish is at the mouth of the coves. On sharp points with a deep drop, the bait will usually suspend farther from the point than most people think. Look for suspended bait as far as 40-50 yrds. offshore. There will also be bait on the point and just off the drop. The offshore suspended fish get the least fishing pressure and sometimes haven't been fished at all during the summer. Long sloping points allow bass to move up and down the water column to feed. Again the best spot is usually at the drop on the end of the point. The problem with long sloping points is they are easy to see and draw a lot of attention.
My best summer places are where there is a ledge series or deep drop with a feeding flat at 12-30 ft. adjacent to it. In low light conditions, the bass will push bait schools onto the flat to feed. As the sun gets higher, the bass will return to the drop or ledge for the day. Other types of structure to look for are: channel bends, humps, two creek channels combining and where two different types of bottom material meet. As you are running the boat, look for humps. Older lakes such as LOZ have many humps which are not on fishing maps.

If you fish for suspended bass; jigging spoons, heavy spinnerbaits and large grubs are hard to beat. For flats and humps use cranks, football jigs, worms and c-rigs.

 

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