In Part 2, we look at some of the basic structural and cover pieces found at Moses Lake. We finish up with a video at the end showing how to incorporate the use of Google Earth to help break down a lake like Moses Lake. We’ve included the link to part 1 as well.
A little background first.
Structure: The foundation of a lake or river. The bottom composition and shape of a body of water. Including channels, holes, flats, humps, and ledges.
Cover: That which grows (vegetation) on the structure or is placed on the structure, including what is floating above the structure (docks).
Structure
Shoreline Flats and Slopes (contours)
Shoreline flats can be either wide or narrow. Within the flat itself, subtle depth changes and contours of the flat offer expanded spawning options.
Island Flats
Another form of flat can come in those that are formed around islands. Often, different sides of the island will offer different slopes and bottom compositions, so not all sides of an island are created equal.
Rock to Sand Transition
Large rock (boulder) to smaller rock/sand transitions are key components of anticipating bass activity. These transitions can happen on both an inside and an outside edge – so expect a transition both shallow and deep and note how the cover intersects with those transitions.
Cover
Emergent Shoreline Cover (Bulrushes, Tules, etc.)
The best cover will have “character”…points, pockets and pathways. Another way to describe this type of cover is “broken”.
Docks
Docks are another type of cover, but in and off themselves they are just “stuff”. But combine that “stuff” with other cover and structure pieces and you’ll have a much more complete view of what’s going on and why bass are or aren’t using them.
Being a retired tournament angler, I thought it might be of some interest to begin to share a tell-all series on lessons learned from past tournaments before I get any older and memories start to fade.
Responses