You know some old pro is going to read this and laugh.... I've been doing
that for years and this guy thinks he has stumbled onto something big. Well
the fact is, I too have been doing this to some degree myself, but I think I
have found a sure way to go onto any body of water, in any section, and
after only a few minutes of basic mapping, know the migration routes most
traveled. Almost guaranteeing me that I am going to have an incredible day
of fishing.

Let me first define a few key words so that we have a common understanding.

STRUCTU
The bottom. It's contours; humps, bumps, cracks, groves, holes, bowls,
peaks, valleys, cliffs, ledges, channels, cannels, and its content; muck,
clay, peat, sand, gravel, rock, and boulders.

COVER:
All plant life living both in and out of the water, and objects (docks,
boats, etc.) that provide shade, offer protection, and supports life
(attracts food sources and produces oxygen).

BREAKLINES:
While both cover and structure have breaklines, cover is easiest to define
since it is the physical border of an plant or object and its visual shade
line. Where with structure, it is the border or ridge of a physical
structure feature or an arbitrary line (e.g., following a specific depth).

We all know bass migrate from deep water, to shallow water, and back again
throughout the year. We also know that bass use structure as roadways to
get from point "A" to point "B", and structure features, such as rocks,
boulders, and outcroppings as rest stops; and cover as restaurants and
hotels.
We also know that the length of time a bass hold at a rest stop or stay on a
piece of cover depends on the accommodations (i.e., how good and how much
food is available. How good the security system is - places to hide and rest
without worry of predators, and how comfortable they feel - oxygen, pH,
temperature)

Well before I go too far off on a tangent, we also know, that in the heat of
summer, that the thermocline is the optimal breakline, and where it meets
structure objects and cover, schools of bass will be chilling out sipping on
margaritas and feeding on the buffet.

Well, how about another breakline that is almost as good as a thermocline
and yet, is available year round. One that is well known, but rarely used
by most bass anglers. Transitional breaks - where soft terrain meet hard
terrain. We have all used these features to locate bass along a shoreline,
but from my research, bass prefer these transitional breaks for moving
around, from both deep to shallow, and from feeding spot to feeding spot.
What is not totally understood by biologist is why. Studies have shown
that if bass are given a choice of following a grove/crack, channel, or
transitional line, they will follow the transition. Again, I cannot answer
why, but from all I read they do.

Ok, today we all have sonar with gray scale or flasher units that show the
double echo of hard bottoms. We know bass will follow channels. We know
they will follow a ridgeline of outcroppings (which is a transitional
breakline), and we know they will follow transitional breaks and prefer
them. So if we start mapping an area for these features and notes how they
flow into, through, and out of the shallows, we are likely to stay on fish.
For once we, as anglers, move shallow, most anglers will follow the
shoreline. But now, we follow the transitional breakline or lines. Knowing
where they come into contact with cover and other structural features bass
are likely to be found.

Well, that is the readers digest version. Which doesn't take into account
all the other factors, current, water color/condition, weather, etc. Which
will definitely play a role. But what do you think?


--
Craig Baugher