Dude -- you HAVE been studying )

Have you tried this out yet? It would be interesing to see how this would
apply in different areas of the country, and different bodies of water -
reservoirs, natural lakes, etc.
Where I fish, I have never noticed a transition area like you describe.
Maybe it's there, and I just never noticed it. The lakes, canals, etc in my
area mostly have soft, muddy bottoms, so I'm not sure if the transition are
is there or not.

And you're right about following the shoreline, regardless of what the
bottom looks like. I'm guilty of that, myself.


--
Bass Wishes from South Florida!
Jack
http://www.bassguidesoftware.com




"GL3Loomis" wrote in message
news
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