IF YOU’RE GOING TO CATCH FISH, YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STRUCTURE.

  STRUCTURE CAN BE A POINT DROPPING INTO DEEPER WATER, ROCK PILES, SUBMERGED LOGS, WEED LINES AS WELL AS A TRANSITION FROM A SOFT BOTTOM, A MUDDY BOTTOM TO A HARD BOTTOM.

  THE REASON FISH RELATE TO STRUCTURE IS THAT’S WHERE THEY FIND THEIR FOOD SOURCE.

  MICROSCOPIC ZOO PLANKTON ATTACHES TO THE ROCK, LOGS ETC., WHICH IN TURN ATTRACTS THE BAITFISH AND THE PREDATOR SPECIES.

  WEEDS NOT ONLY ATTRACT SMALLER FISH AND BAITFISH, THEY  BRING IN THE WALLEYE AND PIKE TO FEED AND DURING THE SUMMER, THEY GIVE OFF OXEGEN, WHICH KEEPS THE WATER COOLER. 

   THE MUDDY BOTTOMS ARE WHERE THE MAYFLY HATCH OCCURS, WITH THE WALLEYES AND OTHER  SPECIES MOVING IN TO FEED.

STRUCTURE DOESN’T NEED TO BE HUGEM FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE PRE-FISHING FOR A TOURNAMENT BELOW GAVINS POINT DAM, I NOTICED THAT WATER HAD BEEN COMING DOWN FROM THE HILLSIDE ABOVE, ACROSS THE ROAD AND  INTO THE RIVER.

USING MY ELECTRONICS, I WORKED ALONG THE EDGE WHERE THE INCOMING WATER ENTERED THE RIVER.

MY ELCTRONICS INDICATED AN AREA, ONLY ABOUT 3″ WIDE WITH 4″ DEEP CUT, WHERE THE WATER HAD CUT A SLIGHT DEPPRESSION THAT THE BAITFISH  USED TO GET AWAY FROM THE PREY FISH.

ALONG THE EDGE, MY ELECTRONICS SHOWED BIGGER FISH, WAITING FOR THE BAITFISH TO MAKE A MISTAKE AND  TO COME OUT OF IT.

HOLDING OVER THAT AREA, I RIGGED A JIG AND MINNOW AND STARTED PROBING ALONG THE DEPRESSION.

IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG BEFORE A 5-POUND WALLEYE TOOK MY OFFERING,  IN THE NEXT HALF HOUR, I LANDED 3 MORE FISH OVER  3-POUNDS!

ONCE MY TOURNAMENT PARTNER SHOWED UP, WE RELEASED THEM IN THE SAME SPOT WHERE THEY CAME FROM.

  YOUR ELECTRONICS, WILL POINT OUT ALL OF THESE, ALLOWING THE ANGLER TO ZERO IN ON PERSPECTIVE SPOTS.

  WITH THE NEW ELECTRONICS, NOT ONLY ALLOWING THE ANGLER TO SEE BELOW HIS BOAT, BUT ALSO OFF TO THE SIDE.

  ONCE YOU LOCATE GOOD STRUCTURE, ADD A WAY POINT TO YOUR ELECTRONICS, ALLOWING YOU TO RETURN TO THAT LOCATATION WITH LITTLE TROUBLE.