Reading the water

[WalterK]

I am going to keep you guys busy for a while yet.

Water conditions change, so what must I always keep in mind?

Clear water, the bass can see me.
What rig do I start with?
What depth?

Murky water.
Same questions?

Do I always fish near structures or can Bass be found in open waters?

Water temperature.
Warm, go shallow?
Cold, Go deep?

When to use a Texas or Carolina or Wacky or a drop shot?

Where do I look?
Reeds, trees, under water obstructions or lily pads?

Do I stop and fish or do you guys continue trawling?

I am going to be calling on Jim_from_Zim soon to teach me how to ready a fish finder.

Thanks in advance
Walter

[Jim_From_Zim]

I am going to keep you guys busy for a while yet.

Water conditions change, so what must I always keep in mind?

Clear water, the bass can see me.
What rig do I start with? Start with watermelon colour baits. Dont worry about them seeing you. Bait colour more important
What depth? Typically up to 12 ft or so

Murky water.
Same questions? Darker baits like junebug or black.

Do I always fish near structures or can Bass be found in open waters? 99% of the time on structure. A rocky underwater spot is structure even if this is in open water

Water temperature.
Warm, go shallow?
Cold, Go deep?
Nope. Depends on time of day. Early and late they're shallower, mid day deeper

When to use a Texas or Carolina or Wacky or a drop shot? Check other reply

Where do I look?
Reeds, trees, under water obstructions or lily pads? All of these, plus grass banks, rocky points, etc etc

Do I stop and fish or do you guys continue trawling? We never trawl. We always fish

I am going to be calling on Jim_from_Zim soon to teach me how to ready a fish finder.
I'm a humminbird fan and can help with these. But YouTube has great tips on how to read the finders of different makes

Thanks in advance
Walter