Doug Hannon, Bill Murphy, and John Hope's studies may have had different result and conclusions because they were studying bass in different environments. Doug Hannon's studies were primarily in shallow Florida rivers and river system lakes. Bill Murphy fished deep mountainous California reservoirs susceptible to large fluctuations in water level while John Hope tracked bass in Texas where we can have cold winters and extremely hot summers.

However, there are many similarities to their findings.
The primary commonality is that big bass are efficient. They don't roam or chase, they tend to stay in a small area year round. They achieve this by finding the best locations in a body of water: they seek well protected areas that provide the most stable temperature and food environment. In Florida, that would be a thick grassy weed bed in close proximity to a natural spring that provides a more constant temperature. In a lake surrounded by mountains, it would be a multidirectional drop off that the bass can move up and down depending on drought (water level). In Texas, with our sometimes extreme weather patterns, bass will seek an area with easy access to deeper and shallower water. In Texas, those areas are close to creek channels, which also provide excellent cover (timber and vegetation that grows along a creek)

Funnels and multidirectional drop offs are not exclusive of one another, and are often found in the same location

This is a great topic. This is the kind of stuff that intrigues me about trying to figure out, find and hopefully catch big fish. I have read Bill Murphy's and Dan Hannon's book a few times. I need to read this one from John Hope, it sounds like it relates more to the fish in Texas.

Finding these places is hard for me, when I look at contours on a map I get confused sometimes if the dark lines mean that the water is dropping off like a ledge or if it is rising like a hump.

I also have a Gen 1 Lowrance with SS and down imaging, but the Navionics chip is several years old, I wonder if I got a new chip if the mapping would look as good as the app on my Iphone? The details of these maps on the paid app is amazing, but it is hard to navigate a boat and hold that in your hand, I've already dropped one Iphone 6 in the lake this year....

with a new card, updated, the maps would look exactly like the ones on the app

Thanks! Do you recommend the Premium plus or the Platinum? I think the one I have now is a premium plus but like I said its an older one, maybe 5-7 years old I would guess

Also to add to Hope's tips for catching a big bass at Fork, he said that the magic depth at Fork was 12' due to the way the lake filled. The first three years the lake was open it was 12' below current pool if memory serves me correctly.

I fished it many times back then in the early '80's when the lake was new. When the lake finally filled and opened in 1983, it was like a jungle. All the trees held their leaves even though they turned brown, they didn't fall off for several years. The wasps nests were unbelievable too. The fish schooled in the creeks like you would not believe. It was bass Heaven all through the mid to late '80's.

Mark caught Ethel the day before Thanksgiving in 1986. I remember the day very well. I was in Dallas at work and it was very warm for November. I remember thinking how I wished I was fishing as I took off my jacket due to it being about 75 degrees and calm. Later that afternoon I got a call from a friend of mine telling me that the state record had been broken at Fork. We were all in disbelief due to the lake being so new. Technically it was only a three year old lake!

I later fished with the late Gayland Poe that owned and operated Val's Landing with his wife Val. Gayland had the net that netted Ethel on display in his store. Guess what depth Ethel was caught?? The magic 12 foot, right on the edge of a creek that dropped into 20 feet.

At the time, Mark Stevenson and Ronnie Byrd were the two top guides on Fork. They both told me to concentrate on the 12' depth were there were intersections of a creek, a road, a treeline, a hump, etc.

That information has served me well over the years. Hope this helps.

Ken