ZERO AT EM

Pre fished weekend before found fish . Club tournament day last Sunday lots of bait fish on 2 of
the spots I fished . But nothing above or below bait balls . Spot # 3 boat homesteaded from 4 AM to 12:30 won
tournament 19+ pounds that's history ! My question is bait with nothing above or below do you fish that spot
or move on .

Well if u caught 19 lbs at em this past sunday, you are a stud!!!!
Why even bother with spot 1 and 2?

There is almost always fish where bait is. However, I agree with Jimmy...if you caught 19 lbs at a spot...I probably wouldn't go anywhere else the whole day if it was a 1 day tourney...

We've been finding bait all over EM. Just have to find the right bait ball....looks like you finally did.
Like above, I wouldn't worry about the others.

Man 19 pounds in one spot is impressive

that sucks

When I zero at EM I actually dont catch fish. Not 19lbs just saying

Or is he saying there was already a boat on his 3rd spot who ended up winning with 19 lbs?

This is how I read it as well.

Yes, that is what he is saying.

IMO the #1 prize to find is active fish near bait, followed by just finding bait because fish are usually in the vicinity, followed by just finding fishy structure offshore or cover near shore. That's just in general for me. I've fished with guys who want to sit un unproductive bait and end up not catching anything... unless I'm there with a cast net for live bait, I could care less if there's a lot of bait there other than to mark an area to check later, if there are no active fish feeding on them.

All of that said, this time of year is also feast or famine... you find large schools of bait with bass nearby that are already super gorged and full and won't eat, and that can be some of the most frustrating time on the water... you find a school just firing up on bait though and you can be in easy money. Finding fish that are ready to eat is top priority this time of year. Finding baitfish on most fisheries in north Texas shouldn't present much a challenge. Finding the right schools of bass near the right baitfish though will be key to successful fishing.

edit: sucks you had spot 3 that won it marked but someone was on it whole time, best bet probably to find what spot 3 has in common with another spot other than the bait fish, and try to pattern off it if possible. Water depth, temp, and proximity to structure and cover, bottom composition, the usual suspects other than just bait fish present. Something else made the bass be there and not with the other 2 large bait schools you had marked.

Already boat on spot 3 that is correct. Big brown dock with loud bird.

Im saying that I zero a lot and

To answer your question, depth finders typically don't lie. Don't waste your time fishing a ball of bait if you don't actually see fish around it. This also applies to good looking offshore spots. If you don't see fish on it with your graph, they probably aren't there.

not true, a 20 degree cone doesn't show you everything.

That Bird makes alot of noise for sure.

For the most part, 80' to either side can.

Key words in my paragraph: typically and probably. And also, I'm speaking of an instance where I would make a few passes over the spot (like most people would). I've heard multiple guides/pros (especially Fork guides) say that if you don't see the fish, then don't waste your time.