Let's talk flats...

Flats have always puzzled me...be them deep, medium, or shallow. "Irregular" features I understand; points, ledges, humps, etc., but flats...how, when, and what to look for?? Someone bust some knowledge bombs on me.

Flats are where the big ones are in the fall ... does that help?

flats are feeding grounds typically....best flats are close to deep water and/or channel swings.

Flats- always fish near deep water. Look for drains, an object by its self.
Old ranch roads, fence rows ETC.

This is how I found the best flats when I was fishing tournaments. Start with your hard map and find the biggest flats up each main creek channel or cove. I want the flat to be as far away form boat traffic as possible. I wanted the flat to be just before the creek channel rose to only 10 ft. of water remaining in the last 1/3 of that creek. The best flats will have heavy cover on them in the shallows with deeper bushes for the Bass to move to the shallows from deep water to shallow water. Each Bass will stop at the same spots on that route to feed in the shallows. It is my feeling that once that Bass finishes feed then it will not move any farther toward the shallows. Some make it all the way to the shoreline cover and some finish before they get there, then return to their comfort zone for the rest of the day.

I fished them year round and checked them every time on the water. Knowing where every piece of cover is on that flat is the key to getting bit quick. I never beat them up and only took what I could catch on the first pass through them and left for the next one. By 9:00 each morning I was ready to move to the Second Drop on those same flats. These are spots in 5 to 15 ft. and is many times the last shallow water cover on the flat. I looked for the second drop spots in the same areas as the shallow water spots that seemed to hold excellent top water fish and Fluke fish year round. Then by 11:00 I would move to the Deep Water Spots if the stringer wasn't large enough and fish those until weigh-in. This would be along the creek channel itself and any standing timber where the flat dropped to it's deepest point into the creek.

In checking the shallow water spots during the week, if weather or water conditions was not right to produce large fish then we would go straight to the Second Drop Spots at day break and start there staying out of the shallows. Sometimes they were not producing there either: so we stayed on the deep water spots adjacent to the best flat all day long. I would divide the flats in 3 levels of depth and put together the day accordingly.

This is why I like picture books. Love what you said Donald, but my ADD keeps kicking in about every 5 seconds. And I'm having a hard time really picturing what you mean. Any pics with the information would be worth "a thousand words".

It is really not that hard to understand.
- Open your hard map. Pick one of the larger creeks or coves with a creek to start looking.
- Start looking at the map where the water depth gets to 20 ft.
- I like the last 1/3 of that creek starting at 20 ft. and follow it back until the depth is 10 ft.. My best flats have been in this short section of the coves.
- Any bend in the creak will produce a flat on both sides.
- The inside bend flat is usually the best in the Spring.
- I also like the flats that are the biggest. Meaning there is more water between the creek and the shoreline.
- Go shallow first next to the shore and throw top water, spinner baits, flukes and cranks. Catching fish shallow like this tells me there are good fish traveling that route from the creek to the shore.
- The first couple of hours at day break is the best for shallow water fishing.
- By 9:00 they are on their way back to their comfort zone near the creek.
- Again knowing where every piece of cover is on that flat will allow you to keep getting bit as they move in and move back out.

Using that flat in the Spring for spawning fish is a little different. All you have to do is figure out the depth the spawn is taking place and pitch ever piece of cover in that depth range on each flat. If it is 5 ft. then they are going to be there for a few days until finished. Success will come when the sun is on the water for a few hours during the spawn. Just because she want bit the first time through doesn't mean she want bite a hour from now.

Donald,

I think I am reading you as something like this...

Thanks for all the input, fellas.

That red square is the outside bend of the channel. It will produce as a channel swing close to the bank sometimes. The inside bend is on the right side of the creek and there is lots of water and bushes between the creek and the shore. Those Bass will prefer that big flat to the right and will move from one bush to the next until they have ambushed all the pray they need as they are moving toward the shallower water.

One of the best spots I see on there is just to the left of the 15ft. mark. That creek channel runs right between two wide contours or flats. I would prefer the one on the right side because it is furthermost from the shore.

David.
This creek has several things going for it which will make it one of the best on the lake.
- It appears to be a North Cove.
- It is a Dog Leg Cove (sharp bend in the creek).
- It is a double creek cove. The water is much richer in a double creek cove. Bass just like them.
- It is a deep water cove in the front 1/3.
- It has channel swings in 3 places just in this section. That is not counting the swings in the back of both shallow creeks. (Where the creek is closer on one bank than the other)
- The shoreline drops off quickly in several spots which allows for a super top water bite each morning.

It is one of the best. The Fishing spot at the creek channel bend isn't mine. I was really just pulling up the last 1/3 where it goes from 20 to 15 to 10 foot. There is grass in there, so yes... This is an area that was featured on an episode of Honey Hole last year!

Good to know the grass is rebounding at sandlin. Hopefully it will spread.

Donald sounds like a guy I would like to go out with and learn from.

Good Info here!!

This is interesting. That channel swing appears to be about 200 yards from the bank on the right. I would have never considered a "flat" of that size something worth looking for pre-spawn and spawing fish on. I'd always concentrated on shallow water much closer to the creek channel

Big Bass like big flats. It is all about having 10 times the choices of spots to spawn. A large flat holds more bushes and other cover at different depths. It holds the potential for a second drop or contour line which it has. Stair stepping the elevation up to the shallows is important. The big fish want plenty of room to roam looking for the right spot as they travel to the shallows for feeding or spawning.

Big flats also provide all the right cover for ambush points along the way to the shallows for feeding fish during other times of the year other than the spawn. Each Bass will move from bush, to stump, to rocks, and etc. toward the shallows using the same ones each day on their feeding patterns for ambush points. They become very familiar with the cover that is there and will use some of that same cover to spawn on or beside when the time comes.

It has been my experience on the short flats or the ones with the shortest distance from the creek channel to the shoreline to produce more schooling fish. These fish seen to disappear much quicker as they make short runs to the bank to corner pray and then are gone.

great info. thanks

To expand on this a little, if the flat you mentioned above did not have much for cover, say scattered grass and a stump here and there, would it still be an effective flat, or is that just wasted space? Would you still cover it or just move up the creek more? I sometimes have a hard time correlating what I am looking at on the map to what I see while I am on the water. I guess that is probably what makes some fisherman better than others. These kind of posts are extremely beneficial to someone like me. It would be interesting to have the pic of the map, and a pic of what that looks like from on the water perspective.

Exactly what I was wondering. I know some flats on a few lakes I fish, or what I think are flats, but the have barely any cover or none at all.

I'll take pics next time I'm out there of this creek.

But, if you find the Bob Sandlin Honey Hole episode you can see some of it. He was fishing the shore with frogs, but some of the wide shots show the water in that area if I remember correctly.

This is what I have found. Scattered cover will usually produce a fish on each piece. That is all they have, just not many bass moving up there. Lots of cover accommodates more fish with certain sections of the large flat holding the bigger fish. The more cover the easier it is to cast out in "No Man's Land" and get a Crig. or crank close to cover you can't visibly see. Knowing for sure there are 3 stumps and a underwater bush out there in front of you makes it much easier. Maybe the 360 degree scan would be the ticket.

Having the capability to drive over these large flats and make you own map will make all the difference. I need someone to teach me what programs to purchase and how to use them.

If Mr. Burton has this technology, I would gladly pay for the lessons and trips to learn.

Let me see if I'm following. On this map, the area in the middle of the cove on each side of creek channel is what your calling the flat? In an area like this you focus on creek bends and cover? I think I need good lesson on reading maps. I understand ledges, humps, and points but have harder times recognizing funnel points and flats. Read a good post a while back on funnel points.

Look to the left of the 15 ft. marker in the middle of the Screen Shot. See the creek channel run between two wide contour lines. One is on the short side (left) of the creek. It is a small flat coming off of the little point which is called a point hook. The point drops off quick on the tip end; but the flat hooks to the left and drops off into the creek. The contour line on the right also forms a under water point that comes to a point as it drops off into the creek. Again , I like the larger flat and under water structure that takes place next to the creek. If there is any cover next to that creek then that should be the spot or comfort zone of several fish. They will then use that flat and slight rise in contour to move toward the shallows each feeding period.

We just cannot tell by looking at Nav. Charts what is on that flat. We don't see any cover; so, big disadvantage to have to fish all of it to feel for the bushes and rocks. Once you have the capability of mapping problem will be solved. I feel I would be able to take that information and learn the routes or funnel points as they are called to catch more and bigger bass on the flats if you know where every bush, rock and stump is located.

Don knows what he is talking about flats, he whipped me bad one day in the salinas on falcon. I have fished with Don harper for 6 or 7 years he is very sharp on finding fish if it is tough. That being said you dont want him for a net man if your fish is bigger than his he will knock it off LOL.

Sounds a lot like patterning deer movement from bedding areas to feeding areas to breeding areas. Added dimension here is doing it under water with maps, electronics, and by feel. I will be trying to implement this type of thinking into my fishing days! I am usually a follow my gut, fly by the seat of my pants, type fisherman which works for me but I could benefit from this more purposeful thinking approach! Thank you for the cool thread and the insights.

Never expected such great and detailed responses. Thanks for your input, Mr. Harper.

Very funny Grumpy. Please go make me some more Cat Tails in Falcon Green. Ha..

Guess I'll head to Sandlin on Sunday after the Fork Guide tournament. I have HDS gen2 and can record tracks then submit to insight genesis for an updated map. We'll see what I can get you, Don, to help everyone out!

Here's the full satellite of the area, expect to see social map there soon:

I find my biggest problem, looking at the satellite view of that same cove and comparing it to the map view is to actually find that creek channel turn and the points it creates. I think I go by too much above the water visual and not paying close enough attention to the graphs and maps. I tend to get a bit overwhelmed trying to find stuff since I have limited time on the water due to having young kids at home. The information in these kind of threads really help a lot.