Use of side imaging on graph? Something on crank bait like square bill? Spinner baits?
Obviously there is a lot of water in our local lakes and determining fairly quickly what is 'dead water' or water that's not holding fish is important. Personally, I've seen many areas that show fish but, nothing biting.
Just asking....

You never know Lee. Bass move in and out. I usually give a good looking spot, especially close to deep water several tries over a period of days before writing it off. I try to limit my time to 30 mins. on each spot to see if it is active then move on to the next one.

As far as the bait used; it depends on the time of day and depth you are looking.
- Day light = Spook and Fluke
- 3rd hour = Spinner bait and Fluke and or pitching a worm on the hard wood.
- 4th hour = Moving deeper working the deep brush off points and rock with cranks and jigs.
- Then to deep structure only fishing for the fish that are showing up on the depth finder. Long lining Spinner bait and deep cranks.

I use Side Scan for locating and understanding structure and cover...not so much for finding fish.

For me, once I find an area with structure that should hold fish, I idle with a split screen of sonar and downscan to locate fish....arches are your friend!

This time of year, if your not graphing fish, do not stop!

follow the birds

^this

every spot I stop at looks good on the graph and it loaded with fish only problem is they all have stripes on them on no green coloration. sure keep thinking there will be some green fish around with all the bait but no luck for me lately. fishing a tournament tomorrow don't have very high expectations may have to start keeping the striped fish so atleast I have a meal to show for my day on the lake.

Tomorrow? Saturday - Good Luck!!! Be careful. Kids still out of school, power boats/skiers/jet skies and sail boats all!
Hope you do well shipmate, seriously! Take LOTS of suntan lotion, water and a BIG hat!

I work out side 6days a week in a dark uniform and no shade fishing in shorts is like a vacation to Alaska for me. fishing in 100 degrees here is way more tolerable than fishing the swamps in Louisiana temps of 98 humitiy 95% and no breeze awywhere to be found. sure can't jump in to cool off either or you might become bait. that's how I grew up fishing.

Think I have 'graphed' every bit of 'dead water' there is on EM!! Guess should make a map of that...now I would have some good stuff

I know exactly how that feels!

TOW

Where the bait fish are, is what I look for out deep this time of year, for the most productive water.