I find myself getting into a fishing rut. I am new to bass fishing but i feel like i have thrown at the same structure/boat docks 100 time now. I guess I feel like I have to cast at some object. Boat dock, log, rock, ect. Where do you begin when you want to fish deeper water away from the shoreline? From what i understand The typical bass pattern would be for them go deeper after spawning and into the summer heat. Any advise would be appreciated.

I used to beat the banks all the time but started to throw out instead of at the banks. Not always successful but does open up options especially after the morning bite. 4-12 feet of water. I still have a hard time fishing in real open water too.

Im usually still looking for structure to throw at...just under water instead of above.

Book a trip with a guide on your lake. You will learn more about fishing off shore in a day than you would in a year alone.

Use your electronics and find something out of norm on the bottom. Rig up a 1oz Carolina Rig and fish it. This will allow you to feel the bottom easily and make it more interesting for you. Not only will you begin to feel better about fishing deep, you'll prolly catch fish in the meantime.

Find yourself a copy of the book Catch Fish with Maps by Robert Knops. That'll be a good start.

I know how you feel. My goal for the new year was to quit beating the banks and docks and fish more open water. So far this year I have been doing just that and have been much more successful on the lakes I have fished.
One of the best things you can do is study maps of the lake. Look for areas that will hold fish. Drop offs, creek channels, shallow points next to deeper water. trees next to deeper water, etc. If you have a means of getting GPS coordinates and a GPS receiver even better.
Plan the spots you want to fish and map them out. If you can have two or three rods rigged up with something different. Something in a soft plastic, a rattletrap, and a spinner bait. For deeper water trade the spinner bait for a deep diving crank bait. You could also trade the rattle trap for a squarebill for water less than about 6 ft.
Go to your first spot and work from shallow to deeper. If you catch one make a note of the depth and try again with the same cast/retrieve speed/action. If nothing move to the next spot. Work a spot thoroughly but don't linger (always my mistake).
If you find a spot where you catch a few and they quit go to another spot then come back later. If its a good spot more fish will move in.
I'm sure others will add their own wisdom as well.
BTW, what lakes are you fishing?

find your thermocline this time of year and a piece of structure like rocks, trees, drop, trough, etc and watch your electronics to see if fish are holding on it. schooling fish are also a added bonus for this time of year, look for schools of shad and ambush spots where bass will feed. It could be a hump or a shoal. 4 to 12 ft could be your magical depth. Crankbaits, carolina rigs, and jigs, at least thats what i would do. Good luck!

Just grab a c-rig and start fishing every main lake point 12-25ft feel for the drop off and maybe brush then concentrat on it

Thanks for the advise guys. I usually fish Eagle Mountain, Lake Grapevine of Bridgeport. Do yall know any guides for either EM or Grapevine? Next time I go out, im only bringing a C-rig to force myself to fish deeper water like Jake suggested. Again, thank you for the advise guys.

Might have to take a look at the book, Evan.

Just ordered the book. Thank you Evan!

Build your own offshore spots.......guides do...bet it. Bass look for unique structure .....lake full of trees?.....make a rock pile at a break line/creek bend etc....lake full of rock ridges? .....cedar trees are perfect .......jigs, t-rig, c-rig, a-rig, crank bait.....learn the best times and angles to fish the structure you make......need mid level electronics and markers

I've gained some confidence this year by dragging a dropshot through offshore grass. Grass is pretty easy to read on the graph and a dropshot is a very vertical presentation, so you can put it on or near the grass you see on the graph.

I like points because no matter what, the point continues to go into the water, as long as the lake level is decent. Its a guaranteed structure that will usually have some good bass on it. Also, open water is home to some big bass. May not catch much, I still don't, but when you do its usually a good one.