I have fished lakes all over the country. All but a hand full was done cold turkey; or never been on the water. I have learned from that hand full of lakes that I have studied for 40 years that I am going to fish where no one else will go or bother with.

I am looking for the thickest shalow cover I can find. Most maps will help you with this information. I am targeting those areas with a good creek bringing the Bass into it.

I threw a spinner bait for the first 20 of those 40 years and won more tournaments than I have won these last 20 years trying to be more versatile. Sometimes I wish I had never bothered with all the appications and baits that are no doubt very productive when you get on fish.

I would alway go to as many of those shallow water, heavey cover areas that I had picked out on the map to be potential winning spots. I would fish them hard and fast until I caught a good keeper. If this didn't happen with in an hour I would move on to the next spot on the map.

When I would catch a good Bass in the thick bushes and lay downs, I would leave it for tournament day. This would give me a starting spot and I would continue going farther back into those type areas until the catching stopped on tournament day then move on to the next area.

My biggest win came out of less than a foot of water in July by two lay downs which were within 10 yards appart. One Bass weighted over 10 and the other one 8 lbs. even. It took a real effort to get to those two lay downs by holding the trolling motor up and working my way across a flat where they had washed up there during high water. Many of you have heard me talk about my Tweaked Spinner Bait for shallow water and I am willing to share.

I have sense tried to have two other go to spots on all lakes that I fish. The medium depth spots which are the shallow water ledges on creek bends and the larger timber sitting on the drops in 5 to 15 foot of water. Side image unites have really made these spots come alive and produce some go to bass that will hopefully cull one or two of your shallow water fish.

The third spots are your deep water spots. This is contour fishing in 20 to 30 foot of water out and around points that drop off fast into deeper water. These are the Bass that I drive over and mark to fish for. When it gets so hot back in the brush I am really coming out to open water points just to cool off and idle over these points until I find the Bass and fish for them.

Having a shallow, midrange and deep water bite is the best way I know to find the Bass. They will be at one of those spots each day and when you find that spot you need not look any farther. If I am getting that shallow water bite I am not going to the other depth ranges I am staying with it unless the quality of the Bass are poor, then I make the move to the midrange areas. If nothing is happening then it is on to the deep water.