i fish shallow year round for bass, i been wanting to learn more about off shore bass specifically schools . if main lake points or ledges has no structure will bass still hold there this time of year? Thanks

Short answer is yes. This time of year water temp will most likely be more important than what’s on it seen fish stack up on a 3-5 foot depth change with nothing on it. My experience any way. I’m sure some with more experience can explain this better.

i really appreciate the information, thanks

It's all about oxygen and the food chain. Most of the oxygen in the water gets there by diffusion from the atmosphere. Algae add some oxygen through photosynthesis. Cold water can hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water but lakes can stratify during the hot summer creating conditions where the deep, cooler water has less oxygen than the surface. It is a complex situation with many variables such as current, wind which mix the water. Bottom line is find the food source, find the bass. The offshore bite can be elusive on lakes like Martin and possible Smith, where blue back herring are constantly on the move. Bass use structure to hide and ambush their next meal or get out of current, whether it is vegetation, stumps/laydowns or rock. The ledge bite offers 2 advantages for bass. First is a place to ambush from below in deeper water when bait moves from the flat to deeper water. Second is the vertical aspect of the ledge gives the bass a way to trap bait that is in the deeper water. Electronics and understanding what you are seeing on them will help you target good areas or eliminate bad ones. I'm still in the learning curve on side scan myself. Read as much as you can and watch videos on ledge fishing.

David

Structure is not necessary at all on a true ledge. The best ones don’t have any sort of structure. Only so many fish can get in a brush pile or piece of structure. But a true ledge that sets up right allows a school to setup on it

thanks again for all the information. it's completely a new way for me to fish