Finding 'Invisible, Visible' Structure It is a common belief among weekend bass anglers that visible cover is the easiest type of structure to fish. Since it can be seen, it is certainly the easiest type of structure to find. However, 5-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Lonnie Stanley knows getting maximum productivity from visible structure can be deceptively difficult. As Stanley is quick to point out, success typically lies with what you can't see - even with visible structure. “I really think the reason a lot of pros from East Texas have been so successful is because we've learned to read visible structure and let it tell us where the fish our,” said Stanley. “Lord, if you cast to every stump in Sam Rayburn, you'd never quit casting and may not catch any fish. I don't fish the structure as much as I read it. Then I cast to where I know the fish are. “There are so many types of visible structure - standing timber, hydrilla, pads, reeds, docks - there's tons of stuff you can see out there on the lake. And, every bit of it will tell you where the fish are.” Although Stanley says experience and time on the water are the best teachers, he also believes there are a number of keys that will allow anglers to quickly solve any visible structure puzzle. “Standing timber is the easiest to read,” Stanley stated. “Smaller trees, pines and sweetgums are all gonna grow on sandy loam. Wherever you find a group of smaller trees close together, I promise you they'll be on a sandy hump. That's where the fish spawn, so that's where you'll find them during the spawn. “Creeks, hills and those sort of things will be marked by the big hardwoods. Cypress trees, big oaks - those sort of trees - will be found growing along the creek beds or edges of drainage ditches and things like that. So, these big trees will tell you where the creek beds are. If you pay attention to which way the trees are leaning, you'll also be able to tell which way the creek runs and where the points are. Plus, these big trees have good root structures, which help attract fish.” Just as trees have a tale to tell, Stanley says hydrilla and other grasses can help anglers find plenty of bass. “Hydrilla basically follows the contour of the lake,” said Stanley. “It only grows in water less than 12 or 13 feet. So, when you look at a hydrilla bed, look for areas where it comes to the surface - those will be the shallower areas. The edges and holes will be deeper. So, follow the points and hollow spots. “Lilly pads do the same thing. The only difference is they grow in shallower water. Lilly pads grow in 7 to 8 feet of water or shallower. So, the water off the outside edge of a stand of pads is going to be deeper than that. With both hydrilla and pads, you can follow them just like you follow a shoreline.” Anglers, of course, know that hydrilla, lilly pads, and pretty much any type of aquatic plant life will attract fish. And, in this case, Stanley suggests that more is better - or at least more types of grass is better than one type alone. “Whenever you're fishing grass, if you can find more than one type of grass in an area, that area will hold more fish,” Stanley stated. “For instance, right now the hot bite on Rayburn is around areas with lilly pads and pepper grass mixed together. You can fish an area with just pads and catch some fish. And, you can fish an area with just pepper grass and catch a few. But, if you fish areas where they're mixed, you'll catch a whole lot more. “And, that goes for any type of grass. One type of grass in an area is okay. Two is good. Three is great.” Another type of visible structure Stanley suggests fishing is boat docks. However, when reading docks, he often relies as much on help from humanity as signs from Mother Nature. “You read boat docks just like you read a lake,” said Stanley. “If you've got a bunch of boat docks in a row find the one that sticks out further than the rest. That's where the point is. “Another trick I learned is to look on the docks for signs of what might be underneath. Always fish around docks with lights. A lot of these docks have brush piles for crappie. Those brush piles also attract bass. If you see lights, you can bet there's a brush pile under that dock. If you see lights and lawn chairs, that's even better. That means those people are probably actively tending their brush piles.” As one who primarily fishes visible structure, Stanley says he has learned to look for hundreds of clues offered by what he can see above the waterline. However, he says the biggest lesson he's learned is to look for those clues. “There's too much visible structure in these lakes for you to just go out and start casting,” said Stanley. “You just don't have that much time - especially in tournaments. If you're serious about fishing visible structure, you need to spend time learning what the structure is telling you. Don't spend all you're time looking for fish - let the structure tell you where the fish are.” texas bass fishing, texas fishing, texas fishing reports, texas catfish, texas lakes, texas rivers, fishing in texas lakes, fishing in texas rivers