You're welcome Karl. Just a helpful hint. I've found alot of productive cover on structure where i get snagged. Don't be afraid of losing a bait here or there fishing the good stuff.

Thanks for the input guys !

Now I know to fish good structure even without seeing fish on the fish finder.  Structure is key, and structure with cover is even better.  Thanks Dan for distinguishing between structure and cover and the importance of them together.  I'm sure I'll be spending much more time idling around looking for structure/cover than I did in the past.

Last summer, before I joined the club, I was fishing docks with crankbaits, swim jigs and dropshot in 15 feet of water or less, and not catching very many fish.  Since joining the club it seems like everyone is fishing in water 15 feet or deeper.  Looking for structure, weedlines, rockpiles, humps, drop offs, and fishing usually deeper running, bottom hugging rigs (dropshot, carolina rigs, football head jigs, wacky rigs, texas rigs, deep diving crankbaits & slow rolling spinner baits deep).

The big change for me will be from just throwing shallow running lures (crankbaits and swim jigs) around docks in shallow water, and doing some drop shotting around docks, to looking more for structure in deeper water (15 - 50 feet depending on water temp/season).  Using lures that work deeper (dropshot, carolina rigs, football head jigs, deep crankbaits and spinner baits) instead of throwing shallow running baits.

I know there is much more to all this, time of year, water temperature, whether we are fishing in Seattle area or in the Eastern part of the state, so many variables and different conditions, I guess thats what makes it a challenge.

Thanks again for all of your input !

I don't have to see fish on the depthfinder to stop and fish structure.  Fish move in and out all the time, so even nothing is there at the moment, they could show up at any minute.  If the structure looks good, they'll use it.  Always worth a shot since you're there anyway, even if it's only to spend 5 mins on a couple of casts.

I agree with Troy in the sense you should stop and fish good structure. Remember that "cover" and "structure" are actually two different things. Cover would be a tree or brushpile etc, (I would even consider a dock cover, even though it's a man made structure if that helps any?) while structure is simply the lay of the land. Humps, points, rockbars, ledges etc. When I find cover on structure those are the spots I key in on whether or not I see fish. Because fish often use the cover as an ambush point,  you will never see them; but there is a good chance they are there. Especially if there is any type of fish activity nearby on the sonar.

Just my thoughts.

most of the time i will fish even though I dont see fish.  However more so lately I have been stopping only when I see fish activity.  Really depends on how big the area is IMO.  Small rockpile no fish I'm not stopping.  Large rockpile I will usually stop and scan the area.

Troy

If you find some structure that looks interesting, will you fish the structure without seeing any fish on the fish finder, or do you always have to see fish on the fish finder before fishing structure?

During the last few fish-ins I have heard that the fish will get so close to the bottom that you can't see them on the fish finder, so fishing certain structure areas was still valid even though you couldn't see them on the fish finder.

Do you have to see fish on the fish finder before you will fish good structure?