Baitball: Where the fish actually hold

Edge targets are often easier to test individually

Watch the isolated fish along the ball’s sides, bottom edge, and in front. First pick a route that lets your bait pass in front-above that fish. If the target rises to follow, repeat that elevation; if it just moves with the ball and ignores the bait, change your lead distance rather than repeatedly bombing right on top of it.

Example: the ball is at 12–16 feet, a single fish is at 18 feet; on the first run, let a small soft swimbait pass through 16–17 feet. Even if the lake bottom is 40 feet, you don’t need to hit bottom first. When the target moves up, immediately update the target layer; don’t keep using old numbers.

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