Bar / Shoal: How fish use this structure

On long ridges, look for interruptions

A bar or shoal may be made of sand, gravel, or rock, and they don’t function the same. It may block current, separate deep and shallow water, or be just a big barren sand flat with no forage. Prioritize the tip, gaps, narrows, and spots where the bottom transitions from sand to gravel, rather than treating the entire spine as one target.

First run along one side to gauge crest height, then cross twice to confirm width. What looks like a long shallow bar on the surface may have a trough cutting through it; this interruption lets fish move between the shallow crest and the deeper side, and is a more useful clue than total length.

Specific holding positions →