Shell Beds: Exactly where fish hold
Small-bed edges and grass-hole exits
Start with bed edges, protruding hard-bottom points, and nearby grass holes. Bass may line up along the edge; the middle of a bed can just feel uniformly similar. If there’s current, compare the upstream end and side flanks; without current, look where hard bottom intersects baitfish.
Example: In grass, an 8-foot-deep bare hard patch—first run the bait across the far edge, center, and near edge, and note when bites occur. If only the far edge gets bit, reposition the boat to extend time on that far edge rather than repeatedly dragging the entire bed.
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Shell Beds
Expanses of mussel/clamshells on soft or sandy bottoms—subtle “hard spots” that gather forage and bass; classic structure on Great Lakes grass flats (e.g., Lake St. Clair) and along river-channel ledges in southern reservoirs.