On lakes that get a lot of fishing pressure, it’s a lot easier to catch fish on beds that you can’t see. By that I mean that if you get close enough to a pressured fish to see it, it’s probably already seen you. It’s either going to move off, or not bite. You can aggravate it all you want, but chances are eventually it will slide off into deeper water at least for a while. It’s pretty much become routine with me that when I spot a really good fish that takes off or eases away, I’ll get the location on my GPS, then try to mark the exact spot somehow. If it’s in Florida, maybe I’ll put some tape on a reed that’s 5 yards away to the right of the bed, or make note of something such as lining up on a tree on the bank, or a patch of grass on the other side of the bed, or a log in the water – anything that helps me pinpoint the location of the bed. I’ll also plan my route back in so that I won’t cast any shadows on the bed. Then I’ll leave and stay away for maybe 30 minutes or so before returning. Once I’m set up where I need to be, I’ll make a long cast with a drop-shot rig with a 5- or 7-inch straight-tail worm into the bed. I don’t see it, but I know exactly where it is. I like the drop-shot because I can just shake it in place, right in front of the fish’s face where you want it, without ever moving it out of the bed. A lot of times, that’s all it takes.

—- Keystone Light Pro, Casey Martin, New Hope, Ala.