I have notice a lot of times, say trolling on a big flat, 50 acres or more,
I'll be catching decent fish, but the big mama comes when I go a little
farther in one direction or the other, off the beaten path so to speak.
I don't know if this is because they don't associate with the average size
fish, or that I get off into water that isn't fished as heavy - but I suspect
the latter. For me, most of the year, big, small, or otherwise, I catch
suspended fish over deep water, has a lot to do with shad, little to do with
cover.