You are more than likely catching them off beds as well, youre just not looking for beds. If they're bedding and you're fishing shallow, you're prob catching them off beds. So don't turn your nose down at the others. Just my 2 cents. Sounds like a fun day though

^Yupp haha very true.

it's possible they were on beds but also possible that they were not. their tails look pretty darn clean and unscathed.

HammerinHonkers, with all due respect I have been bass fishing for over 30 years now, I know the difference between bedded bass and non bedded bass. True, if a bass wants to dash off a bed and snatch a lure as it passes nearby it will do so, especially smallmouth. However, that usually means that the bass is not fully committed to guarding its bed yet. Also, just because I was fishing "shallow" does not mean that I was near bedded bass. Bass typically bed between 4-8' with some in the 3' range and some in the 8-12' range on Goodwin. Throwing a spinnerbait next to a dock in 1 foot of water or 12 feet of water and having a bass instantly smash it is absolutely not the same as finding a bed, casting repeatedly to that bed until the bass trying to guard it's nest gets upset enough to grab the bait and attempts to move it off it's nest only to have it's mouth ripped apart by some chucklehead with 50lb braid that thinks he's accomplishing something. Males typically guard the beds once the eggs are down leaving the females to roam nearby, my point is if you take the challenge to fish shallower than beds or where the spawning flats roll off into deeper water you may just find that the fishing is great and usually the bass are bigger than the rat males guarding the nest! My two cents and my opinion, those who want to pound bedded fish in the face until they do what they are programmed by nature to do, can. Those of us that choose to think the people that wait in line on a Saturday to snag the same bass off the same beds as the first 5 boats that went through the area could be doing something better with their time can do that also. Our opinions are obviously different.

Well put. You obviously know your water their at Goodwin. I hear what you're saying, your explanation of how you were fishing clears some things up. Again, sounds like a fun day.

I appreciate that HammerinHonkers, sorry if I came across snappy, I've just had too many run 'ins over the years with folks that think "sight" / "bed" fishing is some sort of art form. I think it should be classified as wildlife harassment. As I have said in the past, it's the same as hunting at the zoo only 10 times easier.

Thanks again and yes, it was a very fun day! Tight lines