Tips for fishing flooded timber

What do you guys do when you fish in flooded timber for shallow crappies or bass? I find myself bumping invisible submerged debris with the trolling motor when moving around in these coves with 10+ fow but 8 or 9 ft trees just under the surface. I go very very slow with the troller and trim the main out of the water but it still bothers me when I bump a submerged obstruction. I have even tried trimming the trolling motor up to the point it prop vents if you stand on the back and it will catch occasionally on a submerged obstruction.

Thoughts?

If you have a Minn Cota its pretty tough, its designed for this stuff. Be extra careful if you have to reverse becuase then you might not deflect the stuff as well- I have bumped into stumps thwaked countless branches w/o a problem, go slower if you think the stuff is getting thicker. If it all makes you too nervous find a lake w/o that structure, but wood structure is a blessing.

Yep, just use the trolling motor or position the boat just off of the area and cast into it. Many times the fish will be sitting at the edge of those areas ambushing prey. If anything I’ll start fishing the edge and then move deeper in so I don’t spook any.