fishing rocky banks

[EBEE ALI]

hi

At a certain venue of mine there is a rocky bank of shallow water with submereged tree branches that holds a number of bass.ive fished there many times but never had success at that particular spot.
The water is very clear and you can see the fish suspending and criusing along the bank.ive tried poppers,cranks,spinnerbaits and plastics with no success at all.all the bass do is follow the lure for a while and then turn and swim away.

Ive read that jigs work well on rocky areas.i bought myself a booyah 1/4 oz weedless jig and i am going back to try it out in 2 weeks time.

Any tips or suggestions fishing areas like this?

 

[Ryanie]

Hi Ebee,

First things first your angle of approach is very important so as not to spook the bass. In clear water you need to be especially stealthy ( no noise). Make sure the sun is in front of you and make longer casts. This time of year (post spawn) the bass will be a bit fussy. Time of day is also important.. early morning or late afternoon( low light ) conditions will be best. When presenting the bait try to make a smaller splash if you can. Try a weightless ztoo or fluke and cast passed the bank and twitch towards the structure you are targeting and pause the retrieve when you are in the strike zone. Once you have caught a fish move away from the area and let it rest.

What I would do is rip a Lipless crank or spinnerbait passed the bank a few times and then drop a weightless senko watermelon or watermelon red or a brown blue pitching jig right into the tree and let it soak and if no takers slowly twitch it down the bank.

Good luck and dont give up!

 

 

 

[AYOBA!]

I would use a fly in those conditions, clouser in orange and white, when the bass follows, drop it and wait, twitch the fly a little bit every now and then...the bass will stay interested and take the fly, if the bass is in some cover retrieve the fly at a fast pace past the cover... same advise as above, no noise etc... good luck....

 

[EBEE ALI]

thanks for replying ryanie.

The dam in question is in a residential area.lets lots of noise coming from cars,people playing music and the bass are pressured by anglers.its a tough venue but i manage well there.more than 14 fish so far this year!

Do you think i need to use a trailer like a craw or grub on the jig?

 

[EBEE ALI]

thanks for the suggestions ayoba but im not a fly fisherman

 

[AYOBA!]

it is easy, want me to teach you? my golden rule when arriving at any venue for bass is when the water is clear and the bass visible the fly rod is out first, much more fun to catch bass on fly than on normal gear

 

[EBEE ALI]

hm...my brother in law flyfishers,maybe i'll give it try...cant do any harm i suppose

 

[Ant01]

Ryanie wrote:

Hi Ebee,

First things first your angle of approach is very important so as not to spook the bass. In clear water you need to be especially stealthy ( no noise). Make sure the sun is in front of you and make longer casts. This time of year (post spawn) the bass will be a bit fussy. Time of day is also important.. early morning or late afternoon( low light ) conditions will be best. When presenting the bait try to make a smaller splash if you can. Try a weightless ztoo or fluke and cast passed the bank and twitch towards the structure you are targeting and pause the retrieve when you are in the strike zone. Once you have caught a fish move away from the area and let it rest.

What I would do is rip a Lipless crank or spinnerbait passed the bank a few times and then drop a weightless senko watermelon or watermelon red or a brown blue pitching jig right into the tree and let it soak and if no takers slowly twitch it down the bank.

Good luck and dont give up!

 

 

Good advice in this post. Weightless Fluke 8 lb line. Set your drag.

 

[bblunt]

Ryan - giving away you secrets my boy.

My goto bait in clear water with followers is a jerkbait. Rip it and don't pause too long. Skipping a weightless white fluke comes a close second. lastly a wacky rigged senko in a colour that matches the ground below.

 

[Ryanie]

Eebi I use a Strike King Chunk which is a Craw type trailer matched to the colour of the Jig. But start off just with the Jig and let the fish tell you what they want. I normally start off with a smaller bait and work my way up unless I know that they are looking for a higher protein meal then I will go big.

@ Barry ...you know what Barney says...Sharing is caring! I have to agree with you skipping and twitching a weightless fluke is deadly. A fluke early morning twitched on the surface is irresistible..NOW who's giving away secrets ; )

 

[EBEE ALI]

I've found that at this dam in the morning,say about sunrise untill 10 o clock,the bass will take any bait.

Its as the day wears on and as more people arrive that the fish become skittish and more cuatios.

I remember one time fishing in clear water,piching my lure to a bridge for about 20 minutes with nothing.then as i turn to leave a bass swims out from under the same bridge!

Thanks for all the advice guys,i'll try weightless flukes next time i go there.

 

[Ant01]

Typical pattern in very clear water.

 

[HennieS]

EBEE

Also keep in mind that a Bass has 7 times better sight than a human, chance is pretty good when you see the bass the bass has seen you already. Always a good idea to try and sneak up and dont wear bright colored clothing!