lake looks like chocolate milk

[Omega jig bass]

What key things do you look for when fishing that shallow?

[fishinwrench]

Shade is a biggie. Anyplace where I can't see the bottom then there could be a fish there. Cables in the water are where I've caught some of the biggest fish, they'll lay right under the lowest part of the cable or where the cable first touches the water on the shoreline side IF they are unaware of your presence. Once they detect something in their area then they'll ease back under the dock.

Right under the walkway on the bank side, or under walkway supports are places they will lay and feed. You gotta drop a bait right in their face and they'll bite out of reflex.

Trick shots (skipping way back under the docks between floats) is what I try at the very last before I give up and leave a backend. I don't take a chance with those type shots until I've done everything else because if you miss and smack a float or hoist then you've spooked the whole backend. Typically they won't be that far under the docks UNLESS they are already semi-spooked.

I go out of my way NOT to Spook them as I ease in there so that I don't have to rely on my super-human pitching skills to catch them.

When you first start in there the fish are usually laying under a cable easy to get to, but if you stay on that trolling motor too long or make some racket then they'll ease up under the dock....where they are harder to catch.

They don't hide under docks to EAT, they hide under docks because they know YOU ARE THERE.

[Omega jig bass]

Ok thanks goin out in the morning and will see what I can do.

[Manny]

Just found this forum. Great thread!

I fish the Glaze arm usually all the time.

I'm finding them on bluffs. Texas rig 10" black worm 3/8 weight.

Mainly keepers this weeken with a few shorts.

[conorsixtakc]

Finding them is easy, they are there. Catching them takes some effort that not many guys wanna do. You have to ease back in the quiet backends where nobody is stomping on docks or swimming. Turn the livewell pumps off, depthfinders off, and only use the trolling motor if you absoutely have to. Fish move up into those backends at night to feed and will hunker down and stay put until something scares them off.

These 3 came off the same shallow dock recently in less than 20 seconds

IMG_20150621_201344.jpg

You have to have multiple rods rigged and ready, swing one fish in QUIETLY and grab another rod right away, swing another in and grab another rod, ect.

If you take time to gawk at the first one, unhook him and high-five your partner... well while you were doing that all the others got the hell out of there.

Get another bait in their face while they are still trying to figure out what just happened to their buddy.

Good stuff as always wrench, keep it coming...

[Omega jig bass]

I had a couple shorts this morning on points. With a jig

[Old plug]

Wrench has always had good stuff. I watched him win tournament after tournment for years. i would not be too surprised to see him return to it.

I like to fish deeper water. if you do catch me in a shallow area you can about bet your bottom dollar there is deep water close by. I will fish bass in water 30 ft or more. I use plastic worms and jigs of any size almost exclusively. Mostly I use the larger worms from 10--12 inches and the smaller jigs from 5/16 down. I cannot remember the last time I used a weight over 1/4 oz on any of my worms. Except when I use them on drop shot. Then it is 1/2 oz and up. Because I fish deep water does not mean I catch all my bass deep. If I know there is a holding spot deep I will cast the worm out and let it sink over it. I catch many bass holding in water over 30 ft at only 5 to 10 ft. on a lightly weighted worm. The trick here is knowning when they rise to feed. I also like to crawl my worms and jigs too accross the tops of brush piles very slowly with a lot of action to draw the bass out. I can spend a long time on the top of a pile of brush and not get snagged. Its all about balancing the worm or jig and line its fished on plus the weight of the sinker. It is what I do and do best. At my age I am happy and satisfied with doing that.

[Omega jig bass]

Well said. That's what I am trying to work on is fishing deep because right now I'm a bank beeter. Thanks for all the info ?

[fishinwrench]

Bass fishing is so cool because there are so many ways to catch them, it never has to get boring.

I enjoy fishing deeper unseen water for them but I'm truly not very good at that, so if I am competing then I have to fish the way I feel I have the best chance at catching the biggest 5 fish that I possibly can even though I do get pretty tired of fishing that way sometimes.

I don't have any desire to get back into tournament fishing really. It's easier for me to take someones money by fixing their boats than it is to take it by trying to beat them at fishing.

And I noticed early on that if I beat a guy fishing more often than not then he will NEVER bring his boat to my shop. Funny how that works

[crittermo]

i'm just now catching up with this blog and if it's not too late ask, when watching the discharge

from ameren's website what is considered little current or no current. how much discharge does

there need to be for the fish to relate to it? today the discharge is over 40,000 cfs, while i figure

that is a lot , is there a number where it does not make a difference to the fish