Anybody catching any bass?

[Old plug]

You been in the shallows as long as I have known you Wrench. And I know no one any better at it. But right now if I could I would be chasing suspended bass in my area over deep channel banks in the evening when they rise to feed on shad. That does not mean on the surface it is often shad schools 10 ft deep are better is where the feeding is going on. That has paid off very well for me when I could locate a school holding in a area of deeper water. A lot of larger bass sispend all summer.  Only thing about it s hat it does not last long time. Maybe 1/2 hour at the most. But as far as bass being shallow all summer you guys better believe it. And you can get very very close to them without spooking them as well. You just got to be a bit careful. I got two 7 ft rods one with a heavy jg on it and another with a heavy drop shot on it. when I started doing this I was shocked how close it could get at times.  Rght now I do not think it's paying off as well assome other techniques. But fish find comfort and cover Unser a dock even if there is no brush under it. I guess it is just they are where you find them.

[Old plug]

5 hours ago, WeekendWarrior said:

I have noticed that at my dock as those shallow fish can really see well and spook easily. I have a elevated deck before going down to walkway where I can watch the shallows but as soon as I get to the bottom of those stairs and on walkway a lot of times they are swimming off.

I know what you mean Warrior  I think they just drop down lower are move back further under the ramp. At least that is what happens here at my dock. I know they react to noise on the dock a lot  fast than anything by it. Bet if you let things settle down a short bit f time then dropped a  lure straight down the edge of the dock you might catch one. 

[Bill Babler]

Just a quick chime in here.  Don't know if any of you all are facebook people but you need to take a look at Ed Franko's past 3 weeks including this morning August 17th.  Just got off the  phone with Ed and one of his clients had one on so he had to go. 

Big Ed's Guide Service

Ed has been fishing the dam area and the bite has been outstanding most of his fish are coming at the cove mouths to 1/3 of the way back on the steep ledges.  He is bouncing a drop shot with a 6" purple worm down the ledges.  He is also fishing a big red 10" worm and a 3/4 oz. jig and doing extremely well on all these types of locations.

His fish and he is catching big ones. Had a monster a week or so ago at 8.6 pounds with lots of 4's and 5's . are coming 18 to 30 ft. on the ledges just pitching the drop shot up there and letting it settle in the 15' range and then just slowing bouncing it or walking it down and back to the boat with the worm about 1ft. over the DS weight.  This presentation is used on the Elite series by lots of the play for pay boys, pitching the drop shot and walking it down ledges.  Here on the Rock we mostly fish it up and down, but pitching is for sure a great way to fish it.

 He has his own brush piles and has found hundreds with this side scan.  When he sees one in the right area his is casting in that big worm Texas rigged, pegged and weedless.  That's how he got that big sow.  For numbers it has been the dropshot on the ledge banks with no structure except the ledge and depth itself.  He is catching them this morning with no water running but he says when they are running it the fish will bite all day.

Sounds to me like something for you all to give a try, and if you see Ed, give him a shout out for the great info.

Good Luck

[fishinwrench]

Man, for all the press that the lower dam area gets you'd think there would be alot of guys fishing it.   I'm surprised by the lack of actual pressure there.  

I still have yet to fish a dropshot rig, not sure why, there is just something about it that turns me off.   Of course that would change real quickly if I had a good day doing it.   I need to play with it.

[Old plug]

Bill what he does with the drop shot is one of the wYs I do mine. Other way is to drop it straight down sides f docks. Only other person I ever heard around here that uses it is Deon Hibdon. 

 

wrench  I gave you 3 last year. You did not take my word for it  of course. You are not going to like it. Especially if you flip it around any brush. It also will wrap around the fish. If you have now decided to play with it let me know if you want to talk to me about it. 

[fishinwrench]

Well I'm actually just kinda waiting for the fish to make a move back to the shallows.  Fishing deep beats not fishing at all, but I really don't enjoy it that much, and luckily I don't have to catch fish 24/7/365 in order to pay the bills.

[MOsmallies]

Great info Bill... Thanks for sharing!