Situation Approach

[Jim Bea]

I’ve been away for awhile but back at it after rejoining the national organization and renewing basic skills. In my first go around I had stuck pretty much to trolling the shallows and with success and enjoyment in this. Thought I now would give working out deeper a go and have picked a known productive bar to attempt to map and fish. I’ve had some success in mapping but am struggling with the fishing approach.

The situation basically consists of bar sitting on a flat with a channel cutting through near to the bar end. An opposing short bar forms a ditch up to the shore which is a known hot spot. The weeds at the shore reach down to 7’. The large bar has an edge running out some 200 yards terminating in a narrow finger short of the channel by 20-25 feet. There is quickly 25’ of water around the finger and then a more gradual slope to the channel edge. The deeper bar edges are humped and brush tipped. The shallower sections have shells (one pulled up measuring 5 inches across). Water color is good.

I would suspect that focus in this situation would be primarily directed at the bar edge and that trolling passes wouldn’t be made across the entire width of the bar it being some 400 yards wide. I presume the approach would involve trolling along the outer weedline edge to some distance. Next, that the middle section would be worked with trolling passes back and forth across the bar edge. Alternatively, I guess that the edge could be trolled along its length working from in to out. The finger would be fished by trolling passes being made across the tip. (this seeming like the simplest part of the overall procedure).

The primary challenge would seem to be in depth control where presentation would need to be deep enough for passes to reach the edge (not to be hitting up higher on the bar) but not overly so as to avoid digging in and becoming hung. Turns would seem to need to be made briskly, especially on higher on the bar with a greater rise, shortly after coming across the edge to avoid hanging up. Casting would seem pretty much the same where lure size would need to be considered where a walking lure running too deep would have a tendency to be too frequently hung/fouled coming up over the edge through the shells and brush. Anchor choice would even need to be considered where the wind type could latch down into the brush and itself become hung.

Am I getting this right? Thoughts?

[Bart]

Jim,

Good to have you back. We need a lot of other members to resubscribe.

Great drawing! If I could just get all the other Spoonpluggers to draw like that it would make my life easier. Just kidding northern guys, I don't mind re-drawing anything you send in for the newsletter.

It sound like you got it right. There's a few things that I might do different. The instructors can post if I got it wrong. I wouldn't waste too much time trolling across the 400 yard stretch unless I found the route the fish are using. The first step is to find out where on the edge of the 200 yard stretch the fish are using and then go from there. Buck stated that on a decent migration the fish might not go all the way. They might only go as far as 21' finger and that would be it on that particular day. I was just reading this morning about Buck talking about going to the cast on the deeper breaks. Especially if there's a lot of bad hangs. If there is, I would use a Carolina rig versus another type jump bait like a Silver Buddy. Hope this helps.

[Jim Bea]

Hi Bart,

Yes, good points all. I think I understand that under good conditions and where there is good depth available that fish may not move back to the channel. I've wondered, with the deep water extending down the side that they might appear at a point somewhere along the bar edge instead of the finger? Of couse is a matter of conjecture until it is proven that they come up on the finger in the first place. Should be interesting, if I can just get my arms around fishing it.

Thanks

[Garry Boggs]

Jim, great drawing. What software did you use?

I am a novice myself but I think I would troll the 200 foot edge of the bar with spoonplugs both ways (shallow to deep and deep to shallow) each time out to determine how far the fish have migrated that day. Once the fish our found anchor down and go to the cast starting with spoonplugs and then jump baits. It looks like you caught a bunch at 15 foot one time. The weather and water conditions will determine how far the go and how long they stay. It looks like the contact point is at the end of the bar in 21 foot. If I haven't found them trolling spoonplugs by the time I reach 21 feet I would anchor down at the contact point, go to the cast, and wait for them or I could try trolling the top edge of the channel and then the bottom of the channel.

Ok instructors, how would you fish this structure?

[jwt]

Good discussion. You mentioned a drawing, but I can't seem to find it. Can/will you repost it. Thanks.

[Jim Bea]

Hi Garry,

Thanks for your thoughts. Makes sense. I've always wondered about coming from out to in at it thinking probably larger lures on shorter line length would make sense so more of the edge could be covered before having to veer off to avoid the approaching shore.

also: It was a single 2 lb bass that was caught midway out.

Thanks

[Hooked]

Jim Bea,
I did not see any drawing; but I'd sure like to see what was done!

[Jim Bea]

Hi,

I own a program called Corel Painter that I use in my drawing. Other programs with a vector based graphics capability could be used as well for this purpose.

[Hooked]

Jinm, was ther prawing posted here? If so I could not find it

[Jim Bea]

Here is a drawing of the situation as I layed it out on a grid. (way too much trouble going about it this way, but represented my first attempt at documentation). I finally figured the best way to approach fishing it was to section it off with markers and run appropriate size / line length according to depth up and back over the breakline section.

Fished it a half a dozen times this summer but was never fortunate enough to make contact with fish. (very tough in general this lake this Summer where even stragglers were not to be found in the shallows, but within the past week fish have begun to appear and be catchable on feeder breaklines in the coves).

By the way you will need to be logged in to be able to see the drawing.