Ledge Fishing during the “Dog Days of Summer"
Written By Jake Davis
Ledge fishing the “Dog Days” takes patients and plenty of homework before the first cast. On Reservoirs across the country, ledges are the best places to catch big bass in the heat of the summer and can be unbelievably explosive! It is vital that angler does some research prior to visiting the lake and than employs the proper equipment that allows you to effectively search for fish and interpret the bottom.
Basically a ledge is any structure that is found at the edge of an old creek channel or the main river channel after the flooding of a reservoir. Spending some time at the house with a topographical map of any man made reservoirs will show you these old channels and sharp contour change of 45 degrees or greater. Most quality ledges are rather steep drops which are next to deeper water of 12-30 feet; it does not mean these are necessarily big drops. A 6-foot river channel lip is a ledge, as well as a small 1-foot drop along an otherwise uniform flat. There are certain sweet spots that typically hold numbers of bass sometime during the day, depending upon sunlight penetration and current. These key areas may consist of changes such as an old road bed, shell beds, a small stump field or rock pile that remains after flooding. Some areas will be no larger than a kitchen table. Your best bet in locating these isolated areas, is through using a good paper map looking for contour lines that indicate a potential sharp drop. Once on the water an angler really needs to have a good set of electronic such as a Humminbird 998 or 1198 HDSI/DI. Isolated areas have the potential for making the same cast over and over, and catching one bass right after another!
Once I’ve located a school of fish on a ledge using my 1198HDSI/Humminbird; most of the time I’ll position the boat deep and throw crankbaits toward the shallower part of the structure starting at a 45 degree angle casting up current. If there is current pushing against the ledge or if I observe bass on the sonar suspended off the ledge, then I put the boat shallow and throw deep or up stream so that my retrieve in coming with the current. Alternate steady retrieves with stop-and-go retrieves until you figure out how the bass want the bait on that day. If there is little to no current crashing the lure into the bottom or structure and stopping the retrieve will often generate a violent strike.
My primary search baits are crankbaits. My favorite cranks for covering deep water are SPRO Little John Series 60 which dives to 9-12 foot and Series 70 that dives to 16-20 feet. My go to colors are Chartreuse Nasty, Chartreuse Blue, Cell Mate, Nasty Shad and Home Boy. Color select really depends upon water clarity and sunlight penetration. A good example would be if the water is stained or there is no too little sunlight because of heavy cloud cover, I’ll opt for more chartreuse in my crankbaits. When employing deep diving crank baits it is imperative to have the proper rod and reel set up. I use Duckett White Ice Cranking Rod; 7'11" Medium Heavy action armed with a 5.4-1 LEW’s reel, with 8 to 12 pound test Vicious Ultimate or Pro Elite fluorocarbon.
Once you’ve located a group of bass with a crankbait and caught a number of fish and the bite slows, a football head jig is the go to set up. I prefer a 1/2- or 3/4-ounce Tightline football head matched to a Missile Baits Twin Turbo Tail or D-Bomb when they want a bulked up profile. Make some changes to your jig; first trim the weed guard down to 2-4 strands. When picking a trailer use a contrasting color, example would be if you jig is Black and Blue use a Green Pumpkin trailer. I have found a slow retrieve with a shake or twitch of the rod tip on the bottom to be best. This will best inmate a crawfish moving across the bottom. I will present the jig from several angles to give bass a different look at the bait.
Another excellent go to tactic is a Texas Rigged plastic such a 8.75 inch Tomahawk Worm or Creature Bait like the D-Bomb. Both of these plastics will move lots of water during a slow presentation. My Texas Rig is made up of a 3/8 to 3/4 ounce tungsten weight followed by a bead and 4/0 Hook. I recommend a 7' to 7'6" Heavy Action Micro Magic or White Ice rod from Duckett Fishing paired with a LEW’s 7:1 reel with either Vicious Ultimate or Pro Elite fluorocarbon in 15 to 17 pound test. It’s simple; you want a rod that provides the longest cast with the sensitivity to feel the lightest of strikes along with the power and leverage to set the hook.
While ledge fishing is not for every angler, with a little research and patients it can pay big dividends!
Capt Jake Davis is a USCG Licensed Professional Fishing Guide on Lake Guntersville and Tim's Ford. Visit www.midsouthbassguide.com or call/email 615-613-2382, msbassguide@comcast.net
