Fishing Points

[GaterB]

Hey everybody. I was wondering how you all approach points. I always read how great they are for holding fish, but haven't really grasped exactly how to break them down and work my lures through/over them. I have read some articles on them, but I think some personal accounts and advice will help me more. For example, do you work your lures from the shallow end (near the bank) down the slope, or across the point? Does this depend on the day? Any help would be appreciated!

[Tony L.]

Try anything brcause i'm sure it just depends on what the fish are feeling that day. I have even read articles about tournament fisherman who position boats near the shore on points and cast outward into deeper water so that they can bring baits UP the slope. The theory is that it gives highly pressured fish something they haven't seen before, especially if they are holding a little deeper.

[Bluebasser86]

I try to stay back off them and fish up to shallow water, fishing across prime areas, and then from the shallow to out in deeper water. Sometimes it's all about finding the right angle and right cast to trigger them to bite. If the wind is blowing into a point, I start on the upwind side and fish in, taking special care to fish any mudlines created by the wind. 

[Shane J]

I come up to a point, positioning the boat far enough away, so as not to wreck any of my fish on the spot, but castable to the depth I'm targeting. Then, I'll cast up higher than my targeted depth, so say I'm fishing a point that goes from 7', and dumps off into 12', I'm casting up on that 7, and dropping my jig down to the 12'. 

[Nice_Bass]

Is there current generation where you are fishing?   They could be anywhere on the point, but when there is active current, or current generation, it is much easier to base where there positioning will be.

Go to http://www.navionics.com/en/webapp find your lake and do a screen shot of particular point you had in mind, with the name of the lake to post here and I am sure you will get a wealth of information to help you break it down- to which you can apply to other areas and bodies of water.

[daiwaguy]

I try to approach them at about 5-10mph. I dont want to hit the bank to hard. Just kidding. Actually I try to stay a good casting distance back from the bank and fish where I feel bass will be more comfortable. What I mean byt hat is right next to some current but not in the current. The fish will hang out where there is little to no current to try and save energy but they stay close enough to current to snag a bait fish going by. But my first point of the day I start left and work right just to see what the fish are doing that day. 

[NathanW]

If there is current. And there usually is. I always start from the downstream side and approach it facing the current so I can cast against the current. Also, when you get a fish on you can turn off the trolling motor and drift backwards over water you have already eliminated while fighting the fish. Sometimes this puts me parallel to the point, sometimes perpendicular or in-between. I try to work deep water first unless I know the shallow bite is hot.

 

This is kinda a general concept as often times when you mix in other factors like wind, sun position and structure I have to change things up a lot of times.

 

I love fishing points, great place to throw a jerkbait in my neck of the woods.

[Fish Murderer 71]

Start with the currents, which way is the wind blowing on it?  gentle wind I would be more concerned with the flow of the closest river bed or creek bed.  a hard wind I would start on the wind blown side first, cast all directions to it and keep casting as you pass over it.  Fish will usually ambush into the current so keep this in mind while your targeting the point.  Fan cast several times over, the school may be compact and you may need to hit the first one in the head to get them into a feeding frenzy.  Scan for pockets just off the point and target those next.  LMB swim and feed together, but they dont do it in coordinated fashion.  you'll have them in the cover, away from the cover, above the cover but its mostly every fish for themselves... even when they are schooling baitfish.  so a few of them may be in one spot while others can be 5 feet to the left and 3 feet deeper and the ones you are targeting may not be feeding at this time and the others are, but they are only looking for forage on the bottom...  Welcome to the wonderful world of trying to figure out the black bass...

[GaterB]

Thanks for the info guys!

 

 

Is there current generation where you are fishing?   They could be anywhere on the point, but when there is active current, or current generation, it is much easier to base where there positioning will be.

Go to http://www.navionics.com/en/webapp find your lake and do a screen shot of particular point you had in mind, with the name of the lake to post here and I am sure you will get a wealth of information to help you break it down- to which you can apply to other areas and bodies of water

 

the web app wouldn't work on my computer but i'll keep trying, and post the areas if I can find them on my local lake

[papajoe222]

I prefer to approach fishing points casting from shallow to deep and working up the point. It's easier for me to maintain bottom contact and when hooking a fish, they have a tendency to head for deeper water. That means they're moving away from me when I'm playing them rather than them coming at me.  There are only two times that I fish a point from deep to shallow and that's during the spring and when I'm using cranks which will stay in the zone longer that way than bringing them up the drop.

Either way, if I establish a depth pattern, I'll move and cast parallel to the drop so my presentation stays at that depth for the majority of the cast.

[FishinCop646]

Be sure to position yourself far enough away to not disturb the side your boat is on. You will eventually want to fish that side as well!

[WRB]

Without going into this too deeply we need to agree what a point is. We can agree that a point is a structure or point of land that extends underwater.

Where I live and fish the topography is mountainous with man made lakes created by dams flooding canyons or river valleys. The ridges that extend underwater become points.

Points can also be created by river channel swings and can have only a few feet of depth change in a natural lake. Lots of definitions depending on the lake type or classification.

On deep structured lakes points are obvious and have steep depth changes on the sides and may extend several hundred feet out into the lake basin or river arms. Main lake basin points that extend over a hundred feet down into the original river channel are called major points that often divide the lakes river arms.

There are secondary points located inside bays or river/ creek arms.

How you fish a points depends on the type of point, it's Location and depth and the seasonal periods.

Please define the type of point and seasonal period.

Tom

[GaterB]

Without going into this too deeply we need to agree what a point is. We can agree that a point is a structure or point of land that extends underwater.

Where I live and fish the topography is mountainous with man made lakes created by dams flooding canyons or river valleys. The ridges that extend underwater become points.

Points can also be created by river channel swings and can have only a few feet of depth change in a natural lake. Lots of definitions depending on the lake type or classification.

On deep structured lakes points are obvious and have steep depth changes on the sides and may extend several hundred feet out into the lake basin or river arms. Main lake basin points that extend over a hundred feet down into the original river channel are called major points that often divide the lakes river arms.

There are secondary points located inside bays or river/ creek arms.

How you fish a points depends on the type of point, it's Location and depth and the seasonal periods.

Please define the type of point and seasonal period.

Tom

 

First off, excellent info and thanks for the reply!

 

Secondly, the type of point I am most often trying to fish are those that I can see beginning on land, and extending out into the water. I do not fish many main lake points, as I am normally fishing from a small boat or a kayak. I see points that are at the beginnings of creeks, and sometimes within the creeks themselves. I've also attempted fishing points formed by islands within the lake. They extend down to about 35 feet at their deepest (on average). I've been fishing them within the last two weeks, and the water temps around me have been in the upper 40's and lower 50's.

[Catt]

Points attached to land

I approach this structure from the wind blown side first, then around to the end, down the other side, & then up on top.

I'm looking for 2 things, unusual changes in bottom contour & unusual changes in cover.

On man made lakes these points will have washouts where before the lake was flooded rain washed cuts, ruts, guts or what ever y'll call em into the point. Regardless of size these "washouts" provide a clean path from deep to shallow water.

[Nitrofreak]

Whatever you decide to do , make sure you keep detailed notes , boat position , time of day , water conditions , etc... , all of it , keep one eye on the sonar and note the structure change , make notes of the spot on your lake map .   in the long run this will be helpful as you begin to understand all the great info given here so far , really nice job guys and thanks !!

[WRB]

it sounds like you are fishing a man made deep structured large reservior. You can learn a lot about the points by studing a good 1 foot elevation topo map. Understanding the shape of the point underwater will give you a heads up on how to approach the structure and where the bass maybe located before making your first cast.

The key to success usually is knowing what depth the bass are active at and that can change hourly.

Boat control is also important and fishing from a small boat or kayak can be a challenge in moderate wing, high wind you should forget being out on the windy water.

If the bass are in deeper water, 15 to 30 feet, common during early pre spawn, I like to approach a point as if walking the bank and casting out into the deeper water retrieving up hill or parellel along the sides of the point. Then I work all around the point covering the area throughly from as many angles as possible to determine where the bass are located. When I have determined the depth and location, repeat this knowledge on other similar points or structures having similar depth and breaks. The isolated structure elements are important; rock piles, rocks, gravel, clay, stumps, gullies, small flats, saddles, etc. The wind positions the bass to face into the moving water and can create a mud line that provides cover, be aware how the bass strike your lure regarding all of the above factors.

Tom

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Can someone draw a map?

 

I'm a visual guy. I don't have any real "points" on the lakes I fish but I think it can be applied to other things in my water.

[Nitrofreak]

Speed , a grass line can be a point , I have some relatively flat structured lakes around here , no more than roughly 10 feet in depth in some locations , but here is Gene drawing some points and other visual aids to help .

 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/how-to-read-a-map.html

[basscatcher8]

I usually approach main lake points with the thought in mind that the active fish will be out towards the end and the neutral to negative mood fish will be on the sides probably in the cuts where the point curves on each side of the point. I know that doesnt hold up to everybodies theories but seems to be what works for me.