Angles

[deep]

The thread on "chairs" reminded me how I prefer to fish spots/ spot-on-spots from several different angles. Let's talk about angles; in my (very) limited experience with bigger fish, certain angles seem to trigger them better into biting.

 

Assume that you're fishing an isolated piece of cover/ structure on a structure, say a brush/ rockpile on a point. Obviously it can be fished from all 360 degrees. Which angle is the best one? Does it depend on the sun, wind direction, forage fish movement? What if it's an overcast day with no wind, and only demersal baitfish?

 

I'm not just talking about spring-up, and fall-down here. Even if I'm fishing downhill, I can present my bait along different paths.

 

Merry Christmas!

[Senko lover]

Bank fishing limits your accessability to good cover, let alone picking it apart. Whatever cover I can find is fished as thoroughly as possible.  

[fisherrw]

Bank fishing limits your accessability to good cover, let alone picking it apart. Whatever cover I can find is fished as thoroughly as possible.

x2 same here.

[Dave Jakes]

I think wind and current will make the biggest difference. Bass will hanging out on the down wind/down current side of the structure waiting for bait fish and food to swim by with the current to ambush their pray. If you throw out with the wind, then retrieve against it you may get a nice long cast, but that presentation is going to look unnatural to the fish. Bait fish generally don't swim into current/wind. If you cast into the wind and retrieve or let it drift into the brush pile with the current you'll have much more success.

[Comfortably Numb]

Whats up with the new avatar pic??

[smallieking]

Wind and Current are def important. but so is baitfish movement. I believe when a bass is in a piece of cover its going to position its self to ambush bait when it swims by. usually wind and current pay is the biggest factor but also water temp and seasonal baitfish migration is huge regardless of wind and current. 

 

so pay attention to the angle that you caught a particular fish because theres a reason that fish bit on that cast. and it just may allow you to run a very effective pattern for that day and out fish everyone else on the water 

[Sam]

Deep, not only are angles important but the number of casts is equally important.

 

I see so many guys, including myself, throw once or twice to a target from two angles as you float by in the boat.

 

Your post highlights the need for us to take our time with each target and hit it many times from different angles.

 

Thanks for bringing this up as a reminder to all.

[deep]

Whats up with the new avatar pic??

 

You don't like it? Old pic.

[gobig]

Bank fishing limits your accessability to good cover, let alone picking it apart. Whatever cover I can find is fished as thoroughly as possible.  

 

You are less limited then you think. In many cases you have better position than a boater. The advantage a boater has it that they can get from spot to spot faster which allows them to cover way more water.

[Senko lover]

You are less limited then you think. In many cases you have better position than a boater. The advantage a boater has it that they can get from spot to spot faster which allows them to cover way more water.

 

You're right that you can fish it longer, but you can't do a 360. 

[HoosierHawgs]

I think wind and current will make the biggest difference. Bass will hanging out on the down wind/down current side of the structure waiting for bait fish and food to swim by with the current to ambush their pray. If you throw out with the wind, then retrieve against it you may get a nice long cast, but that presentation is going to look unnatural to the fish. Bait fish generally don't swim into current/wind. If you cast into the wind and retrieve or let it drift into the brush pile with the current you'll have much more success.

Agreed. When the wind is blowing around it is going to push fish that direction. It pushes plankton, which the baitfish follow so they can feed. It can also cause bass to stack EXTREMELY TIGHT to cover. I like to throw a spinnerbait right up along the shoreline. It's a great way to catch fish. Position your boat so you can run it parallel and cast up and down the bank.

[gobig]

You're right that you can fish it longer, but you can't do a 360. 

 

 

Its not about longer. Its the direction. You are pulling the bait up hill. Its a natural funnel. Your bait is being pulled into structure and cover that you often cant get to in a boat. 

[everythingthatswims]

Deep, not only are angles important but the number of casts is equally important.

 

I see so many guys, including myself, throw once or twice to a target from two angles as you float by in the boat.

 

Your post highlights the need for us to take our time with each target and hit it many times from different angles.

 

Thanks for bringing this up as a reminder to all.

If you fish with the stuff that deep caught his avatar fish on, you better get it right on the first cast 

[gobig]

Angles and bait placement are very critical, especially when you start talking big fish. Often times this is the difference between getting bit or not. Bass use cover and structure to corral and pin prey. To answer the question "What is the best angle?" is a evolving question. The answer is constantly changing based on the conditions. All of the questions you asked are relative. For instance the sun is constantly moving all day. Shadows position bass and bait fish. Ever see bait fish run a shadow line as if its hard structure? Do shadows form points? Will a bass position on the same side of a rock in the morning as it would in the evening? What if there is no sun and only cloud cover? Add wind to the mix. How does wind position bait fish and bass? You see where I am headed with this? Its all in a constant state of change. You have to be aware of your surroundings and use critical thinking. This is where time on the water is huge. The guys that are killing it probably fish a lot of the same spots you do.

[WRB]

Bass position themselves to take advantage of every factor they can.

If you fish a pressured lake the bass get conditioned to anglers and are turned off by their presence. Doesn't matter how many casts you make if the bass has been alerted to your presence.

Consider 90+% of bass boat approach a point in the same manner or path approaching from outside the point and casting toward it from deeper water. The bass located on this point know where the boat is, they have very sensitive lateral line detection and have a conditioned response...they stop feeding activity.

Change your approach angle and improve your success.

Apply this strategy to every presentation and you will catch more bass.

Another bit of advice is bass don't like anything coming at them from behind, prefer things above or in front of them.

Tom

[Bankbeater]

Fishing from the bank also allows you to sometimes get into a tight spot where a boat can't get to. 

[papajoe222]

Using a point as an example, I will work shallow to deep and then deep to shallow from different angles until, or unless, I contact fish. Reguardless of what direction (up or down),  I will attempt to duplicate that angle reversing the direction of my retrieve before moving on.  If I continue contacting fish using the same angle, but completely opposite direction I know that the angle is more important. If I don't, I know that both angle and direction (deep to shallow or visa versa) are what I'll need to duplicate.  As WRB mentioned, the majority of bass will position themselves the same on a given piece of structure, for whatever reason.  If you can figure where and how, you have developed a pattern that you can use on that entire structure and possibly other similar structure in the area.

[RoLo]

'Lure-path' is underrated, but is the nuts-and-bolts of angling.

A small difference in lure path can make a big difference in results

which will usually be credited to visible variables like 'lure color', 'line type' or 'leader type'.

 

Roger

[Catt]

Ok I the dumb Cajun in the crowd but aint no one asking

I aint figured out, is y'all in a boat or on the bank?

How is this imaginary brush/rock pile positioned in relations to the point?

Is it out on the deep water end?

Half way up the point?

Near the bank?

Is this imaginary point a "ridge" type; narrow on top with steep sides?

Or is this imaginary flat across the top with slow tapering sides?

Is we trying to establish a pattern?

Or we done did established the pattern?

Just asking

[RoLo]

Ok I the dumb Cajun in the crowd but aint no one asking

I aint figured out, is y'all in a boat or on the bank?

How is this imaginary brush/rock pile positioned in relations to the point?

Is it out on the deep water end?

Half way up the point?

Near the bank?

Is this imaginary point a "ridge" type; narrow on top with steep sides?

Or is this imaginary flat across the top with slow tapering sides?

Is we trying to establish a pattern?

Or we done did established the pattern?

Just asking

 

I'm guessing that Catt wants to move from nuts-&-bolts to meat-&-potatoes 

The importance of lure-path is well-known, but what lure-path is best for a given situation?

 

Early on, repetitive casts was mentioned, and many excellent anglers maintain that repetitive casts

can annoy a bass into striking. That may be so, but I see it a little differently. I believe that repeating a "cast"

is very different from repeating a "retrieve", but repetitive casts can serve as a band-aid to bridge that gap.

Although a series of casts may appear identical to the angler, they may all be different under the water

from the standpoint of the bass. For instance, one out of 6 identical casts may tick a branch during the retrieve,

or may travel a tad slower or faster, which translates to a tad deeper or shallower, where inches count.

So in reality, it might've been the 6th 'cast', but it was the 1st 'retrieve' that got it right.

In the mind of the angler notwithstanding, this creates the illusion that the bass struck out of belligerence.

 

Roger

[A-Jay]

I'm guessing that Catt wants to move from nuts-&-bolts to meat-&-potatoes 

The importance of lure-path is well-known, but what lure-path is best for a given situation?

 

Early on, repetitive casts was mentioned, and many excellent angler believe that repetitive casts

can annoy a bass into striking. Maybe so, but I see it a little differently. I believe that repeating a 'cast'

is very different from repeating a 'retrieve', so repeat casts may serve as a band-aid.

Although a series of casts that may appear identical to the angler, they may all be different under the water

from the standpoint of the bass. For instance, one out of 6 identical casts may tick a branch during the retrieve,

or may travel a tad slower or faster, which translates to a tad deeper or shallower, where inches count.

So in reality, it might've been the 6th cast, but was the "1st" retrieve that got it right.

In the mind of angler notwithstanding, this will create the illusion that the bass struck out of belligerence.

 

Roger

 

Nicely put Roger.

 

  I  tend to agree with your "six casts to get one - right" assessment. 

 

And in the spirit of the title of this thread, I'd add on that sometimes one may need to change the cast angles to find that one right cast.  Could be a slight change, could be a 180.  And I think we've all done the one.  You're doing well on a spot and then the action slows or stops.  A change in boat position to present a different angle, turns then right back on again. 

 

Often times when an angler positions the boat a cast or so off the bank to present a bait to the shallower shoreline area, the fish are under the boat.   Doesn't matter much what angle is used if the fish never see your bait. 

 

A-Jay

[WRB]

I am not a believer in multiple casts to the same target from the same position hoping to trigger a strike.

If the bass is there and active it will strike. Making casts from different positions to the same target area where the lure path is coming from different depths and angles, uphill, side hill, down hill can be effective. Ounce you determine how the bass react, then you can repeat the angle at similar areas establishing a pattern.

Tom.

[Catt]

Tom Tom Tom!

2008 Lone Star Shootout Falcon Lake

Paul Elias 20 bass 132 lbs 8 ozs off the same piece of cover!

In his own words "I would hit my target 1 out of every 5 cast & that's when they would jump on it." On the other 4 cast I might catch a 3-4 lbs but when I would hit what ever was down there it was 7-10 lbs.

[WRB]

Catt, ounce you determine how the bass will react....

That was a phenomenal tournament and so glad that Paul won it.

Tom

[Catt]

Catt, ounce you determine how the bass will react....

That was a phenomenal tournament and so glad that Paul won it.

Tom

When I catch a bass my next cast will be a repeat cast identical to that one!