andrew_t_moran Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 Think a big swing in the creek or main river channel up against the shore and you have a rocky bluff wall (lots of these on Cumberland and Dale Hollow). You could be a boat's length from the wall and be in 25+ feet of water. How do you like to fish this during the different times of the year? And...GO! Quote
smallieking Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 JIG. flip to the wall keep the bail open until the bait hits the bottom or a shelf. engage reel and hold on Quote
andrew_t_moran Posted January 11, 2015 Author Posted January 11, 2015 JIG. flip to the wall keep the bail open until the bait hits the bottom or a shelf. engage reel and hold on Awesome - thanks! And very interesting - so in this case you would jig using a spinning rod? I've never used a jig on a spinning setup before. MH action, probably? 1 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted January 11, 2015 Super User Posted January 11, 2015 An excellent bait for steep Bluff and any time you want to fish a drop bait the Terminator Twin Spin Spinnerbait is a solid choice. A craw or a grub make a nice trailer. It's not a bait a lot of anglers reach for - that doesn't mean it doesn't work and it's pretty easy to fish. A-Jay 1 Quote
Super User Dwight Hottle Posted January 11, 2015 Super User Posted January 11, 2015 Topwater. 1 Quote
drodriguez Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 Awesome - thanks! And very interesting - so in this case you would jig using a spinning rod? I've never used a jog on a spinning setup before. MH action, probably? No, he doesn't mean spinning rod. It is HARD to find a spinning rod with the backbone for heavy wire hooks jigs have. He meens a highspeed (7:1:1 or faster) baitcast reel and keeping it on freespool at the end of the cast. Quote
drodriguez Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 I like a dropshot and deep diving crainkbaits around bluff walls. Quote
Super User Jig Man Posted January 11, 2015 Super User Posted January 11, 2015 No matter what bait I choose I want to fish it parallel to the bluff. Quote
Brian6428 Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 No matter what bait I choose I want to fish it parallel to the bluff. What depth do you normally target, then? It seems like the boat would have to be pretty close to shore. Quote
Super User Montanaro Posted January 11, 2015 Super User Posted January 11, 2015 No, he doesn't mean spinning rod. It is HARD to find a spinning rod with the backbone for heavy wire hooks jigs have. He meens a highspeed (7:1:1 or faster) baitcast reel and keeping it on freespool at the end of the cast. Guess you missed where he said to leave the bail open when the jig is dropping. 4 Quote
5fishlimit Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 No, he doesn't mean spinning rod. It is HARD to find a spinning rod with the backbone for heavy wire hooks jigs have. He meens a highspeed (7:1:1 or faster) baitcast reel and keeping it on freespool at the end of the cast. It's not that hard at all to find a spinning rod with enough backbone for jigs. It's no more difficult than finding a casting rod to do this. 2 Quote
drodriguez Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 Guess you missed where he said to leave the bail open when the jig is dropping. Lol. I guess I did. You'll probably still be better off with a casting set up though... More control over the fish, superior control during the cast. Easier to find the combos. Just saying. Only trying to help. Quote
Super User RoLo Posted January 11, 2015 Super User Posted January 11, 2015 There are very few things that fish love more than abrupt depth-change, but a long running bluff can be too much of a good thing.For this reason, I'll pass up much of the bluff, fishing at the beginning of the bluff, the sharpest juts and deepest nooks along the bluff, and the end of the bluffAs for lure selection, that usually has to wait until my wife boats the first fish I like Mister Hottle's approach (topwaters):Active fish are attracted to vertical drop-offs, where they can trap their prey.In turn, topwater lures tend to attract active fish, and if a fish doesn't respond....well...he's just a "bluff" Roger 4 Quote
Super User K_Mac Posted January 11, 2015 Super User Posted January 11, 2015 As Roger says irregularities are the key. Bouncing a jig or t-rigged plastic down a bluff wall will often find shelves and fish. Focusing on transitions where shear rock turns to gravel or looking for patches of green areas where grass has taken root is another good bet. Large chunks of rock at the base of the wall is another. Some of my biggest fish have come by finding the sweet spots on bluffs. 2 Quote
Super User scaleface Posted January 11, 2015 Super User Posted January 11, 2015 On the Ozark lakes I use to catch lots of fish on bluffs with Texas rigged Jelly worms. I havent been to any of those lakes for years . Like the video shows, the bait has to drop straight down. On my home lake , which is always stained to muddy , bluff fishing is tougher but I fish them the same way.Top waters can be good on cloudy days . Chuggers can work well on sunny days with a lot of wind. Quote
ward131 Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 I have some that when the bow is touching shore, the stern depth finder says 40 ft. I like to drop long worms (10-12 inches) with very little weight. They don't usually make it to the bottom before something picks it up. 1 Quote
corn-on-the-rob Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 I like tubes/grubs (on lead heads and spinning gear), drop shot, and a lipless crank. Want each lure to fall or get the bottom as close to the wall virtually touching every time. 1 Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted January 12, 2015 Global Moderator Posted January 12, 2015 My favorite way would probably be a shakyhead or jig, but there's a ton of different ways I've caught fish off bluff walls, they're one of my favorite pieces of structure/cover to fish. 1 Quote
Super User Bankbeater Posted January 12, 2015 Super User Posted January 12, 2015 Tube or a jig. I try and get it as close as possible to the wall and just let it fall on its own with a free spool. Quote
Super User gardnerjigman Posted January 12, 2015 Super User Posted January 12, 2015 I like a shaky head in this scenario the most. Coming in a close second would be a jig with a bulky trailer. Quote
ChrisWi Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 It's not that hard at all to find a spinning rod with enough backbone for jigs. It's no more difficult than finding a casting rod to do this. are you joking? A flipping jigs isn't going to be good on almost ANY spinning rod. Thats not what spinning rods are for. Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted January 12, 2015 Global Moderator Posted January 12, 2015 are you joking? A flipping jigs isn't going to be good on almost ANY spinning rod. Thats not what spinning rods are for. I've fished tournaments where I drew boaters who didn't fish baitcasters. They pitched and flipped with spinning rods just like a casting rod. It may not seem ideal but it certainly can be done, effectively at that. Spinning rods handle massive saltwater fish that even the biggest bass can't even get close to matching in speed or power also. 1 Quote
5fishlimit Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 are you joking? A flipping jigs isn't going to be good on almost ANY spinning rod. Thats not what spinning rods are for. I beg to differ. I have a MH/F spinning rod I've used for pitching/flipping jigs. 2 Quote
Super User scaleface Posted January 12, 2015 Super User Posted January 12, 2015 Ive used spinning gear for pitching. It will pitch farther than a caster. I dont utilize then enough . Quote
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