New to fishing ledges, points, and drop offs. Help?

[Catt]

5 hours ago, scaleface said:

Almost all the good structure I ever fished has been connected to the shore 

My point is there's a lot of good structure that ain't connected to the shoreline!

[scaleface]

4 minutes ago, Catt said:

My point is there's a lot of good structure that ain't connected to the shoreline!

My point is I agree . 

[WRB]

The structure element noted as volcano is a class is hump, the surrounding water anywhere from 40' to 60' the top being 20'. That is where you should spend some time fishing and studying your sonar along with other underwater "points" that make hairpin turns.

Tom

[Todd2]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

The structure element noted as volcano is a class is hump, the surrounding water anywhere from 40' to 60' the top being 20'. That is where you should spend some time fishing and studying your sonar along with other underwater "points" that make hairpin turns.

Tom

Tom, would you still target that hump in the summer if the thermocline setup at let's say 12-16 feet? In other words, would 20 feet be too deep in that situation?

[WRB]

1 hour ago, Todd2 said:

Tom, would you still target that hump in the summer if the thermocline setup at let's say 12-16 feet? In other words, would 20 feet be too deep in that situation?

You wouldn't normally fish under a thermocline however they are absolute or even throughout a lake and can vary depending wind or wave action. If you don't see any life below the thermocline it's not worth wasting too much time, still would make age casts to keep them honest.

Tom

[WRB]

For some reason I can't edit my many typo errors ; thermocline are not absolute...

still make a few casts...

Tom

 

[ClackerBuzz]

On 5/10/2016 at 6:42 AM, Keith "Hamma" Hatch said:

First,..you should cruise around the lake for a while and see if you can locate baitfish on your sonar to determine what depth they are holding at. This will tell you what ledges and drops you should concentrate on for that moment. Say the bait is holding at 15' or so, then your ledge should work if the bait is nearby,... if the bait isnt nearby then find a drop or ledge, or some other cover on structure nearby relating to that depth. with bait nearby and FISH IT!,.  Cover on structure is key, and if your ledge doesnt have any weeds or wood etc. on it,... it may not produce unless the bait is pinned against it

Now for lures? I like a jighead with a 3 or 4 inch grub for "testing" drops, the reason i like such a smaller lure is that most fish will hit it, and that will tell me whats down there, if anything at all. And the reason i choose a bottom bouncing lure is that it "feels" out the bottoms topography, giving me a visual. If its a lake that I know bass are the predominent predator. I will throw a  jig and pig, or texas rigged worm (size and type determined by conditions)

 Many anglers will throw a spinnerbait or some other search lure like a crankbait, or chatterbait, and id agree with that in a tourney situation, and I would follow suit,,,, But fishing for fun, id rather get right to canvassing the area,.This also will allow you to feel the subtle differences down there, and possibly stumble onto a sweet spot. But i will fish it "kinda" quickly as to not spend all day on one drop. I cast up shallow about 15 ft away from edges drop, work it to the edge, then pull it over the edge and give the line slack as to allow it to drop straight down while watching the line for any movement, ticks, hits, etc., jig it again, and again, and continue this action till Im satisfied its reached the drops bottom.

With all the variables available in fishing ledges and drops? i could almost type out a book. So,.. consider these tips, I hope they help you some

 

On 5/10/2016 at 7:20 AM, roadwarrior said:

All of my ledge fishing has been on river reservoirs where the dominate variable is always current. Number two, as Keith "Hamma" Hatch noted, is depth. Next is the presence of fish that you can see with your electronics. My most successful presentation has been a 10" Thumper, Purple Fleck. ALWAYS cast up-river and retrieve on the bottom just fast enough or slow enough to match the current. The strike will usually come just as the worm falls over the drop.

Some ledges or contour may extend a hundred yards or more. We like to identify the ledge using buoys, then casting beyond the imaginary line. Cover the area thoroughly, but if you don't get a bite on the first go around, move on to another ledge. The fish are either there or they are not. Come back later, the fish move around. The most successful ledge fisherman will accumulate a lot of way points over time and run from one to another fairly quickly. When you find one fish, you may find them all!

I love when members skip the philosophy and get right to the nitty gritty.  2 thumbs up.