Fishing logjams

[bchase44]

On the lake I fish normally I recently came across a massive stretch of logjam.  A good 200 yards or so of "shore" is stacked with logs.

The land is a game&fish area so there is nobody to clear it up I suppose.  Entire tree trunks seem to have just floated up and are there for good. Sometimes 4 or 5 trunks together.

It's a bit tricky maneuvering, even in the kayak.  along with the logjams there are standing trees (cypress as shown in my avatar) and many stumps.. Sometimes the logs wedge against these at angles.. It's a tangle.  I can get alongside a log closest to land and it's about 3 ft .. if I ease out to casting distance it might get to 6ft.

My questions:

How would you fish this kind of terrain?  It had me a little overwhelmed when I found it.  I figure the best bet is presenting something tight to the logs lengthwise.

What bait would you use and how would you fish it?

With a little chop.. many of the logs were moving and creaking (this is on the main lake).. I began to question whether fish would hold near moving, noisy cover like that?  Anyone got any thoughts on that?

 

[Advantage]

Flippin and pitchin with a jig or t-rig, edges first then farther and farther into it. Guess it'll be difficult to do in a kayak though.

[Todd2]

In the Spring on KY lake, I won a little tournament fishing one log jam very similar to yours but probably not 200 yards. Mine was right off the main lake and the timing was perfect I pitched a Arkie jig in blugill (green)with a 4 in Yum Dinger as the trailer. Work the outside first. Then pitch over a log, let it sit, lift up to the log (but not over) then drop just a tad and shake, then drop to bottom and repeat. The further back you go the bigger chance of break offs....and you will break off some so work the outside first. I love those things.

[TnRiver46]

Some guys ease into places like that in inner tubes with a long rod and no reel. Strap some super stout braid and a jig or Texas rig on it and just dip it into the gaps in the logs. Work the area super slowly and deliberately, you may not get a ton of bites but the biggest fish in the area will be buried in all that mess

[bchase44]

3 hours ago, Advantage said:

Flippin and pitchin with a jig or t-rig, edges first then farther and farther into it. Guess it'll be difficult to do in a kayak though.

I can roll cast from short distances, without too much noise or effort.  But getting over and to the backside of things is difficult.

3 hours ago, Todd2 said:

In the Spring on KY lake, I won a little tournament fishing one log jam very similar to yours but probably not 200 yards. Mine was right off the main lake and the timing was perfect I pitched a Arkie jig in blugill (green)with a 4 in Yum Dinger as the trailer. Work the outside first. Then pitch over a log, let it sit, lift up to the log (but not over) then drop just a tad and shake, then drop to bottom and repeat. The further back you go the bigger chance of break offs....and you will break off some so work the outside first. I love those things.

One thing that I'm trying to get used to is that I don't have to be 20ft away to catch a fish. At least that is the way I understand it from folks who fish in the heavy heavy cover.  I will have to try a bluegill color!

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Some guys ease into places like that in inner tubes with a long rod and no reel. Strap some super stout braid and a jig or Texas rig on it and just dip it into the gaps in the logs. Work the area super slowly and deliberately, you may not get a ton of bites but the biggest fish in the area will be buried in all that mess

Next time I'm out there (hopefully this afternoon) I am going to try to force myself to get into the cover.. And quit worrying about snagging.. if it happens it happens.  I cannot stand in my kayak, so there is a limit to what I can reach to gaps without getting snagged but I should be able to get closer than what I have tried which is "casting to" rather than creeping up and "dropping into".

 

[scaleface]

The moving logs , I believe would have a positive effect . 

[bagofdonuts]

I fish a lake with a lot of log jams and it gets really good around the blue gill spawn.

I think your kayak may be an advantage. Just drift up there right next to them nice and quiet and flip or pitch a jig in all the gaps you can hit. Then ease on down and repeat.

 

[everythingthatswims]

I like using a pegged t-rig over a jig in that situation because it's harder to hang up and fish will hold onto it for a little while longer. I know some people say they set the hook as soon as anything feels different, but if you do that in a logjam things will get very expensive very quickly.

[CrustyMono]

34 minutes ago, everythingthatswims said:

I know some people say they set the hook as soon as anything feels different, but if you do that in a logjam things will get very expensive very quickly.

haha, i lost a 6 dollar jig setting the hook on a submerged tree limb

[J Francho]

$6 jig?  I don't pay nearly that much for custom, wire tied jigs....

[gim]

Is there some current there?  Boat control could be a problem too although you did mention you were in a kayak right?  So maybe that could make it easier.

[bchase44]

8 hours ago, scaleface said:

The moving logs , I believe would have a positive effect . 

For some reason I thought bass would want solid cover, not floating.. But at least all the ruckus makes it easy for me to slide up next to them.

8 hours ago, bagofdonuts said:

I fish a lake with a lot of log jams and it gets really good around the blue gill spawn.

I think your kayak may be an advantage. Just drift up there right next to them nice and quiet and flip or pitch a jig in all the gaps you can hit. Then ease on down and repeat.

 

This is exactly what I'm going to try next time.  I went today but there was a lot of wind.. I wasn't into going that far upwind with whitecaps breaking on me. 

I caught one and lost one.  My uni to uni broke on the lost fish and I lost my brand new blue-gill Scatter Rap!! 

I saw the flouro in the water for a few seconds and I tried to get to it to hand line him in lol.. but it was gone to quick!

11 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Is there some current there?  Boat control could be a problem too although you did mention you were in a kayak right?  So maybe that could make it easier.

There is only current from wind so it varies.. But there are so many stumps and perpendicular logs that, once you reach the area, it's usually not as choppy even when the main lake is.

[bagofdonuts]

Ha, I just noticed your location. Probably talking about the same lake. Lake Conway. I haven't been in a few weeks but have you tried around the pad steams, those usually produce in the fall. I'd throw a spinner bait, fluke, or swim jig thru the pads to see if they in them chasing shad.

[bchase44]

Yep Lake Conway  I tend to go the Adam's Lake area (at least that is what I consider home-base)

I will try your advise on the pad stems if I can get out again soon.