No structure/cover canals

[Hewhospeaksmuchbull]

Looking for some tips on how to fish canals/waters that have no cover or structure. There are some small rocks littering the bottom but not anything that they are holding on.

 

There are defiantly bass both LMB, smallies and some stripers. I can see them and watch them ignore my baits. Water is clear with visibility to about 6 maybe 8 feet.

 

I am normally throwing stick baits weightless, the dinks love'em but the larger fish are taking a pass. I have tried crank baits at all depths, lipless, jigs, jigs and craw, Jig+paddletail, spinnerbaits, T-rig creatures/T-rig worms, Kastmaster, topwaters are also not getting them. I have not tried finesse type fishing as the current is usually pretty strong.

 

I haven't been able to see what they are feeding on, I did see a small school of what may have been shad once, I tried pulling a chrome lipless though this school but didn't get bit.

 

I'm kinda out of ideas, HELP!

[813basstard]

That screams ‘man made’. Usually high banks. 45 degree LONG casts. 

Usually rocks= jigs, crankbait, spinnerbait. 

Cast out in front of the boat instead of vertically at the bank. The strike zone on high banks a lot of the times are 3 feet from the bank to 20 feet off the bank. 

Good luck!

[Hammer 4]

Clear water means you need to be Stealthy, i.e. quiet, and make long Soft cast's. If there are shad in there try a jerk bait, i.e. a Zoom fluke on a light jig head, or even weightless..Jigs, arkie jig's bounced off the bottom. I would also recommend using fluro line.. 

[JediAmoeba]

If you want the big ones, go big.  Throw large huddlestons or other swimbaits and glidebaits way out in front.  

[Hewhospeaksmuchbull]

Quote

That screams ‘man made’. Usually high banks. 45 degree LONG casts. 

Usually rocks= jigs, crankbait, spinnerbait. 

Cast out in front of the boat instead of vertically at the bank. The strike zone on high banks a lot of the times are 3 feet from the bank to 20 feet off the bank. 

Good luck!

No boat, fishing from the bank. Should have said so. I've literally beaten a good portion of the Finnish off of several of my crank baits. I'm gonna throw a jig at them again, spinnerbait wont stay down in the current and I think I'll save some wear and tear on my crankbaits for the moment, getting costly.

 

Quote

Clear water means you need to be Stealthy, i.e. quiet, and make long Soft cast's. If there are shad in there try a jerk bait, i.e. a Zoom fluke on a light jig head, or even weightless..Jigs, arkie jig's bounced off the bottom. I would also recommend using fluro line.. 

Your mention of fluro has me thinking, maybe these bass are line shy? I'll try a leader.

 

Quote

If you want the big ones, go big.  Throw large huddlestons or other swimbaits and glidebaits way out in front.  

Just got my swimbait set up, I've only had one chance to use it on this canal. I kinda feel silly as I don't see anyone else using swimbaits on this canal, then again I'm a little different - So Ker-plunking I shall go.

 

So far I've thrown, a Sebile Magic Swimmer, savage gear real trout and Rapala peto(feels like casting a cannon ball) which I did have a blowup on. I've been concentrating on swimming these baits just where the bank suddenly drops deeper, this is where I see fish cruising. I wonder if I should be fishing these down stream? I have been fishing them against the current.

 

[Hammer 4]

Fish generally face the current which brings the food to them. Also, maybe grab a 6" weedless Huddelston trout swimbait, and crawl it and crawl it along the bottom semi slow. Bass always look for an easy meal..

[Raul]

The canal is the structure.