Inside Or Outside

[Mobasser]

Over the years, I've read and heard different opinions on this topic.               If your trolling slowly along, fishing heavy cover areas, do you like to pitch or cast to the thickest areas first, or make your initial cast to the outside edges first?                                 Some writers have stated that you'll spook fish by hooking bass in the thickest cover, and it's best to work outside first.          This could apply to any cover. Docks, weeds, logs, blow downs etc, or a mix of these things.                    Which method has worked out best for you? Do you like to cast right into the thickest parts, or work the outside edges first?

[Reel]

If you cast to the outside first and the splash scares the fish, where will they go ?  .. Inside! 

 

I fish outside first and then go inside slower.  

[Catt]

I start at casting distance away, then move up to pitching distance away, & then finally move up to flipping distance.

 

Once I establish where they're holding, then I'll move to that distance.

[scaleface]

I usually fish the outside first. But if I get in perfect position to make the perfect presentation in the middle, I'm taking it.

[LrgmouthShad]

If the water is clear, I never want to be too close to the fish initially. If the water is dirtier, I don’t care so long as I’m quiet. I avoid pedaling or paddling the kayak if at all possible. I don’t want any fish to know I’m there

[gim]

Depends on the time of year for me.  The thickness of the vegetation also plays a role.

 

Spring and fall I generally fish shallower than I would in midsummer.

 

Water clarity is also a factor.  I back off and make longer casts in clear water.  Stained water, not as big of a deal.

[LrgmouthShad]

Just now, gimruis said:

The thickness of the vegetation also plays a role.

Good point

[12poundbass]

I almost always fish outside in. There are times where I’ll come across some really good looking cover or structure, get a tad excited, and pitch right into the middle of it completely forgetting to pick it apart from the outside in. 
 

[gim]

52 minutes ago, Reel said:

If you cast to the outside first and the splash scares the fish, where will they go ?  .. Inside! 

Not necessarily.  I think a lot of fish head for deeper water when they sense danger.  Which is why proximity to deeper water is often a productive area.

[Mobasser]

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

Not necessarily.  I think a lot of fish head for deeper water when they sense danger.  Which is why proximity to deeper water is often a productive area.

True. I've watched fish in clear water take off for deeper water if they get spooked. They don't always move into the thick cover.

[Bankc]

And if they're spooked, they may not bite.  

I fish it both ways.  There are a ton of factors that I might consider, and a ton I might ignore.  Often times, how well the fish are biting plays a big role.  If they're not very aggressive, there's not much point in fishing the outside first.  So take what you can get. 

 

Most of the lakes I fish have lots of cover, and not much that really stands out from the rest.  So any cover that holds bass tends to not hold a bunch.  So I'll often go for the inside first and ignore the outside all together try to catch one or two before moving on to the next piece of cover.    But there are a few spots with more isolated cover, and I might fish them outside-in if the bass are biting.  Especially if they're in a noisy area, like a main lake point with a bit of wind and boats passing by, where I'm not so afraid of spooking them.  

[TnRiver46]

Honestly I rarely fish in cover. I need to change that, especially looking at @T-Billys bass pictures before he got all esox addicted 

 

I like fishing open water on the bottom or the top 

[king fisher]

I usually try and pick off the bass that live in the tree limbs 10 feet above the water first.  Than after loosing a lure or two casting for fish that live out of the water, I concentrate on at least getting my bait wet,  By this time fishing close or far from the cover makes little difference.

[Catt]

One thing that needs clarification is water depth. 

 

Are we talking shallow water cover only?

 

What about natural brush, Man-made brush piles, timber, or vegation 20'+ below the surface?

 

How do y'all approach offshore structures with no cover?

[gim]

1 minute ago, Catt said:

How do y'all approach offshore structures with no cover?

 

I don't think the OP is referring to offshore structure with no cover.  He specifically stated docks, weeds, logs, and blow downs.  I would classify those items as "cover" and generally not associated offshore.

[Catt]

5 minutes ago, gimruis said:

He specifically stated docks, weeds, logs, and blow downs.

 

Scratch the docks & all the rest can be located offshore. 

 

Offshore simply means not within casting distance of the bank.

[Mobasser]

4 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Scratch the docks & all the rest can be located offshore. 

 

Offshore simply means not within casting distance of the bank.

Catt, I've found that in deeper spots I still have to stay back a good distance.Ive spooked clear water fish by trolling slowly over them. On sunny days, a boat shadow has put them down. Lessons learned.

[Mike L]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

I start at casting distance away, then move up to pitching distance away, & then finally move up to flipping distance.

 

Once I establish where they're holding, then I'll move to that distance.

Ditto

When fishing in the conditions described, Most times this is all I do 

Even just moving 20 yds or so.  
 

If you start outside and miss or spook a bass they could head out deep and you lost that fish. 
Sure, she could turn and head deeper in the cover but you were gonna fish that anyway. 
 

By going what @Catt described, we’re  covering the most water to give you the best chance of picking them off and staying on top of them. 
 

 

Mike

[RipzLipz]

Admittedly, I’ve had the same brain fart @12poundbass described at times. I try to fish cover pending the conditions. Early in the year, big females tend to be cruising more shallow than deep, so I will likely fish in to out. Later, after spawn, bigger bass will eventually move deeper & I would try to fish out to in. Night fishing might change up my approach a bit, with larger fish often moving in shallower when temps are cooler or feel less wary.

 

Offshore would be a mixture for me depending on the cover type but I rarely do that on my regular lakes as not much cover other than weeds exists & I am usually not using electronics. I would be more apt to throw past offshore targets & fish through them, with weedlines being a mix of outside in, inside out & paralleling. I feel there’s always going to be exceptions.

[Mike L]

27 minutes ago, Catt said:

One thing that needs clarification is water depth. 

 

Are we talking shallow water cover only?

 

What about natural brush, Man-made brush piles, timber, or vegation 20'+ below the surface?

 

How do y'all approach offshore structures with no cover?

1) 90% of my fishing (which what I always look for and fish first) is “shallow water cover”

 

2) Around outside edges then work my way in and then out, changing angles with each cast or pitch is key.

(opposite of the procedure in my previous post)

Why? Because the only way for them to go is out. 
You need to keep them “pinned” to what you can’t see but know it’s there. 
 

3) See # 2

 

 

 

 

Mike

[scaleface]

41 minutes ago, Catt said:

How do y'all approach offshore structures with no cover?

I'll often toss a marker buoy close by  said cover , then cast where I think the middle will be.  I'll cast past it and work my bait into it.

[Jig Man]

It depends on the bait that I have tied on and the depth.  If it’s a hangumup bait it stays outside.  If it’s a jig or worm I throw it where you wouldn’t send your bird dog.

[Reel]

2 hours ago, gimruis said:

Not necessarily.  I think a lot of fish head for deeper water when they sense danger.  Which is why proximity to deeper water is often a productive area.

Those that head for deep water are rarely catchable.  Those that head for cover, you can come back a second time down the weed line and  maybe catch them.

[WRB]

I don’t get a chance to fish heavy cover as our lake are deep rocky structure with sparse cover.

When I fish lakes with weed beds in Canada the bass were located on the inside weed line or near that, the outside edges belonged to Musky and Pike.

When fishing heartland lakes years ago I found good size bass preferred cover where isolated rocks where under heavier weed beds or on the outside near deeper water breaks of channel swings. Clear lake patches of weed beds with a variety of different plants was the key and the Delta is more about weed beds up against tules near tidal current breaks. Cats approach seems to me the most logical technique.

Tom

[Tennessee Boy]

Every piece of cover is different and requires a unique strategy to fish it.  In the modern age of electronics,  it’s easy to be enticed by all the small fish you see swimming around the cover and forget about the big ones deep in the cover that you can’t see.