what exactly is a ledge

[Carrington]

i think i know what a ledge is but i am wondering if someone can give me an exact definition so i can start targeting them for bass.  thanks

[Nine Miler]

Merriam Webster says:

Main Entry: ledge

Pronunciation: \[ch712]lej\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English legge bar of a gate

Date: 1535

1 : a raised or projecting edge or molding intended to protect or check <a window ledge>

2 : an underwater ridge or reef especially near the shore

3 a : a narrow flat surface or shelf; especially : one that projects from a wall of rock b : rock that is solid or continuous enough to form ledges : bedrock <the field was full of ledge>

From fishdelta.com

[Fishing Rhino]

This is my understanding, and it may be wrong, but here 'tis.

A ledge is an outcropping of solid rock, be it on land, or in a body of water.  Ledges can form shelves, shoals, reefs, walls, etc.

Is it always an outcropping?  Not necessarily.  Around here, when a well is drilled, they generally strike the "ledge" or solid rock at about fifteen feet.

But when applied to fishing, I understand it to be the exposed rock mantle of the earth, no matter how it is configured.

[Wayne P.]

The way I understand the term as used in the large lowland lakes is the drop off into the main river channel from an adjacent shallower area. Ledges on a highland lake are the steps in the submerged rock cliffs.

[Carrington]

thanks for the help with the definition guys.

[Frogman]

Ledges:  Where I should have been fishing in my last tournament

[Carrington]

by the way im guessing a carolina rig would probably be one of the best ledge baits, but do you cat the rig perpindicular to the ledge or parrell to the ledge.

[Nine Miler]

Parallel.  For sure.

[Carrington]

if its parrell then do you fish the top, bottem, or somewhere in the middle.  ive never ledge fished so im trying to figure out what i need to do.

[Nine Miler]

If you think there are fish there, you just gotta work it until you find the depth where they are holding.  When you do, toss a buoy out.  Check the depth at the buoy, then work that depth up and down the ledge.

[Carrington]

i was just going to check out every ledge in the lake which is alot of them since idk how to say one is better then another.

[Nine Miler]

You can narrow it down, do you have electronics?  If so, look for bait fish, if not, look for ledges where the wind or current is driving against them, it will stack up the food, and the bass will follow. 

If you have the ability, mess with the sensitivity settings on you electronics, a lot of times you can get the thermocline to show up, especially if you have a color screen, that is a good place to start as the water at the thermocline has more oxygen than the water above it.

[Carrington]

ya, i have side imagining and down scan.  im still learning the unit though since i havnt had it to long.

[Nine Miler]

Oh Snap.  Just drive around one day without any fishing gear in your boat.  Trust me on that.  Anytime you think you see a good spot, record it on your sonar and mark a waypoint.  When you have been everywhere you are interested in, review the spots you marked and rate them based on their characteristics. 

When you go out the next time, you will have a good idea of where you should be fishing.  Refine your spots as you fish.  If you take gear on your scouting trip, you will be tempted and you will not get all the info you want.  Trust me.

[BulletDon]

a ledge can be andy sudden depth change after theirs a constant level for period.  A sloping bank is not a ledge.

you could be fishing a flat the size of a football field and and all of a sudden it drops suddenly by more tha 8 inches and continues at the new depth.  Every time their is a change boom ledge.  Our highland lakes like Travis and Bucannan and Belton have significant ledges.  Be sitting in 15' and then you are in 60'.

I try to fish right over them as much as possible, using a bait that I can control.  Another tactic that I use is marking the edge with buoys.  I have about six in my boat at one time and I have used up to 12 in the past (homemade).  What I would do with my 1240a flasher is keep right on the edge of the ledge.  The turn the boat 90 degrees to the shallow side and drop a bouy.  I would do this for as long as my markers would let me about 20 yards apart.  Give it 15 mins then fish the ledge in front of me while staying on the ledge with the boat.  I can see the the line I need.  Once fish were caught I would count the markers wher I was at and then graph the area to see why.

Hope this helps

[Nine Miler]

SkeeterDon, great post.  My picture didn't really show what I was talking about perfectly.  This is the idea I was trying to convey.

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[Carrington]

if the bank slowly slopes down to 15 feet over say 50 yards and then within 5 yards drops to 30 or 40 feet is that a ledge.

[Taylor Fishin 4 life]

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This is a Ledge

[Carrington]

ok, that looks more like what im talking about thanks for all the help guys.

[BulletDon]

nine miller - yes those are ledges

Carrington, you got it