Where Do The Bass Go When....

[Red]

...all the cover where they are normally found is on dry land!? The lake I fish, you are almost guaranteed to catch at least a dink if you flip the timber. Now, the majority of the wood, at least in the areas I can access in my boat, is on dry land. So my question is where do I look next? I do fish any wood or rock I can find that is still wet, but what would be the next best place to look? How would you approach fishing it if you normally flip a jig or the like? Thoughts?

Thanks

Cliff

[Catt]

Follow the breaklines towards the creek/river channels

[Sam]

What Catt says and look deeper.

Remember, they want oxygen and safety. Even a rock can provide the safety and if they locate oxygen at lower depths and they will stage in those areas.

Fish the same areas where you caught them before, only off the shore line into deeper water.

If you get a lot of rain and the waters rise back to normal levels you will have a lot of fun in the areas where you caught them before the low water level.

Jigs can work but try the wacky Senko, drop shot and shaky head rigs. A deep diving crankbait may work, too

[WRB]

What Catt said is exactly the right thing to do; bass move following the same breaks that you see up on dry land where the bass used to be to where they are now located. You can still fish your jigs, just need to cast and retrieve like a T-rigged worm or craw, instead of pitching to open water without visual targets. Learn to use your sonar unit and mark the spots with a weighted marker buoy off to one side if you need a target to cast to; like a under water stump or rock pile. There will be structure out in deeper water until the lake dries up; low water is a good time to make a note of the locations.

Tom

[Red]

Thanks for the info y'all. Please forgive my ignorance, but when you refer to a breakline, you are talking about the next drop, treeline, grassline, etc etc out from the cover I was fishing, correct? For example, there is a certain treeline I like to fish and have done well. It is now dry or in less than a foot of water. So I should be looking at the small maybe 2-4 foot drop off that is about 50 feet out from the current bank? Thanks!

Cliff

[Catt]

Breakline: A breakline can have more than one meaning. It can be another word for a drop-off/ledge, or a point of any quick change in depth. It can also be used to describe the edge of a vegetation line. For example, a "weed break" is the area of the weed bed where the weeds meet up with open water; or, where one type of weed meets up with another. The last example happens when bottom composition changes, as different weeds prefer different types of bottom composition. A breakline can also describe a line where rock meets mud, pea gravel, etc. In other words, the most correct definition for a breakline is "Any distinct line that is made by cover or structure which leads to an abrupt change in bottom depth, composition, or cover transition".

Remember, bass must have a visible path of breaks and break lines on a structure from deep water all the way to the shallows, which is where the bulk of food is available to game fish. As bass move along a structure they pause or stop at "things" (breaks and break lines) on the bottom. It is at such "things" that anglers can expect to make consistent contact with fish as they migrate along a structure. This is why a certain stump or flooded tree, dock piling or submerged rock consistently produces bass for anglers.

[Red]

Thanks for the info. Still struggling and its getting worse. Skunked twice in a row!! That hasn't happened in a while. Gonna give it another go in the morning. Thought this heavy cloud cover and wind would help me out but nothing!

Cliff

[slonezp]

They're still in the cover. Just a little dried out. The birds have pecked out their eyes and eaten the gills, but the fish are still there.

Our rivers and lakes are low. Nothing like Texas though. Structure and cover are just that. There will be new/different structure and cover that the fish have adapted to.(key word "adapted") You just need to adapt. Find it. Fish gotta eat, cover or not.

[Red]

Yeah I hear ya, I am working on it. Pouring rain and wind this morning, hopefully I can get out later this afternoon/evening.