Bass Fishing - Best Way to Locate Bass (1/5)

I always try to fish during the weekdays if possible, weekends are a total zoo around here. But if the weekend is the only time you have to fish this technique is your best bet for putting some fish in the boat. I try to get to the lake early to assure I am one of the first boats on the lake.

Most lakes in Southern California have a forty five degree shoreline like the one described in bass 22, most have quite a few. Shorelines dropping off into deep water are best most of the year, but in the spring spawning season you will do best in the back of coves in more shallow water. Lets say it is the summer season and the lake is crowded with fishermen, skiers, jet skiers and pleasure boaters, the worst possible conditions for fishing, that's why I choose weekdays. Lets say we have gotten to one of our favorite banks and we are the first ones there, we want to tie our boat abouta long cast from the nearest point, bow in to the bank, and anchor off the stern to hold the boat in position. I always carry two anchors with at least 200 feet of rope at all times, the anchors should be at least twelve pounds each, this gives you extra holding power in windy conditions.

More on why I have so much extra anchor line with me later. I carry a surf rod loaded with 25 pound test yellow line on a saltwater spinning reel, I tie a two ounce sinker below a very large float and cast it out about fifty feet out from the point, this is my "scarepeople." When someone comes around the point I politely say " Hey Bro, I have a line in the water there" 99% of the
time the other boat gives the line a wide berth. You don't have to worry about the game warden because there is no hook or bait on it. ( sneaky, sneaky ) Now we can fish either side of the boat and cover about one hundred and fifty feet of the bank, and have it to ourselves all day for the most part.

I start out with the Rapala Frenzy and make several casts as near to the bank as I can without getting hung in the brush, I work it fairly quickly reeling medium fast while giving the rod tip quick jerks. After four or five casts to the right, I turn around and make some casts to the left of the boat. I then make the next series of casts about ten feet farther out from the bank. Then I turn around and fish the left side, if I am fishing with someone, I fish one side and they fish the other. I always wear a good pair of polarized sunglasses, this gives me the ability to see underwater brush and snags, not just to keep from hanging up, but to see structure that will hold bass.

After I have made a series of fast casts close, ten and twenty feet out from the bank I make the same series of casts about half the speed of the first series, and if I have spotted any underwater brush I will stop the lure just before I get to it, ( always try to stop to the outside if possible, so you can pull a fish away from the bush before it can dive into the bush and hang you up ) then
I let the lure float to the surface and give it several small twitches, let it sit a moment and start my retrieve again. If I haven't caught anything yet, I will really slow my retrieve down, I cast the lure out and let it sit for about ten seconds then just barely twitch it, let it sit and twitch it again all the way back to the boat. This is done the same way as before, close to the bank, ten feet out and twenty feet out. This takes some time, but it tells me that there are probably no fish shallow. We have thoroughly fished the top fifteen feet of water and eliminated it as holding any fish.

Next time: Fishing the fifteen to thirty foot range.