B
HOW TO FISH A BRUSH PILE
THE KEYS TO THiS POSSibLE CUP-WinninG TECHniQUE
rush piles have factored into Forrest Wood cup
victories several times over the years, which isn’t
surprising considering that late summer is brush
pile season in many parts
of the south. this year’s
championship at Wheeler
might be setting up to be
a brush-fishing battle too.
Walmart FlW tour pro
luke Dunkin, of
lawrenceburg, tenn.,
offers some insight on
the brush pile bite spe-
cific to Wheeler.
The Brush
Generally the “fuller” the
piece of brush is, the
more habitat it can pro-
vide for minnows, which
attract bass. Willow trees, for
example, have dense boughs.
Green, leafy “fresh trees” offer
ample cover too. Dunkin likes
1/2- or 3/4-ounce jig
both, but he says old trees
and other types of cover
that’ve been planted by anglers
are good too.
“to me, it’s just about finding one
in the right depth. any kind of tree to me
can be good,” he says. “some trees they’ll get around,
and some they won’t.”
For the cup, Dunkin suspects that brush
piles in the 15- to 20-foot range will be the
sweetest, though shallower brush could
produce too.
Finding Brush
by Curtis Niedermier
Modern electronics make it a lot easier to find
brush piles because a treetop looks just like a treetop
on a down-view sonar whereas it used to look like
nothing more than a blob. the sonar will usually also
reveal bass or bait in or around the brush. the pres-
ence of a bait school is often enough to convince
Dunkin to fish the spot.
in water shallower than 10 feet, however, fish might
spook from the boat overhead. in that case, Dunkin
will sometimes leave the brush and come back later
once it’s had time to settle.
Fish the Brush
Dunkin prefers to use land-
marks to align his boat, but a
buoy dropped off to the side
can help too.
his presentation is pretty
simple: starting with a texas-
rigged worm, he casts past the brush, then
pulls the bait back to the cover and “feels his
way around” the branches.
if he doesn’t get a bite after a few casts, he
switches to a heavier jig to get a little deeper
into the brush.
Texas-rigged
Zoom Ol’
Monster with
3/8-ounce
weight
In and Out
according to Dunkin, most brush pile bites come as
soon as the bait hits the cover. if he doesn’t get bit,
he’ll make a few casts, but he doesn’t bombard the
brush over and over and expect to get bit.
Location
in late summer, Dunkin looks for brush in
close proximity to deep water. he prefers that
it be on a drop-off. large ledges generally
don’t need brush to hold fish. the current,
shad and bottom structure are enough. Many
of his better brush piles he’s located on out-
of-the-way spots that other anglers miss or
don’t fish in late summer: the deep edge of a
flat, secondary points in creeks and drops in
the mouths of pockets in large creeks.
“contour helps,” Dunkin adds. “it’s some-
thing they’re traveling. i think they run
those contour lines a lot.”
Down- and side-viewing sonar will be critical for locating Wheeler Lake’s brush piles.
Here’s an example of what pros will be looking for during the Cup.
FLWFISHING.COM I AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016