Bass Fishing Aug - Sept 2016 | Page 90

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