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crankbait as he can with a jerkbait and observe how bass react .
“ It ’ s something I ’ ve used for 30 years ,” VanDam says of a modification that ’ s taken on added value with his use of Humminbird MEGA Live .
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offshore frenzy
Mass pressure on offshore “ megaschools ” of bass is shaping some contrarian strategies on the ledges .
“ My approach to fishing ledges has shifted ,” Neal says . “ I find myself fishing for either smaller groups or single fish scattered along a ledge . Those mega-schools get so much pressure now that it ’ s hard to generate bites from them . Now , I would rather find four or five fish just off the ledge that I can make an exact cast to than try to find and work that school of 100 fish . That ’ s just the way it ’ s starting to turn .” Decades ago , large schools of big offshore bass seemed the stuff of legend – but , not anymore ! The mix of down-scan , sidescan and forward-facing sonar coupled with precise mapping technology has removed much of the mystery of finding prime structure and the fish that use it . On tournament days , prime ledge locations can look like parking lots .
“ I love to ledge fish as much as anybody , but I don ’ t like ledge tournaments anymore simply because everybody is on top of one another ,” Rose says . “ Those fish are so pressured that it ’ s hard to get them to cooperate .” In many cases , the spread of success with ledge fish has come at the cost of courtesy and etiquette . Rose suggests that a habit of direct but cordial communication will serve anglers everywhere . He would like to see the practice take hold in the pro ranks in particular before bad blood between anglers takes a toll .
“ If I come up on a spot a guy is fishing , I won ’ t pick up a rod until I ’ ve communicated with a guy already fishing the area ,” he says .
Responses will range from accommodation to outright refusal . The reasons behind those responses will vary vastly , too , Rose acknowledges . But he believes that simple consideration and a habit of “ ask before you cast ” will head off most potential run-ins .
Rose offers his own personal guideline as a rule of thumb : “ If a guy is casting and you come within a cast ’ s distance of his boat , say 100 to 120 feet , you ’ re too close in my opinion .”
If you ’ re fishing on the ledge , it ’ s worth considering .
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PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON |
Work on your ledge-fishing game and start catching 6-pounders , like this toad Jacob Wheeler caught on Lake Chickamauga . |
It pays big to fish deep . Kevin VanDam captured the win on Lake Chickamauga in 2021 by fishing offshore with Strike King crankbaits . |
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MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | JUNE-JULY 2023 |