OH June 13

[dcdietzel]

Good report!
Where is Blue Grass?

[dcdietzel]

Found it! Blue Grass coordinates

N 36˚18.507′ W 086˚34.209′

[halfbass]

Hope you did not find the 8″ LM with the hole in his lip 😀

[blockel]

Thanks for the report, HalfBass. All of the reports you’ve been posting lately, for that matter. I’m hoping to start getting out on the Old Hick more regularly this summer in attempts to learn how to find and catch some ledge fish. Having said that, there should be some reports to come.

[halfbass]

Name is Jim…Yes last year, had no boat, fishing with a guide I caught several nice LM ledge fishing. Although not my favorite type of fishing when the water gets hot seems 80% of the way to go. My problem so far this year is that once I locate the schools I cannot get them fired up. This past Sat-Sun using both Side Scan and Down Scan/Sonar combo I found fish in several ledge locations, one being a shell bed, but for 2-3 hours could not get them going?

Baits Used:
Deep cranks in shad and fire tiger
10.5 in robo worm texas rigged to a 1/2oz weight
3/4oz football jig with watermelon or blue craw trailer

If it adds to anything there was no current flowing even though TVA said they were running 1-2 generators.

Oh well got to keep trying 🙄

[kkuntzy]

I am trying to teach myself to ledge fish right now an having the same issues I find what I think is a huge school of fish spen hours trying to get them to bite. I suspect that they are not bass. Any words I wisdom from the ledge fisherman out there?

[halfbass]

quote Kkuntzy:

I am trying to teach myself to ledge fish right now an having the same issues I find what I think is a huge school of fish spen hours trying to get them to bite. I suspect that they are not bass. Any words I wisdom from the ledge fisherman out there?

Great question…can’t wait for the replys…Jim

[halfbass]

Maybe the 1st question should be “does current matter”

Jim

[jinzeo]

I’m still trying to figure this ledge bite out as well. What I have found is current makes a big difference. It seems to me that it must be over 13,000 cfm to have an effect. The other thing I seem to be finding is it is also a timing thing. I can hit a spot a couple times in a morning, get nothing, and hit it again and you get into a flurry.
I had Ben install my Garmin 93sv this spring and the side view is incredible. I’m getting to the point where if I do not see fish or bait, it is not worth making a cast. Then again, seeing them and not being able to get them to bite can get frustrating. I was reading somewhere that KVD could see schools of carp on his HB and he thought a lot of guys thought they were bass. How he can tell the difference is beyond me, but I guess that’s why he is KVD.
Even though this can be frustrating I learn something everytime out.

[halfbass]

I think I am able to tell the difference between carp, catfish, crappie and bass on my Humminbird 899 & 859. The bass appear as small white dots and are normally suspended within 5ft of the bottom and horizontally.

Just what I was taught…Jim

[blockel]

I second what Jinzeo said. Current and timing are both huge. Current helps position them so you can present the bait perfectly every time (in theory anyhow). If there is a lack of current, it’s more likely the fish will suspend and scatter, making them more difficult to catch. Timing is important due to the fact that just b/c you’ve found the mother load of fish, doesn’t necessarily mean they want to eat… I learned this the hard way when I use to ice fish a lot with a Vexilar back home in Michigan. I think people would be blown away if we knew how many fish ignored our baits while fishing down a given ledge/bank. Either way, back to my point, when you get both of those factors right, current and timing, that’s when you can load the boat cast after cast!

Did anyone watch the Bassmasters LIVE coverage from a couple weeks ago at Kentucky Lake? Those days were pretty slow and then they’d find an active school and catch 20lbs in 10 mins and then go hours without another bite. Feast or famine!

[halfbass]

I was also told by Brian during a winter seminar that current is what moves the bait fish and the bass stage on ledges waiting for the bait fish to move by.

Jim

[kkuntzy]

Thanks for the info fellas. Does anyone have an opinion on retrieving with the current or against the current?

[halfbass]

quote Kkuntzy:

Thanks for the info fellas. Does anyone have an opinion on retrieving with the current or against the current?

Always taught with the current or across never up current

[blockel]

quote HalfBass:

I was also told by Brian during a winter seminar that current is what moves the bait fish and the bass stage on ledges waiting for the bait fish to move by.

Jim

That’s exactly right, Jim. The current will place those fish in the optimum places to feed, or where the forage will be blown right onto their dinner plate. Which from my experience is usually on the front and/or back of a piece of structure depending on where the current is coming from.