Locating Submerged Roadbeds

Finding Roadbeds: Roadbeds easiest to locate are those that extend into the water from the shoreline. You often can see the pavement or a gravel lane cutting through the trees. Shorelines that are densely overgrown, however, can obscure these obvious clues. Even if you can't see roadbeds, you should have little trouble finding them with the help of a detailed contour map and a depthfinder. A good map will clearly display roads that still exist on the lake bottom. After boating to an area where a roadbed is marked on a map, use a depthfinder to pinpoint its location. This type of structure is especially noticeable if you cross it at a perpendicular angle with some type of graph. A raised roadbed will typically be displayed on the sonar screen as a sharp incline, followed by the telltail flat surface of the road and then a sharp decline. Bear in mind that all roadbeds are not the same. A route clinging to a hillside, for example, will drop off on the lower side and may have only a shallow ditch on the uphill side before the bottom resumes climbing. Some roadbeds are sunken. In this case, the sonar screen reveals a nearly vertical drop, followed by the flat span of the road and then a vertical climb. It looks like a squared-off U, although one side of the letter is frequently shorter than the other.
Key Roadbed Locations: Resist the urge to begin fishing a roadbed immediately after discovering it. As with any structure, most of the bass will check in at particular spots along the thoroughfare that offer first-class accommodations with 4 star restaurants. Spend some time studying the structure to learn how it lies and to determine the places bass are likely to find most inviting. Cross the road at several points and idle parallel to each side of it while scrutinizing your depthfinder. What are you looking for? The sides of roadbeds are typically enhanced with riprap, large boulders, stumps, fence posts, brush or other cover that bass find to their liking. Other probable bass hangouts are high or low spots near a fast dropoff and junctures with other roadbeds, especially where one road ends and joins another. Then there is the most celebrated, most fruitful roadbed structure of all is the creek channel juncture. Here you have the interchange of two major migration routes combined with a major structural element, the bridge itself. Some bridges are left intact; others are blown up before the lake is impounded, leaving a pile of concrete, asphalt and metal rubble. Either way, any of the many bass passing through are drawn to this prominent cover. Keep buoys handy when making a sonar examination of a roadbed and toss one out whenever you see something that looks promising. After finishing your initial reconnaissance, go back and fish these areas thoroughly. When you contact bass, take time to jot down exacting landmarks. On subsequent visits, you'll be able to line up productive spots without using buoys, which tend to attract other anglers.
Seasonal Strategies:  Roadbeds are universal structures in reservoirs, and the methods for fishing them are essentially the same everywhere. You're better off casting across a roadbed than parallel to it, because bass usually relate to the cover along the edge of the byway rather than the monotonous, flat surface of the roadbed itself. The perpendicular cast simply confronts more fish. The exception is when bass are deeper than 20 feet or so. In these instances, positioning the boat directly over the fish and using a vertical presentation is generally more effective.
• Fall: Roadbeds on the main lake and in the lower sections of creek arms are productive, and those farther up in the creeks in shallower water also may see bass activity. Crankbaits ranging from shallow runners to the deepest divers are high-priority baits. Schooling activity near the surface is not uncommon, in which case lipless rattlers, such as the Rat-L-Trap, and a variety of topwater lures can get action. The Carolina rig, jig-and-pig, and Texas-rigged worm are also worthy contenders.
• Winter: Deep roadbeds in or near the main flake hold bass in cold-water conditions. Deep-diving crankbaits and jig-and-pig combinations will continue drawing strikes when retrieved slowly. In extremely cold water, you'll enjoy more consistent catches by vertically fishing jigging spoons, doodling worms, jigs dressed with grubs and jigs with pork dressings.
• Spring: Roadbeds provide bass with ideal spawning habitat. Look for hard-bottomed structures in creek arms in shallow water that receive ample sunlight. Northern banks are usually best. In clear water, jerkbaits such as the Smithwick Rattlin Rogue will call bass up. Lipless rattling crankbaits also will goad bass into action. When bass are reluctant to come up, a Carolina-rigged lizard with a 3/8 to 1/2 ounce sinker is deadly. Many anglers have better luck with a short leader at this time, 18 to 24 inches. Texas rigged plastic worms, lizards and craws, and jig-and-pig combinations also serve well.
• Summer: Concentrate on roadbeds in the main lake or in the lower, deeper sections of creek arms. Bass often set up shop from the middepths to deep water and within reach of crankbaits ranging from a Bomber 7 A to a Poe's 400 series. A Carolina rig with a 3/4 to 1 ounce weight matched with a lizard or worm is also an efficient tool. Texas rigged worms are comparatively slow, yet still effective, especially after you've pinpointed a school of bass.
Don't be surprised if you find more than one key location on a given stretch of roadway. This is common. It's conceivable that you could fish nothing but roadbeds throughout the year and never lose touch with bass. Although getting stuck on one particular type of structure wouldn't be wise, adding roadbeds to your hit list will put you on a sure route to greater success.