Shallow Water

How To Fish The 10 Best Spots

A variety of shallow-water structures hold bass. Here's how to select the right 
lures and presentations in 10 of the best habitats. The best tactics for catching quantities of largemouth bass depend on several factors: the types and depth of cover being fished; how fish are positioned in or on cover; boat positioning; and the equipment used. The top 10 shallow-water structures that often hold bass are: thin emergent vegetation, submerged vegetation, pad canopies, floating vegetation, brushpiles, fallen timber, logs, cypress trees, docks and rocks. To locate bass in these areas, one must determine their preferred habitat under existing conditions. How do professional anglers study available cover in a lake? It's done with an understanding of what makes shallow-water cover important and attractive to bass—basic knowledge gained from experiences on the waters. Here's what professionals and other experts have to say about the 10 top shallow-water structures.

1. Emergent Vegetation - Emergent vegetation in the form of aquatic grass, pond 
weeds or rushes has the potential to hold many fish. Grass patches provide 
habitat not only for bass, but for bass prey such as minnows and crayfish. The 
key factor you should look for in a grass bed is life. If you're fishing a grass 
bed and don't see minnows or baitfish moving around, it's time to move on. Also 
the grass beds must have plenty of space beneath them for fish to roam. Fish 
need "living room". A favorite technique around such cover is to toss a small, 
willow-leaf spinnerbait to the edges of emergent vegetation.

2. Submerged Vegetation - Bass love submerged vegetation, which during summer often covers the shallow areas of most southern waters. Spring is the time to fish such structure, however. Because vegetation hasn't reached full growth, it usually offers more access to larger fish. The predators move around in submerged weedbeds, depending on forage and the amount of protection offered. At times, bass will hold on a small clump of hydrilla or coontail or move though paths in the vegetation. Using a minnow imitator retrieved around such cover is a productive springtime tactic. Use one of these floating plugs with orange on its belly and twitch it several times before starting a slow, wobbling retrieve. Prespawn bass often slap the lure without inhaling it, •while those not in a spawning mode will strike it aggressively.

3. Pad Canopies - Lily pads are excellent cover for bass because they offer homes 
for many baitfish, a thick surface cover and plenty of room below for bass to 
maneuver. While the pads provide great ambush cover, they can be difficult to 
fish, even with weedless lures. During spring, bass often spawn beneath pad 
canopies. With shallow, clear-water conditions, a good technique would be tossing 
a 6-inch plastic worm with light line. Wary bass may be spawning in the root 
systems of the pads rather than under the canopy of pad leaves, where they are 
normally found. You should position your boat at a casting, rather than flipping, 
distance, from the bed to prevent spooking fish. If the water is murky or stained, 
switch to relatively heavy line, and flip or pitch to the deepest edge of the bed. In this situation, a good choice is a 1/4-ounce slip-sinker and flip a black-grape straight-tailed worm.

4. Floating Vegetation - A variety of floating aquatic plants exist in the South, 
and all have a tendency to drift with the wind. That leaves plants like water hyacinths, water lettuce and water cabbage blowing to the windward shores of lakes and drifting to the eddy bends on rivers and streams. Such plants often cover the shallows and offer excellent cover for bass. A large live shiner is one bait few bass can resist during spring. Hook it near the anal fin so gentle tugs on the line will keep the bait pointed toward cover. Allow the bait to swim beneath floating vegetation as far as it wants — that's where most strikes occur. For trophy bass, use 20- to 30-pound-test line, a strong 5/0 hook and a small float.

5. Brushpiles - Homemade brushpiles are great structure for shallow waters void of natural cover. But it's wise to check local regulations before cutting and placing 
brush in a lake. The best part about man-made brushpiles is that you create an 
underwater structure unknown to others. Hickory is the best wood for fish-attracting brushpiles. The wood sinks by itself and doesn't rot quickly. Anglers who make brushpiles from the willow trees overhanging a lake, should fish these structures within two weeks, because the cut wood rots quickly. If you cut brush, place it on banks that baitfish will be blown into. Try to place the brush so it has at least 2 feet of water above it. In shallow water, little brush is needed in fact, one piece is usually enough to attract one or two bass.

6. Fallen Timber - Trees that have fallen into water from the shore are visual targets that enhance accurate presentations. Heavy line should be used for the best tree structures — those with deep water at one end. Bass are most comfortable with a deepwater access to escape shallow cover. Bass position themselves in shade provided by the overhead protection. Larger trees with dense limbs have more fish-holding potential. To fish such structure decide where bass are holding and develop a pattern.Sometimes they'll be under the trunk, or at the forks of limbs, sometimes at the deep or shallow end. The pattern may change during the day, but a key presentation to bass holding in fallen timber is usually flipping or pitching a large-profile lure that imitates a crayfish. A jig-and-pig is usually a good choice.

7. Logs - Many rivers and lakes feature logs lying along the edges and in the backs of creeks. The best logs, are generally those with a channel passing nearby. Those with the best potential have a large diameter with the top in 1 foot of water and the base in 3 or 4 feet of water. For this shallow-water structure, many anglers prefer a spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades. Many select an inside blade of nickel and a gold outside blade, and complete the offering with a chartreuse-and-white skirt. When fishing the upper ends of lakes or creeks, where logs are prevalent, slow the presentation and cast repeatedly. For maximum effectiveness, the bait should be 'slow rolled' and retrieved about 1 foot beneath the surface so it bumps or rubs the log. Then, stop cranking and let the lure free-fall beside the log. Position your boat at one end of the log and cast straight down both sides repeatedly.

8. Cypress Trees - Cypress trees are found in different sizes and at varying water 
depths. But in spring, they have the potential for holding big fish. In the South, 
larger trees have cypress knees and massive root systems just beneath the water. The more productive trees are those in 3 to 4 feet of water. A favorite technique for shallow-water cypress trees is to slowly fish a plastic worm around the root 
system. Probing the root systems with a worm will produce bass on a consistent 
basis. Start fishing the cypress trees from the outside, targeting emergent knees 
and exploring those below the surface. Then work the outer roots and continue 
toward the trunk. Once you determine where fish are holding, use the same approach from tree to tree.

9. Docks - Many anglers are well-acquainted with docks. Many of which are in shallow water. A good choice is a tube bait for fishing these docks, and a good technique would be to skip the lure into spaces between the Styrofoam floats. Because cables and sharp edges can easily cut line. Because of this, you should spool your reel with 14-pound test.

10. Rocks - Riprap is a favorite shallow-water structure of many anglers. They usually approach the ends of rock structure closest to a bridge or dam, where an abrupt change in water depth occurs or where rock size may vary — both are transitions that seem to attract bass. Another feature to look for is wood mixed with rocks. Anything that's different and deep enough to hold fish is perfect. Also look for large boulders on flat points. Bass, particularly spotted and smallmouth, will orient to these rocks because they offer security and forage. Broken rock is generally the ideal shallow-water cover. A large expansive area of flat rock is not nearly as good as rocky chunks or even a singular large boulder.

Why not try any or all of the 10 top shallow-water structures this spring? Keep 
in mind, however, bass can usually be found on most of these hotspots during any 
cool-weather period.