Fishing Specific Areas 3 of 4: Underwater Humps and Depth Changes

By: Mike McKay

The versatile angler knows exactly how to fish every kind of structure
he/she encounters, and can easily attack any kind of bottom countour, being able to detect subtle changes and changing presentations to easily fit the conditions given to him. The unversatile angler, wants to become a versatile angler. In any case, being able to fish bottom structure all throughout the year can be a very effective technique to any tournament angler, or any recreational angler as well.

Living near beautiful Oneida Lake my whole life, and fishing it seriously
for a number of years now, I know a thing or two about fishing deep humps and dropoffs. The truth is, if you are a fisherman on Oneida lake, that is what you do most of the year. The smallest depth change or rockpile can hold schools of tournament-winning smallmouth, and figuring out the presentations that will be most effective is the only real battle. Once you can recognize different subtle changes and how fish will relate to them, fishing will become almost easy.

There are many different kinds of bottom contours. You will find humps,
ridges, dropoffs, shelfs, and shoals, and that is just naming a few. So here is an outline of each different kind of major contour, and how to accurately fish each one.

Dropoffs & Ledges

Dropoffs and ledges are the most common depth contour change that you will see in any average lake. This is certain because almost all lakes and ponds get deeper towards the middle, and obviously more shallow towards the shoreline. In order for this to happen, many times gradual dropoffs or more importantly, steep, sudden dropoffs and even ledges can occur. Bass hold on these kind of dropoffs all year long, because it provides a place with partial cover and ample current flow for the bass to hold on and it creates a good ambush point for foraging fish. A good way to attack these kind of suble changes is first, to try and figure out what depth the fish are holding on. Fish will tend to stay in one depth range where the water might be the right temperature, and you need more than just electronics to locate the fish for you. Try throwing something that will probe the bottom of these underwater fish holding layers, like a tube or jig. Work the bait and make sure you can feel what depth range your bait is in. Log down where most of the bites are coming from, and from there you can pinpoint your approach
more. If you are fishing a dropoff from 10'-25' of water and the fish are
hitting in about 18'-20' you can eliminate 13 feet of unusable water
immediately just by figuring this out. At this point, it would be good to
position your boat parallel to the dropoff, and cast other baits such as a slow rolling spinnerbait or a deep diving crankbait  into the areas where more bass are likely to be roaming looking for an easy meal. Remember the number one rule of bass fishing. If the fish are looking for an easy meal, give it to them!

Underwater Humps and Shoals

Underwater humps and Shoals will consistently hold fish year round. Big
smallmouth bass are regularly taken on many lakes year round because it is different. It gives the fish something to hold onto. If the wind is blowing a big lake around, it is much easier for a smallmouth bass to find crawfish being kicked up from the rocks at the bottom of these areas than it is for fish to find food in other areas. Whether the fish are holding tight to the bottom, or suspending, or even in the areas surrounding a shoal, such as a large flat cruising for an easy meal, they will always be near, and ALWAYS be available for catching purposes. The good thing about the underwater humps are that they do not have to be big. Any kind of rockpile or hump is enough to hold at least one fish. I would rather spend my time in an area I know will hold fish, than waste it in an area that I am hoping will hold fish. There are many different ways of going about attacking these areas, however I would like to teach to you a method that I call the pinpoint method. Obviously, it is called that because it is made to pinpoint exactly
where the fish are, and what they will be eating. The first thing you do, is make a small sweep of the area using your electronics, and at least attempt to get an idea of what depth the bait will be holding in. This is essential, because to be able to locate the Bass, you need to know where to put your bait. Keeping your lure in the strike zone longer will maximize your catches. Because shoals and humps are mainly smallmouth areas, try using faster moving baits. If you still have absolutely no idea what depth will make the fish bite, fish DEEPER first, go from the BOTTOM UP. Not the other way around. First, try working the areas around the area you are keying on.

If there are rocky flats around the area, try throwing a carolina rig with a lizard and moving it slowly. Try dragging a tube to entice a hard bite from an eager smallmouth. If you do not have any luck with this technique, then work the actual bit of cover. Try throwing a tube around the rockpile that you are fishing, or maybe bouncing a deep diving crankbait off of the rocks. Work your way up slowly, whether it be changing crankbaits to better suit the depth, or perhaps you want to try slow rolling a spinnerbait. Do not be afraid to change locations either, if you have an area with many shoals and humps, try rotating through to give the fish a bit of a rest from hooks.

Finally, do not underestimate the power of a topwater bite. I have been in productive topwater bites all the way up to twenty feet of water, so long as the fish have something to hold on below them. In twenty feet of water, the temperature at the water surface will definitely be different from the temperature ten feet down, and twenty feet down. If fish are holding in a certain temperature range, do not be surprised to see them right on the surface of even extremely deep water.

Accessories

In this type of fishing, you have to rely on a few things that will aide you in your catch. First of all, this is the type of fishing where an extreme multitude of patterns could be productive, so you have to be careful to bring as many different rods and reels as possible, without being too bogged down because this will enable you to be fishing the best equipment for any pattern you may stumble onto. Also, you might want to invest some money into getting a good graphing system. If you can find out a depth where the bait is holding, it can save you very much time on the water, which will allow you to have more productive practice periods, and also much more productive tournament days. That means more money, and I dont know anybody who would turn down money. Also, one of the most important things that I can tell you is to make sure you have marker bouys, not just one either. It is important that you mark the cover you are fishing, because unlike a laydown on a shoreline, it is not going to jump out at you. It could be thirty feet below you, and you might not even know you are close to it. Make sure you have a GPS system as well, to mark where you caught more fish, and bigger fish in your practice days. This will give you a better idea of where to go on tournament day when you need fish to put into the box.


The dictionary defines versatility as "Capable of doing many things
competently." Maybe I just don't read enough of the dictionary, because I define it as being able to catch more fish than the guy sitting twenty yards from you out on the water. Find what works for you, definitely. But do not be afraid to find what works for other people, and SEE what works for you. People are so obsessed with doing things the way that they have done them for a long time, that they are afraid to take chances and try something new.

Something that could produce many more fish for them in the long run. I dont care how old of a dog you are, make it a point to learn some new tricks every time you get on the water. This way, the next time you go to a tournament in which the winning patter could be a very weird one, you will not be the guy saying "I can't believe that they were catching fish doing that" You will be the guy saying, "This is how I won this tournament" Dont make adaptibility an insurmountable task. Make it your mission. Be versatile, and catch more fish.

All the tackle mentioned is discounted in the Delaware Tackle store at www.delawaretackle.com