depending on the season. When bass hug the bottom, we tend to think they are feeding on crawdads, bluegill, or sculpin in the crevices on the bottom. This is a red flag to fish uphill slowly, to keep the bait in close contact with the bottom. it is to your advantage to fish uphill, especially in deep water. Clearly, the further away you get from the fish or the structure, the harder it is to control the lure. Fishing uphill in deep water, even during the warmer months when the bass aren’t hugging the bottom as much, allows more control.
When fishing medium depths of 15 to 25 feet, the downhill approach is more affective during warmer months. true, there is some loss of bail control, but the fact that bass are willing to take baits which sometimes move more quickly can make up for it. The lures drop in longer sweeps as they descend from ledge to ledge toward the caster.
total concentration of what is happening at the end of your line is necessary when fishing downhill. Bass are likely to take a bait as it falls and it’s up to you to ‘sense’ a difference in weight when a bass picks up your bait. Strikes can be missed in the summer months merely because of lack of bottom contact.
Sometimes bottom configuration enters into the situation. Sheer ledges or walls are difficult to fish uphill even when they lie out on the ends of long points or horizontal structures. Bites may simply stop in situations where a bait sinks over the edge of an underwater wall or ‘contact point’. You assume the lure has hit the bottom, but instead it’s simply dangling over the edge. For better bait control under these conditions, fish parallel to or at a 45 degree angle to the structure.
a problem with fishing uphill regardless of the steepness of the terrain is that there is more line contact with the bottom, which means more abrasion. i fish with Seaguar tatsu with 15 to 20 lb test for both jigs and worms. daiwa Samurai braid works well under these conditions. i prefer 40 lb test Samurai for its high sensitivity, lack of stretch and great hook setting capabilities. also, you can marry on a leader of fluorocarbon or mono. This is another choice.
although lighter line is acceptable for downhill fishing, fishing 6 lb Seaguar line uphill on structure can be downright dangerous. Big bass living on deep ledges will almost always break off on lighter line.
don’t forget to slow down your presentation when
Issue 3 August 2011
fishing uphill. The big bass i’ve caught on deep ledges have requested a deliberate, slow retrieve
uphill. Fishing uphill and fishing downhill each has
its advantages, and neither have a rigid set of
do’s and don’ts. remember when metering
structure or structure scanning with your
lowrance electronics, take into consideration
of the seasonal differences and fish behavior.
Make use of the information obtained both
from the bites you get and from the bites
you don’t. This will give you the best map
to locate the bass and determine the most
productive presentation.
See ya on the water!
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