just during tournaments this is happening. More and more top ledge anglers are employing spinning rods or finesse tactics into their arsenals.
So, what happened? How did a technique based around power fishing and ever-enlarging lures sud- denly turn into a finesse fest?
FEELING PRESSURE
Let’s be clear, Lambert wasn’t ledge fishing with a spinning rod because he enjoyed it. It’s simply become a necessity. The reason: Pressure.
“Five years ago there weren’t near as many people fishing ledges as there are now,” said Lambert. “Even in a 160-boat summer tournament, maybe 40 would be offshore. Now, 120 of the boats will be offshore.”
The amount of boats (and subsequently, crank- baits and jigs) out on the ledges is only part of that pressure. The other is the ability of the anglers.
“Today’s electronics have narrowed the gap, con- siderably, between a novice ledge fisherman and the best ones,” said Lambert.
Anglers are simply able to find more schools, and figure out more quickly than ever how to fish them than they could five years ago.
LIGHT EVOLUTION
Watching the trends in ledge fishing showcases a unique evolution on how fishing pressure affects fishing.
A decade ago, Lambert didn’t bring a spinning rod in his boat when he went offshore, which was basi- cally, all the time.
Eight years ago, going “finesse” meant switching from a crankbait to a 10-inch worm. Five years ago, fish had become accustomed to normal crankbaits, jigs and even regular-sized spoons. Hence the boom of magnum spoons and XL crankbaits that suddenly began winning tournaments.
Three years ago it was swimbaits and big hair jigs that seemed to get ledge schools’ attentions. Now? Drop-shots and shaky heads rule the ledges.
Even looking at the evolution of swimbaits and ledge fishing is interesting. Lambert has been throw- ing swimbaits and giant grubs since he was a kid, and they always caught fish.
Eventually, large paddle-tail swimbaits become the deal, but once everyone began throwing those, guys like Lambert began adapting and going subtler. Hence his go-to setup of a straight-tailed Castaic Jerky J on a scrounger head or a Castaic Shakin Shad, the former being what he used to nearly catch 100 pounds in route to winning the FLW Tour event on
Kentucky Lake.
SUMMER 2017
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