Entry 138-3

More on Bass Fishing with Chad Brauer

Even More Ideas on How to Fish a Point

Editor's Note: How would you like to go fishing with one of the Strike King pros and have him coach you on how to fish different types of cover, which lures to use and which presentations to make to catch the most bass? This week as well as last week, we'll put you in the boat with Chad Brauer where he will operate the trolling motor as you stand right beside him. As we approach different types of cover, Brauer will tell you what type of lure to use and how to fish that specific kind of cover each day.

Brauer: Now, if you're fishing a blow down and don't use the pattern we discussed yesterday of starting on the outermost branches first but instead begin fishing the center of the tree or closer to the stump of the tree in shallower water, then if you catch a bass on that section of the tree, you'll spook the bass on every other part of that tree. Too, you probably won't catch but one bass in a spot where you may have caught a limit or more. I always assume that during the pre-spawn every blow-down I fish has the potential to produce more than one bass for me. I want to try and catch every bass that's holding in that tree before I leave it.

For these reasons, I'll start pitching to the deep side of the tree top and work that area thoroughly. Then I'll pitch and flip the middle of the tree using the same flipping and pitching pattern that I described earlier in the week when we were talking about fishing a logjam. I'll flip and pitch the stump with the jig all the way to the bank.

Question: What size and color jig will you pitch and flip around this blow-down?

Brauer: I like a 1/2-ounce jig because I want the weight of the jig to allow me to fish the jig all the way to the surface, through the limbs and down to the bottom. I also want a jig this heavy so that I can stay in contact with the lure through the line as it falls and bounces off limbs on its journey to the bottom and on its return trip to the surface. I'll choose the color of jig and trailer I fish based on water color. Usually in the spring, the water may be off-color because of spring rains. When I'm fishing off-color water, I believe that black, blue and black-and-blue jigs and trailers are easier for bass to see in that water. So, those are the colors in which I have the most confidence. If the water's clear, I choose brown-colored jigs, either the chameleon craw or a green pumpkin or a green pumpkin flake. Then my bait's more natural looking, and I match my trailer color to the color of my jig.

I'll usually fish the biggest trailer Strike King makes, because in the spring of the year bass are keying on big crawfish as their primary diet. Also, I believe some of the biggest bass in the lake will be holding on that treetop just like they'll be holding in logjams at this time of year. Therefore, I'm convinced that the bigger jig with a bigger trailer produces bigger bass. Also, the larger trailer will slow down the fall of the jig and give the bass more time to see it and present a bigger target for them to attack.

Next: Fishing a Rock Slide

Contents:

• Part 1: More on How to Fish a Point
• Part 2: Fishing a Blow-Down
• Part 3: Even More Ideas on How to Fish a Point
• Part 4: Fishing a Rock Slide
• Part 5: More on How to Fish a Rock Slide