Entry 138-4

More on Bass Fishing with Chad Brauer

Fishing a Rock Slide

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.

Situation: As we leave the blow down we've been fishing and go into the mouth of the creek, we have a straight bluff bank at about 75 yards from the tree. There we find an area where a rock slide comes off the bank with a lot of rock debris coming out into the creek away from the bank. How are you going to fish this rock slide?

Brauer: If there's no wind blowing in on this bank, I'll work the rock slide with a jig. If the water's not too deep, I'll use a 3/8-ounce jig. Instead of flipping the jig, I'll cast the jig on 15-pound-test line and stay in contact with the bottom from the time the jig hits the surface and begins to fall to the bottom until I put the jig back into the boat. Basically, I'll be crawling the jig on the bottom, around the rocks, over the rocks and on the gravel. Because the water's still cold, the crawfish that live in the rocks aren't going to be shooting out of the rocks or jumping up off the bottom. They'll be slowly crawling from one rock to another, looking for something to eat.

Because the water may be clear or clearing in the creeks, I'll fish with natural brown-colored Strike King jigs and trailers. Now if there's wind blowing on this rock slide, I'll be fishing with either a crankbait or a spinner bait, using the same type of retrieve I've used earlier in the week when I was fishing the point.

The wind blowing onto the rock slide will cause the bass to be more active than they will be if there's no wind. For this reason, the bass will be willing to chase a bait and will expect a bait to be moving a little bit faster than the bait will be moving if there's no wind on this day. Once again, I'll fish either the Series 3 or Series 4 green-crawfish-colored Strike King crankbaits. Those are my two favorite colors when I'm fishing the spring of the year.

Next: More on How to Fish 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