Tips and Tactics

A unique approach equals a fresh bite

Story and photos by Jeff Little

A lay-down—or tree that has fallen into the water—draws congregations of spring largemouth bass like no other cover. The trunk soaks up the sun’s warmth during the day, and radiates it back out during the cool night. Male largemouth build spawning beds up against wood to make nest defending easier. With late spring and summer grass beds yet to emerge, forage draws tight to wood as well.

The bad news is, every worm-chucking, john-boat angler knows to target wood. They hop from log to log, beating the bank frothy with chartreuse spinnerbaits or shallow diving cranks. Their fast-paced approach works for small buck bass but doesn’t draw the lunkers. That’s the good news.

The part of the lay-down that sees the most fishing pressure is right where it enters the water. Yet hefty largemouth spend most of their pre- and post-spawn time near the deep end of the tree. For years I underestimated how far lay-downs extended. Using a depth finder and marker buoys helped me visualize cover that most boats drift right over while beating the bank.

For big fish action, be purposeful with your kayak’s position before you cast. Instead of positioning yourself away from the bank and casting inward, position along the bank and make a long cast out to the deepest part of the lay-down. Your spinnerbait or crankbait will travel in a direction seldom seen, drawing more strikes.

Another technique for working deep wood is to forget about trying not to snag your lure. Yes, you will snag more, but you will also catch more. When your spinnerbait smacks the trunk, let it stall. Collision triggers strikes. Yo-yo the lure, penetrating down into the tangle of branches. Deep-diving crankbaits such as Norman’s DD22 crash from branch to branch. The long bill keeps snagging to a minimum, lifting the treble hooks clear of possible entanglements.

If the above presentations fail to elicit a strike, there is one more tactic that may do the trick. Position your kayak so you can line up your cast along one side of the trunk. Use a weedless rigged tube and back paddle gently, initiating a very slow backward glide that traces the trunk of the lay-down. Let the tube tumble all the way from where the trunk enters the water to the outermost depths of the tree.

Regardless of what strategy you use, mapping out the extent of a few larger lay-downs and focusing on their outer reaches will increase the effectiveness of your presentation.

Bio: Jeff Little, author of In Pursuit of Trophy Smallmouth Bass: My Life in a Kayak, posts his weekly trip reports at www.blueridgekayakfishing.com.

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