(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
While many weekend anglers are content to look exclusively for fish on the banks, Mike Iaconelli and most serious tournament competitors know that in order to be competitive year-round, you need to be ready to look offshore. For Ike, that has necessitated a comprehensive system for fishing ledges.
What is a ledge? Ike says it’s a drop-off or break that marks the juncture into deeper water. Depth is relative: In New Jersey, which he says is “the home of shopping carts and dead bodies,” it might be a subtle 2- to 4-foot shift. On Kentucky Lake, it could be 12 to 20. Elsewhere, it might be 40 to 100. They can be formed by river or creek channels, by bluffs, drains or even by dredged canals. They may not always be formed by a “classic plummet,” but the way that he approaches them all relies on certain universal truths.
He said that there are lots of reasons to fish them. Obviously, because they’re harder to locate, they often get less pressure. Also, they’re good during weather extremes, like the heat of summer and the depths of winter. Perhaps most importantly, they often harbor groups of fish, and many of the biggest ones on any body of water. The key is finding sweet spots, or gathering places, which often depend on an irregularity of depth or bottom composition, or in some instances the presence of bait. Those determined by bait or vegetation can change from year to year, but those based on hard cover can produce in perpetuity.
Ike has a two-part system for locating these sweet spots. First, he’ll use his “underwater eyes,” his Lowrance graphs. He’ll set one on his console to two-dimensional sonar and side-imaging, and put the other one on a mapping setting. Then he’ll use a “fast-idling, zig-zag gridding technique” to eliminate up to 80 percent of a ledge without making a cast. Once he finds the irregularities that seem promising, he’ll then ply them with three styles of lures that he calls “transmission baits.” These include a heavy jig (anywhere from 1/2- to 1 ounce, depending on water depth), a Carolina Rig with a tungsten sinker providing him a sense of feel, and a deep-diving crankbait that goes as deep or deeper than the bottom that confronts him.
His goal is not only to learn what’s on the bottom, but also to figure out the exact cast that will allow him to trigger neutral or inactive fish to bite. It’s often a matter of angles as much as the specific lure that he’s putting in front of them.
After finding what he believes to be the sweet spot and the right angle, he’ll turn his focus from “transmission baits” to “catching baits.” If the fish are feeding on top, this might be a walking topwater, a fluke or a light swimbait. If they’re more oriented toward the middle of the water column, he’ll most often pick from an array of offerings including a crankbait, swimbait, spinnerbait, Chatterbait, spoon or hair jig.
If you want to learn some of Ike’s other offshore secrets, including how, why and where he still uses multiple marker buoys, check out his full video, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
