By Jonathan LePera
Special to BassFan

Clent Davis might only be 29 years old, but he came onto the FLW Tour like a firecracker, winning the Rookie of the year in 2012 and is currently at Lake Ouachita for his second career Forrest Wood Cup. But, if you ask him where he most feels at home, it’s fishing a ledge back on the Coosa and Tennessee rivers.

Breaking it Down

Ledge fishing is best from early May until the end of June, Davis says. Once fish leave the ledges, they’ll follow the bait into the grass. He’ll study his Garmin units graphing to pin down schools of fish.

“Channel swings are almost a sure thing,” he said. “High spots and underwater islands are good as big fish usually congregate on them and in ditches, too. There’s no reason as to why these fish are there other than that’s where they want to be to feed.”

He scouts new places each time he’s out, hoping for his screen to “black out” from front to back filled with bass.

Earlier this season at Lake Chickamauga, where he placed 18th, he found fish holding on the deeper side where it went soft despite hard structure nearby. Current is everything because it dictates where his fish will set up.

“Instead of sitting on those 20-foot breaks, they’ll move up to those 7- to 14-foot breaks and eat,” Davis said. “The more current you have the more fish tend to congregate shallower. If it slicks off, they’ll move to an inside creek ledge or if it drops back down they’ll swim out to the main lake river ledges.”

Finding the right fish on the Coosa and Tennessee Rivers can be tricky, but Davis points out that while each school has a 5-pounder in it, some are filled with them. He’s found bigger fish to bite first, but will sometimes need to rotate through his rods before he can dial them in. Recently, he was on Guntersville throwing swimbaits, and crankbaits, but it wasn’t until he picked up a 10-inch Mister Twister worm that numerous 5-pound fish came to the boat.

Water Specifics

“If it gets dirty, they’ll go shallower,” Davis said. “As far as water temperature, the coldest I have ever caught them on ledge is around 70 degrees. They tend to stay shallow until the water temp gets to where thy need to move out.”

Geared Up

Davis reaches for a Mister Twister Swimsation Swimbait on a ½ oz head or a Nichols Lures Ben Parker Magnum Swimbait first with a 6.2:1 reel.

“A single open hook puts the fish in the boat,” Davis said.

Typically, he’ll stick with shad patterns, but will opt for chartreuse hues in dirty water.

“Those fish want a slow steady bait right along the bottom or just above it,” he said.

He’ll mix in a white Nichols Hair Jig and fish it in a similar fashion, turning the handle three to five times and letting it die on bottom and then turn it again.

“A lot of times those fish pick it up off the bottom after it glided through the water,” he said.

For the same reason, he’ll fish a big Mister Twister worm on a Nichols Bulldozer head.

“Throw it out and let it sit there, dead stick it,” he added. “If I don’t get bit after 30 seconds, I’ll reel it 10 feet and let it sit again. That little bit of current along the bottom and that worm just shakes.”

> Swimbait gear: 7’7” heavy-action Phenix Ultra Envy X casting rod or 8’ medium-heavy Phenix M1 swimbait rod, unnamed casting reel (6.2:1 gear ratio), 20-pound Yo-Zuri Hybrid fluorocarbon line, 1/2-oz. swimbait jig head, Mister Twister Swimsation or Nichols Lures Ben Parker Magnum Swimbait.

> Crankbait gear: 7’11” medium-heavy Phenix Composite X15 crankbait rod, casting reel (5.4:1 gear ratio), 12-pound Yo-Zuri Hybrid fluorocarbon line, Yo-Zuri Duel +4 or Yo-Zuri 3DB crankbaits.

> Spoon gear: 7’9” heavy-action Phenix Recon 2 casting rod, same as swimbait reel, same as swimbait line, Nichols Lures Ben Parker Magnum Spoon.

> Hair jig gear: 7’1” medium-heavy Phenix M1 casting rod, casting reel (7.0:1 gear ratio), same as crankbait line, Nichols Lures hinged hair jig (white).

> Worm gear: 7’7” heavy-action Phenix MBX casting rod, casting reel, same as crankbait line, 1/2-oz. Nichols Lures Bulldozer head, 10” Mister Twister Hang Ten worm (plum).