By Jonathan LePera
Special to BassFan
FLW Tour angler Stetson Blaylock is no stranger to fishing brush piles and if he had his way, he’d sink as many as he could.
Where To Look
From March through early May, bass have spawning on the brain, but that doesn’t mean that brush piles aren’t on their minds. He’ll check brush from 1 to 15 feet of water in bays and pockets, often throwing a wake bait.
“When I say brush, I mean any kind of fish attractant that is man made and not natural,” Blaylock said. “Many times, you catch fish and think it’s on a stump or they’re just roaming when actually there’s a stick of brush there or two cylinder blocks and three PVC pipes. Anything that is structure, those fish will hold to in those early months. It’s security for them.”
They’ll stay in similar places during the post-spawn also. From late May through September, Blaylock targets fish relating to the 15- to 30-foot range. Deeper water means more oxygen once the water temps peak.
During the post -spawn phase, they’ll relate to the nearest structure meaning points, creek channel drops, and even out deeper in the bays they’re in. Even contour changes can be key, especially those not found on GPS mapping.
He’ll throw a Livingston Deep Impact 18 or a 3 1/2-inch Yamamoto swimbait to start. Come summer, those fish start relating to the brush and he’ll dissect them using a Yamamoto Flappin Hog.
“I’ll yo-yo my bait up to six times then get it to the next limb,” he said. “If I quit feeling structure, I’ll work it two seconds before I pull it out. The fish may be just a little ways off the brush, maybe on the deep side of it, so when you drag it out there and it drops off, you might get your bite as soon as it clears the structure.”
To pick those fish off, he’ll opt for a football jig and Yamamoto Twin Trailer grub carefully selected to match the hatch. If he’s fishing the pile, he’ll opt for an Arky style jig.
”A lot of times in brush-pile fishing it’s not about what you throw, it’s about if there are fish in there and if they’re willing to bite,” Blaylock said.
As a last resort, he’ll toss a dropshot around the piles.
Knowing Good From Bad
Good brush piles yield one good fish and while Blaylock generally tries to fish as many piles as he can, he generally gives each pile 15 minutes unless they’re producing quality fish.
He runs Garmin’s 7612sxv units and he’s able to use different screens on all four of them.
“Panoptix has made brush-pile fishing so much better because you always make accurate casts,” he said. “That brush pile stands out when you see it live and it’s facing forward so you see exactly where to cast before you ever make one.”
He’ll use DownVü to get a clear picture of the brush and SideVü to scan for piles nearby within 80 feet.
Brush Pile Logic
He’s careful not to ruin an already productive spot by changing the habitat as he believes that it might change how current hits the place or the way baitfish swim through.
The sharpest break is where he puts brush piles because fish can get on top of it to feed then back off and sit on the edge of deeper water. He also likes sinking brush on flats because it gives the fish a reason to be there.
He points to Lake Eufaula and Lake Ouachita as lakes where brush piles could make or break your chances. Blaylock puts stock in making the right choices and knowing which ones are good and bad, as not all are productive.
Geared Up
> Crankbait gear: 7’11” heavy-action 13 Fishing Envy Black Crankenstein casting rod, 13 Fishing Concept E casting reel (6.6:1 gear ratio), 12- or 15-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line, Livingston Deep Impact 18 (lighter shad color for dirty water, transparent for clear water).
> Pitching/flipping gear: 7’6” medium-heavy 13 Fishing Envy Black casting rod, same reel, same line (15- or 17-pound), Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits Flappin’ Hog.
> Dropshot gear: 6’10” medium-light 13 Fishing Envy Black spinning rod, 13 Fishing spinning reel, 6- to 8-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line, variety of Yamamoto Senkos and plastics (green-pumpkin when cloudy, flake when it’s sunny).
