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Fishermen love to
catch fish, no question but when they do how many can tell you why
and what was the bottom contour they fished over? It is easy to
chase fish when there is a visual blitz but what happens when you
have to work for that bite? How many of you can honestly say that
you can either read a chart very well or make the best use of your
electronics? Are you able to zoom in and depict contours, see and
identify rips, drop-offs, and at what tide will that piece hold
fish?
Electronics to the Rescue
C-map, Navionics and Maptech for example make and continuously
update their "Chips" and mapping software each year and provide
more and more information for you to learn and digest. I spend the
winter months loading the C-Map demo unit onto my laptop with the
actual chips and spend hours looking at the bottom structure. I
notice drop-offs, channels, estuaries, feeder creeks, wrecks, and
more. The features are endless and I am able to plan routes and
waypoints in the comfort of my home and once I am splashed, I just
load my pre-destined locations for the year ahead to search,
explore, and fish. This alone is a topic of its own but let's
equate a few things you can do to become a better fisherman.
Ledges
Ledges are productive both inshore and offshore simply because
when the current is moving due to elevation changes or abrupt
rises it could disorient baitfish and allow strong swimming fish
like stripers to stage and feed. Many believe a ledge has to be
significant to hold fish but inshore fishermen will take notice of
as little as a four inch change to a few feet to be all they need
to see something like a vegetation change or a transition to a
sandy or rocky bottom. This slight change or border could be all
it takes for fish to hold and feed on in both a slack or moving
current. Your job is to identify this contour and depict if it is
a soft, hard, or a muddy bottom. Getting your fish finder into a
Manual Mode vs. Auto Mode and adjusting the Sensitivity and Gain
will in accordance to your manual help you identify the bottom
based on signal strength. This information is invaluable so mark
it with a waypoint when you find the change!
Substrate changes say from sand to a mud bottom would provide a
dividing line and quite possibly a water clarity change. Mud to
rock for example on a strong moving current could provide an
uprising or a rip as water pushes in an upward direction and this
is a prime spot to fish but how should you approach this area or
any ledge?
Covering Ground and Your Mental Approach
Trolling a ledge in a few directions or a figure eight will help
you determine where fish are staging. Trolling parallel and with
the current to a ledge is effective if the ledge is long as your
offering will be swept over that area. Parachuting or jigging over
a ledge is very effective while watching your fish finder and
having a line counter on your reel or rod is a quick way to
determine the depth you are catching fish.
Two anglers on a slow drifting boat can mutually work in tandem
casting parallel to the ledge or beyond the drop, with a live
bait, hooked near the anal port, which will allow the fish to swim
down this contour. Wind is also a factor when drifting a ledge
along with current and deploying a drift sock or a bucket to slow
you down may be required so you can stay in the strike zone
longer.
Here is the impressive NX-45 Simrad
Most importantly, ledges could be the only feature rich location
for miles as they attract prey and predators. They could be where
an estuary or inlet drains or where a Temperature break occurs. If
you have a temperature feature on your electronics, make a note of
it and log it as Temperature breaks in itself are a form of ledge,
just ask any tuna or shark fisherman as one or two degrees can
make a difference.
Anchoring off or drifting a ledge with a live bait or an
artificial is very productive and during a slack tide you can
entice the bite by chumming or tossing a handful of live and dead
baits like peanut bunker to create a feeding zone when the tide
turns.
Shore Fishermen Tips for Fishing a Ledge
Hey, we're not talking just boat fishing, I too am an avid surf
and shore fisherman and here are a few things to consider when
fishing an area. Walk it at low tide and observe any water color
changes, protruding rocks, or stumps for example. Grab a chart of
your respective area and look it over and carry it with you. If
you are a wading fisherman take a few casts on shore before
walking into the water as fish could be staging a few feet in
front of you and walking in could spook them and make this area no
longer fishable. Notice the stage of the tide, and what the
prevalent bait of choice is and try to match it.
Fishing these areas could be productive at many different times of
the day and evening. Try not to have the sun over your shoulder as
your shadow could be enough to spook a fish. Dress in drab colors
like khaki, or olive green and nothing in a bright yellow or
orange as fish in shallow water can spot you as something out of
the ordinary. You need to blend in as much as possible and that
means not shining your light into the water when fishing at night.
Turn your back and walk slowly towards shore if you must use your
light and invest in a Red LED style like the Ameripack Vizion
which has a white led, frost white led, and a red led.
Stealth and being versatile to make lure and bait changes are
critical to any success. So plan what you want to carry in your
bag and be ready to make changes and not beat that same plug to
death because you caught a 30# bass on it three years ago. Use
fluorocarbon leader if you are fishing around rocks or bottom
structure as fluoro is more abrasion resistant than monofilament
and will not absorb water and is more stealthy as it has a
refractive index of zero meaning, it is almost invisible. Put the
odds in your favor and you'll be more successful.
Electronics for Shore Fishermen?
Absolutely! When I walk the beach or a back bay area I carry a
small handheld GPS and mark my points where I am catching fish or
noticing structure, a rip, or bird activity. Surf fishermen do
this as storms can create holes and troughs and these areas hold
fish. So, invest in a handheld GPS as this will add another
dimension to your fishing experience.
Working ledges offshore, inshore or "on the shore" and
understanding where they are will make you a productive angler and
you will soon fish in areas where there is not a lot of pressure
or crowds and most likely fish!
Here is our author and good friend Terry Sullivan holding two nice
bunker caught stripers!
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