Bass Beyond The Edge
By Spence Petros

Courtesy of the North American Fishing Club

The weed flat looked perfect. Crispy, green cabbage weeds grew almost to the surface. Deep water kissed up to one side of this food shelve, where a scattering of rubble formed a thin border between vegetation and a plunge into the depths.

A slower taper to the deeper water jutted off the other side of the shelve, which was made even more attractive by a band of low-growing fringe weeds outside the wall of cabbage. It had great potential for holding bass, yet in the three times I probed the edge all bass encountered were under 2 1/2 pounds, and they were scattered. If the situation happened recently I'd know a key feature was being missed. But almost three decades ago the "light bulb" in my head wasn't as bright.

While motoring away from the structure in a lazy zigzag pattern the sonar lit up. No real depth change, but a significant change in bottom hardness. I intently followed the hard bottom away from the shore and it started to climb towards the surface; 25, 20...some low grass at 15-16 feet, then a bass anglers dream, a sunken weed bed in 12-feet of water! A floating marker was quickly tossed. Within minutes we were into the mother lode of bass. A whole school, and they were all 3 1/2 to 5-pounds!

A good rule of thumb to remember is if a structure looks exceptional and your not catching quality bass, some key feature is probably being missed. While savvy anglers generally target the deep weed edges for numbers of quality of bass, there are even better opportunities beyond the edges. Here are some key deep water bass spots you should know.

Outside the Deep Weed Lines

Don't just fish a major weed and consider this prime food shelve to be thoroughly checked. After fishing the edge of any weed bed, investigate the area outside the deep, high vegetation like a CSI agent. Adjust your sonar unit so a faint second bottom reading can be noted, then motor parallel to the deep weedline. With the gain on a high level, areas of harder bottom will be more easily noted, as will deep, shorter growing vegetation. A second pass should be made in a zigzag course up to 50 to 100 yards out from the weed edge. Watch carefully for signs of hard bottom or any type of rise, even if it's a thin ridge just a foot or two higher than the surrounding bottom. If any of these features are noted, follow them like a hound until they phase out or lead you to a potential bass hot-spot. Lets examine some of the "honey holes" that may be found.

An erosion cut or cupped area often runs into a weed edge, especially where deeper water butts against the vegetation. Often gravel or rocks line this slot. This spot can be great in summer, but is almost a sure bet in fall as it draws bass from the dying vegetation like a magnet. The tighter the slot the higher the percentage of anglers that will miss it. Most trollers will zip right by. A great area to jig. Start at the weed edge and fish out as far as the rocks go. Don't just finesse jig it. Heavier jigs and a more aggressive approach may be the answer, especially in warmer weather. Bottom-clipping crankbaits, and beefed up drop-shot rigs using 10-14 pound tests and bigger plastics are other options.

Bars or fingers of rock or gravel sometimes jut out from the weed edges. They generally are formed where the tapers aren't as severe. While these flatter hard-bottom areas can hold a school of bass just about anytime, they are even better when struck by wind. Bass that may have been holding in the vegetation will often move to this better up-wind feeding position, where they are very vulnerable to jigs, crankbaits, and drop-shotting. Make a trolling pass or two with bottom-scraping crankbaits across larger hard-bottom areas after casting.

Bars or fingers on the drop-off outside the weed edge may also hold bass as they either move up from deep water, or drop down from the weeds because of fishing pressure or weather conditions. While numbers of bass may be schooled up on these structures in summer and fall, be aware of more scattered movements from pre-spawn bass. Re-fish these structures several times a day during this period if a bass or two is contacted. Many times a trolled crankbait is best for getting the correct depth and speed control to trigger a strike off these spots, especially if several contacts points exist on the same structure. A jig and minnow can be added to other presentations mentioned if the water is under 50-degrees.

Rocky or weed-covered high spots may often be located 100 yards or more out from a weed line, especially where the tapers aren't as abrupt. Here's where the zigzag route and eyes focused on the sonar for the slightest rise or isolated strip of hard bottom pays off. Rises may have hard bottom, vegetation or a combination of both. Use both fast and slow presentations that either bump rock or come through weeds.

The faster the taper outside the weed edge the more abrupt the edge will end. Slower tapers outside the major weed edge received marginal sunlight, which results in lower growing vegetation. Short sandgrass is also common in these spots. From mid-summer on, lower growing fringe vegetation outside the deep weed edge can be crawling with bass. A beefed-up drop-shot rig (10 to 14-pound test) that elevates a bulky plastic dressing above the short weeds works great, as does deep-diving crankbaits that tip the weed tops. Longer sections can be trolled with a crankbait.

Sometimes a section of harder bottom such as sand, gravel or rubble exist a long a section of shore. On some maps I've seen this noted by the letters sd.(sand), gr.(gravel), or ru.(rubble), which are further defined by a dotted line that separates these bottoms from others of a softer nature (see drawing). Often these sections of hard bottom extend out past the weed line, where they become great holding spots for bass. Be sure to also check where the harder bottom goes through the vegetation. Either a strip of harder bottom or patchy weeds should exist. Crankbaits and jigs are recommended for this situation.

This article was provided courtesy of the North American Fishing Club, North America's Largest Multi-Species Fishing Club. Click Here - For a FREE Trial Membership in the Club, and a free copy of the Members-Only magazine, North American Fisherman.