Unknownwaters

Hi everyone, I need some advice on techniques to catch bass off of steep rocky cliffs. There is a spot on a local lake that I fish where a rocky cliff drops straight into the water. It basically drops from 5ft to 30ft deep once you get 5 feet or so from the shore. The lake is very large (50+ square miles), relatively clear (typically 3ft to 5ft visibility on average), loaded with spotted bass, and generally gets fished a lot.. Every time I fish this spot my dad, whom fishes shiners off the back of our boat, catches bass after bass so I know they're stacked along this drop off. Problem is I don't know what type of presentation works well when bass are sitting off of steep drops like this. Does anyone have any experience fishing spots like this? We mostly fish this spot in Spring and Summer

Hmm I really appreciate the advice guys. I never actually considered a canoe. I took one out fishing once and it felt super unstable to the point that I didn't want to bring more than a single rod in case we capsized, but then again maybe it was just too small of a boat. I john boat is an interesting option I never actually considered but would be pretty good, I already have a trolling motor and battery that would fit nicely on one too.

Hey guys, I was just looking for some advice regarding my current fishing boat options. This is my current boat It is a 9 foot inflatable raft that I rigged for fishing. I got it because I was going off to college and I would've rather fished from my little sisters inflatable duck tube than fish from the shore and lose countless lures to snags, some of which still dangle from trees that are just a few feet out of reach to this day. Hell, I even SWAM AFTER some of my snags if I was frustrated enough. But anyways, to this end this raft was perfect. It could fold up and fit in college dorm a long with the motor. However, now that I am done with school I want to look at some other options. My dad has a bass boat that I will likely get someday but until then I want a small boat I can take out on my own. Some of the Pro's of my raft: - Has great stability. I can stand, jump, or do the macarena if I felt like it and wouldn't have to worry about falling in. - It can flat out fly. I have a 10 hp motor on it and the raft can get up to 20 mph if the water is calm enough. Never get tired of zooming around in it. - Can take another person out on it (if I had any fishing buddies that is) - Generally spacious and I can switch out the trolling motor with an electric one if the lake is more suited to it. Some of the Con's: - I swear if I have to patch up ANOTHER hole on it I will save myself the trouble and just stab the raft with my fishing knife. It's pretty durable but occasionally you get a hole that just won't go away. - Boat Motor always seems to have one problem or another.. especially the Carburetor. - Take time to set up. Some days I just want to put a boat in without having to inflate, put the floorboard in, attach the seat and motor, etc. - It is not particularly comfortable. The lack of a backrest means that after a few hours in it my back hurts... and not in the workout kind of way. - It has no efficient means of movement besides the 10 hp motor. I can try and paddle a bit but it really doesn't move well that way. The only real way to fish out of it is to either constantly anchor, make a few casts, pull up anchor, move a few feet and anchor again, repeat sequence or to beg the wind to blow at the right speed and direction to allow you to drift by your spots or not blow at all. I currently fish medium sized rivers, local small lakes, and am considering attempting to fish Lake Lanier in whatever I end up going with. It seems like so many people I have met love kayak fishing and I am considering getting one but I don't know how fishing out of a kayak would compare to fishing from my raft or what some of the pros and cons of kayak fishing would be and I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on the matter. I could sell both my motors and the raft to buy a new fishing kayak for around 1000 dollars. I am fairly large so I would be getting a longer kayak.

I was just wondering if any of you guys have made your own marker bouys before? I was thinking of making a few and I have heard of several ways to do it and was just wondering what your experiences have been.

THanks for the advice guys, I will definitely try some of this next time I go.

I feel like a lot of my big bass techniques like 10 inch worms or jigs require heavy line that is less effective in clear water. Maybe big swiminbaits? What sorts of lures, techniques, lines, and rods do you use to specifically target big bass (5 lb plus) in water with between 7 to 10 feet of visibility?

Not sure if this would go in other fish species section or general section, but I was wondering what sorts of lures you catch shoal bass on? Been fishing for them a lot lately and it seems as if crawfish imitating baits always get them biting, but I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions?

Yea it seems to happen once every full rotation of the spool and only with the sideplate completely locked on. I may just need to get it repaired, problem is that there really aren't any places that repair okuma fishing reels within a reasonable distance of were I live and the few places I can find cost half the price of the reel itself just to repair it. Might as well just look for another good fishing reel on sale.

doesn't appear to be bent and I couldnt make out any debri in the socket or anywere else. I may just have to take it to a shop. Thanks for your help

I was fishing one day with the reel and took the side plate off to adjust the breaking system. I accidentally dropped the side plate and scrambled to prevent it from falling in the lake. When I put the side plate back on, an odd resistance occurs once every complete cycle of the spool. This only occurs when the side plate is locked on the reel. I took the reel apart using the schematics but couldn't find any obvious flaws or problems. Oddly enough, if you take the spool out and press it and spin it in the side plate no resistance occurs. It works totally fine if the side plate is off. Unfortunately I do not have a warranty on it. I was wondering if anyone has ever had a similar problem and could offer some suggestions? I emailed Okuma about the issue but I don't know if it will be of much use without a warranty. This is only my second baitcaster reel and its the first time I have ever had an issue with one, so I am not very experienced with these sorts of issues.

Just wondering if anybody knew a good resource to help me understand crawfish and thier behavior/coloring year round. Jigs with crawfish trailers are my favorite bait and want to understand the species they imitate better

Heading up to fish Lake Blue Ridge for the first time this upcoming week and was wondering if anyone could give me some general fishing advice for that lake this time of year. I checked the DNR site but was wondering if anyone could tell me what stage (postspawn perhaps?) the fish are at right now at the very least.

Been looking for a good deep water bait and I keep on hearing about flutter spoons and was wondering if anyone could tell me some good brands? I don't like spending 9 to 10 dollars on a bait I have never tried before. Id prefer one thats sold at bass pro shop so I could just drop by and pick one up on the way to the lake as opposed to paying for shipping. Searched there site but they don't seem to explicitly mention if its a flutter spoon or not.

I was thinking with a standard bullet sinker, like you fish a big worm or lizard along the bottom. Seen some guys on my local lake fishing like that a lot but I would think a shaky head would be a better way to fish it to give it more action. Seems as though most of my bites with it come right as it hits the bottom when I have tried it with a sinker

I was just wondering if anyone regularly uses this presentation for finesse/floating worms and if they fish it any differently than you would fish a regular t rigged worm or other soft plastic?

Hey guys, I just subscribed to BASSMASTER magazine and am waiting on the free gift bag you get with a subscription and was wondering if anyone else on this forum uses it and could tell me what they think? I have been wanting to get a tackle bag (I currently use a hard tackle box my dad gave me) and was wondering if the bassmaster one would work or if I should get something else. How many plano boxes and soft plastic bags can it hold? Are the pockets big enough for several spinnerbaits? Really just need a general idea of its size and carrying capacity because I cannot tell much from the photos.

Something I never understood is how to fish crawfish colored crankbaits. If crawfish usually craw along the bottom of the lake slowly, why would bass chase after a crawfish imitating crankbait moving quickly through the water column? I guess i was wondering if you guys fish them any differently than your standard crankbait. I figured it would make more sense to fish them slower along the bottom

What are ya'lls favorite trick/finesse worm colors and under what conditions do you throw them?

Anyone know a good lure painting company to repaint some old lures I have? I dont need anything super fancy, but the paint has all but fallen off some of my old favorites. Is it difficult to repaint them yourself?

I was planning on testing out some of my new fishing lures on our neighborhood pool to determine their action and depth and was wondering if the pool water could cause any damage to them. I should probably wash them off afterwards just to be safe.

Creek channels near points or boatdocks, or were two creek channels meet. Fish often move a long the creek channels, so any form of cover or structure near a creek channel tends to hold fish in my experiences.

I was just wondering how you guys determine what the fish on your local lake prefer to eat? I have been fishing a local lake for awhile with no luck until someone told me that the fish actually primarily eat crawfish which has totally changed my approach to fishing it.

What would u guys say is the most underused or unknown fishing resource that is available to the average angler?

Anybody know any good podcasts on bass fishing? I feel like I have seen this topic address somewhere before but couldn't find the thread