On Sunday, I caught my biggest of the year and it came from the bank, no less. I finally broke the 20" mark. But whats more interesting about my day was more about HOW and WHERE I caught my fish. 

 

I fished from the bank of a local reservoir. It was windy and it rained off and on the entire day, but I had a new Dobyns DX745c and a Shimano Bantam MGL XG that I needed to try out, so I toughed it out. Unfortunately, my new jig rod didn't get any action. I caught 3 fish (and had one missed topwater strike) in 4 hours of fishing. A spinnerbait and buzzbait were the ticket on this day. 

 

But where did I catch my fish from? - the 142 acre reservoir I was on is currently being drawn down for the winter and is about 3 feet lower than normal pool. All of my fish came in areas where the composition of the newly exposed bank transitioned from sandy to rock areas. My guess is that the bass were using these spots as ambush points as the baitfish got pushed around. So next time you're fishing, whether from boat or shore, don't be afraid to look for areas where there is a transition in the bottom composition. Reading the bank can be your best friend sometimes. 

 

 

Those transition areas were key for me last time I was at the local smallmouth reservoir. Anywhere it went from clay/sand/mud to rock, that's where the bigger fish were sitting.