I found a bush pike from shore. The day I found it, I lost a trap and felt it out with a grub. I came back the next day and pulled 3 bass off it, 2 with a texas rig, and 1 with a fluke. That said. I don't have much of an idea of how to fish brush piles. This pile appears to be a few rocks that are mixed with brush. I've pulled in a few sticks from it. I don't know how large the brush part is. It appears to be in about 6 feet of water.

I realized, I don't really know how to fish a brush pile, so let me have it, school me on brush piles.

How often can I hit it? Every time I go by?

A bunch of different fish will use it, not just the same 3-4, correct?

How tight do they hold to it?

Traditional lures to try?

Non traditional or oddball lures to try?

Shocking truth: It depends.

Depends on structure below and around it.

Depends on cover nearby.

Depends on season, wind, forage, current, etc.

Depends on pile composition and 'complexity'; such as orientation of thickest branches.

I mark nearly every brush pile I encounter, and rarely pass by without fishing each.

The only somewhat definitive rule that I have experienced is that I rarely catch the biggest bass relating to a brush pile IN the brush. But I have caught numerous big lmb 5 to 15 feet outside of them.

So, I usually work the areas outside first. Presentations depend largely on what I already think about bass level of activity that day (fast/slow, feeding up/feeding down, etc.)

With bottom-contact baits, lots of very good fishermen like to crash wood with heavy weights and jigs. I tend towards the other end of the spectrum with 3/16 or lighter, feathering through fairly slowly. I don't drop shot much, but I have cashed checks on slow bite days by sitting right on top and soaking a drop shot right in the pile.

Crankbaits are very effective around any wood, but I recognize my cranking shortcomings and don't do it much for fear of hanging up and temporarily ruining the spot. I'm more likely fish spinnerbait or swim jig if I feel need to move a bait through/over a pile quickly.

Duplicate.

I was gonna say in response to your belief that you could have fished it differently or better and been more successful- very doubtful.

Losing a crankbait in a brush pile and then fishing it slow with a grub and catching 4 fish is about as good as anyone could do or as sound a strategy as any could offer and that success rate is about as indicative of your hunch being correct as you’ll ever get in bass fishing barring absolutely wild unique outlier situations.

You were on the right track with the T-rig. My favorite for heavy cover is a Senko style bait. Specifically, I like the Yum Dinger. I don't think there's a better lure on the market. I bought a 100 pack in black/blue a few years ago. I have bout 30 left.

I think you did about as well as you could have considering your fishing from the bank and no electronics to see if anybody is home.

I have about 200 way pointed around here but the problem is that if I can find them so can everybody else.

One method involves a pontoon boat , a load of brush or PVC, some cinder blocks and the cloak of darkness.

Of course they will eventually get found and not all of them will hold fish but it's kinda fun.

Texas rigged anything. When it comes to thick brush I try to go with a lighter weight than usual and be quick with the hookset. That being said, I still lose my share of bass in them.

11 minutes ago, scaleface said:

Texas rigged anything. When it comes to thick brush I try to go with a lighter weight than usual and be quick with the hookset. That being said, I still lose my share of bass in them.

I like to use my flipping stick, straight 30# braid and superline hooks. I can bring some of the brushpile to me if I need to.

On top of what you did and the advice above, I start WAY outside of where you think it is. Brushpile, laydown, you name it. There is more wood than you think there is. FFS has taught me that. And, depending on the day bass will relate to the cover differently. One day it might be post frontal, high bluebird sky, and they are burried as tight into as they can get. Then some days they are just roaming and only loosely using the cover as a guide where to swim. If you think the brushpile is a 10' circle, I'd start 30' away from it. Start out and work in.

To your other question, if you fish it and catch a couple off, then make a lap around the lake, there should be some fresh fish an hour or two later if the fish are moving around. If they aren't moving around then maybe not. But I would definitely fish it again.

Texas rig and even better a jig are great to pull through it or fish the outsides. A neko is pretty good too. Once you get a really good idea where it is in the water you can fish swim jigs, vibrating jigs, and spinnerbaits around it pretty tightly and treble hooked baits a little more loosely. A squarebill is good for the edges.

I appreciate everyone's insight. I will remember to hit the outside of it. I didn't do that last time.

It being in an easily accessible spot on the lake I fish, I can hit it every time I go up through there. I am not excited to look for some more of those spots on that side of the lake.

Yes those with boats will use sonar and know about it. But the boat traffic is not really that heavy since it's a small lake with a no big motor rule. Basically trolling motor or idle speed only. In other words, most serious anglers go elsewhere.

Fat Ika time!

I try to utilize three baits for brush piles..... sunny, clear, calm, finesse conditions etc.. I'll make long casts past the brush with a texas rigged drop shot........ usually a 1/4 oz and a #1 finesse neko hook..... next I'll throw a 3/4 oz jig... again throw past it and let it fall and slowly drag it into and through the brush..... lastly I'll burn a deep crankbait for a reaction strike.....

dropshot

jig

crankbait

If it overcast, windy, power fishing conditions I'll will go through the same three but in reverse order..

crankbait

jig

dropshot

I've never won a tournament with this process but I've caught a good amount of fish from brush doing this...