Article 27...

Bass Suspended In Brush
By Chad  Brauer

Many times when fishing brush and flooded timber, we get in a rut of flipping and pitching bottom-bouncing baits into them and ignoring the upper part of the water column. During the post-spawn period this is often where the bass are – suspended in the tops of the bushes. If you are bumping the bottom, you may be fishing under most of the fish.

A good indicator that this situation may be occurring is if you start getting bites before your bait gets to the bottom on the initial fall. When this happens, you need to start concentrating on the upper part of the water column. There are several tactics you can use to catch these fish, the key is to keep a bait in the tops of the bushes.

The most obvious choice is to throw a spinnerbait through these areas. That is great for aggressive bass, but many anglers will try this so I like to try some other ways. A shallow diving crankbait like a Strike King Series 4S can also be retrieved through the bush tops. A ¼ ounce Strike King Pro Model jig can be productive when you swim it through the branches. I will often go to a white jig in this situation. You can also do the same with a white Strike King Flip-N-Tube. All that is required is a lighter sinker; anywhere from 1/8 to ¼ can be good.

However you choose to approach these fish, keep your bait in the strike zone as much as possible. Do not be afraid to make multiple casts to the same piece of cover. Also, do not downsize your line. I do not go below 17 lb. test Stren when fishing in this heavy cover. You will need the strength to get the fish out of the cover.