Targeting Standing Timber Bass

So many trees, so little time; that’s the common problem for anglers contemplating Targeting Standing Timber Bass in an expanse of main-lake standing timber. A few strategies for identifying the more productive areas. First, target the trees with the most structural features. In a cluster of trees, the ones with intact branches will offer fish more cover and ambush points. Also, look for obvious gaps running through a stand of timber. This is usually a creek, drain, or slough, which acts as a funnel for bass.

When you see lakes adorned with huge standing trees, it’s tempting to think each one plays host to a monster bass. This mind set, however, is often responsible for a lot of wasted time among anglers. Before you break out your favorite flipping rod and get carried away, make an effort to locate the high percentage trees. Efficiently eliminating water is the biggest key to finding solid concentrations of fish relating to standing timber.

It’s not so much the timber that makes a spot special. It’s all about the location. Always look at the contours before you even think about fishing a specific section of trees. Throughout the summer, you want to find trees close to some sort of break line such as a point or a creek channel bend. If you get stubborn, you’ll be there for weeks trying to fish everything.

So if everything looks the same, where do you even start? There are two primary fishing factors to look for:

Targeting Standing Timber Bass in Deep Water Nearby:

Your chances of catching a giant will skyrocket if you can find a section of trees with adjacent deep water. These break lines give bass two very important opportunities. They can easily slide up to feed in or around the trees and fall back into deeper water when they’re more lethargic. More often than not, they’re there for the depth change and the timber is just a welcomed bonus.

Change in timber patterns:

On many fisheries, a change in timber patterns can be indicative of a crucial depth change that’s prone to hold bass, Spend some time studying the depth, type and size of timber and you can develop a clear mental image of the bottom contour. When you get a good feel for it, you’ll be able to eliminate unproductive water at an astonishing rate.

Excerpts taken from Lee’s new book “Strategies for Bass“.