Finding Your Isolation
By Justin Lucas
Dock talk is where bass dreams go to die. If you let an idea formulated by someone else creep into your plan to locate fish, your day is already finished before the first cast.
I really haven’t been one to live in the shadows of other folks’ dreams. I like to pave my own path, and when I’m on the water the only way I can do this is to find my isolation. This time of the year on any body of water it is all about isolation.
Most anglers this time of year have a few commonalities. They all head to the backs of pockets, and most have a good idea of what they should be throwing. However, not many are picking apart the lone pieces of isolation that hold the right fish.
I concentrate my search to a lone dock, stump, laydown or change in depth at the backs of pockets. In other words, stay away from the same old stretch of bank. Fish are moving up and looking for seclusion. When you notice buck bass or females roaming the shoreline, they aren’t looking to buddy up near someone else’s parking spot. They crave isolation this time of year. If you look at it that way, I am doing the exact same thing, focusing my attention on isolated structure and cover that bass seek out.
Once I have my targets acquired, I begin by throwing something quick and easy like the Berkley Pit Bull 5.5 in Big Money if the water is stained and Sexier Shad if the water is clear. This new hardbait gives me the chance to figure out pretty quick what type of fish I’ll be looking at the rest of the day. Once I know fish are in the area, I will slow down with a 3/8-ounce weighted Berkley Havoc Pit Boss in Green Pumpkin or Black/Blue.
The Pit Bull should be in contact with your targets with a slight pause when it glances off structure. I throw all my hardbaits on a 6.4:1 gear ratio with 12- to 15-pound test Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon. When I’m covering isolated structure with soft plastics, my line jumps up to the 15- to 17-pound range.
The technique I like when cranking around isolated structure is whatever is catching the fish. Mixing it up is crucial when retrieving the bait. Once you figure out the retrieve, the rest is easy. OK, I’ve established there is a good stock of fish in isolation mode in an area, and I’m going to transition to the Pit Boss. Give these bass some room. If you crowd them, your day will end pretty quickly.
When fishing the Pit Boss, keep your rod tip high and retrieve by dropping your rod tip to the 10 o’clock position up to the 12 o’clock position. Continue the retrieve about five to seven yards past the structure. Hit it a couple times just to make sure no one is home. Once you’ve fished out the lone structure go find more.
Each spring season, anglers rush out to the water. Now is the time to be a loner. Get away from the crowds this spring and find you isolation.
Justin Lucas is a Bassmaster Elite Series Pro. See his website at www.justinlucasfishing.com.