As temperatures plummet and bass move to their winter haunts, one of my favorite places to find them is bluff walls. Being from Tennessee, fishing bluffs is a must to be competitive in winter tournaments, but I can take this technique wherever I go all across the country and catch fish.
Why Bluffs?
Fish use bluffs in the winter because it offers quick access to deep water. On lakes around my house, the water level is drawn down during the winter, and bluffs offer bass a sense of security. They can slide up and down the bluff as the water drops without having to move far. Also, bluffs always hold baitfish and crawfish in the winter.
What Makes A Good Bluff?
All bluffs are not created equal. I think of bluff walls as ledges above water. Just as there are sweet spots on ledges that hold fish, there are sweet spots on bluffs. The perfect bluff has a shelf of some sort before it falls off into the channel. I’ve never done very well on bluffs that drop straight off into 50-plus feet of water. If I can find one that has a shelf at 6 to 8 feet and then another shelf at 12 to 15 feet before it falls off drastically, I can almost guarantee that bluff will hold fish in the winter.
Once you find a likely bluff, take a look at the rock features. Whatever you see above the water line is exactly what is below the water line. If a place looks like a small landslide has happened, there are probably some big boulders beneath the water. Also, laydowns and docks along a bluff are also likely targets. Anything different along that bluff is likely to hold fish, period.
Baits, Presentation And Setup
On most productive bluffs, the strike zone is within 10 feet of the bank. If I sit my boat 15 feet off the bank, I can cover spots quickly with a jig. It’s all about efficiency, and flipping and pitching is the most efficient way there is to fish bluffs. Two sizes of jig fit the bill for all my winter needs, a 3/8- and a ½-ounce. I flip a ½-ounce 90 percent of the time. But if the water temp gets below 50 degrees, I want the slow fall of a 3/8-ounce. I like a jig with an old Arkie-style head and a stout Mustad jig hook.
Don’t get too caught up in colors. A good crawfish imitator is my first choice. I like a skirt with green pumpkin and orange in it. If I get into dirty water, black and blue is a good choice. I also throw peanut butter and jelly every now and then.
My rod for flipping and pitching bluffs is an MHX-FS-904 that I build. It’s 7’6″ and has the perfect action for lighter-duty flipping. It has enough tip to flip a 3/8-ounce jig but plenty of backbone to jerk one out of a treetop. Spool up a high-speed baitcaster with 20-pound Vicious Pro Elite fluorocarbon, and you’re ready to go.
