Submerged Railroads:

Railroads are raised beds and include rocks on top of a dirt ridge; which is a significant height difference than a roadbed. Trains ran on a very gradual incline, because of pulling so many cars. When extreme high ground was involved a deep gouge was cut right through it to maintain the exact incline. These gouges or trenches are present in lakes like Amistad and Sam Rayburn. This creates a big drop on each side of the trenches as the tracks are sometimes 20 ft below the lay of the land. These structures attract Bass like no other in the lake. When the Railroad crosses extreme low lying valleys the bed was raised to decrease the incline. This produces levees and some can be as much as 20 ft tall in our Texas lakes like Texoma where the bed crosses the deep basins. There is no doubt your electronics is key to finding any structure your searching for. The electronic maps today are so much more detail than anything previously. If you have a lake with railroad beds you can find and pinpoint them.

Any spot where a creek or river swings in close is always a prime location to try.
Railroads aren’t magic structures but they can be excellent when water depths and cover form the right combination. They provide bottom breaks that Bass and bait fish hold on year round. Because they were built high off the ground and much larger rock was used on the entire line makes them a full notch above Roadbeds. This provides a Vertical structure the Bass can relate to.

We are specifically looking for the tracks that cross steams and creeks. Even the drains were lined with heavy River Rock to help with erosion. This means a Trestle submerged in deep water. You must mentally picture the bridge before the water level was increased when the lake was impounded. Geo. Survey Maps will help with that along with the COE Maps. When the Flood Control Studies were done, it was determined if the bridge structure would be taken out or if it could remain in the lake. Depending on the depth of the river or creek there may be steel supports above the bridge. Now we have Vertical Structure that Bass love. Bass will live here and suspend in and around those supporting beams. During extreme cold months and during the hot Summer months the Bass will move down to the shade of the bridge itself and even get under it along the edge for ambush. Dropping a Jig or Drop Shot beside the bridge will entice the Bass to run out from the shade and take the bait.

Even if the Underwater Bridge was removed the concrete and steel pilings that once supported the structure may still be there. Many of these stand on the edge of the channel or riverbank. These Pylons also provide current breaks for the Bass to hold on. Keep your fishing techniques simple as possible. The Texas Rig is also a good choice when fishing for suspended fish or down the slopes of the embankment. When I fish for suspended Bass the rig is dropped vertical on the Pylons and held very still. Jigging it up and down has never seemed to produce as many bites. Just picture the railroad as a long hump and not all of a long structure will produce fish. There must be abundant cover, like stumps, trees and or brush piles placed by fisherman, giving the Bass an irregular feature to relate to. You can catch Bass along some of the best drop offs; but you will catch more and bigger Bass if you are fishing in cover.

Thanks for the additional information.

Thanks F4Gator. I truly appreciate you taking the time to read the articles. Everyone please feel free to ask any questions or to add your experiences on how you have been successful on any of these features. This is how we learn and add techniques to help us catch more fish.

I must be hitting the railroads at the wrong time. I have yet to catch anything off of them. Mind you, I have only fished them in two different lakes.
If I can remember, I will try as you suggested Mr. Harper.

Please send me an Email Mr. Thomas. I will take a look at them and see if we can find the spots that the fish are hanging out on them. Let me know the lakes and the general area that they are located in.
fishnteacher@gmail.com

Nice write up, as always. Thanks Don.