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Article 27 - Rubble Fields and Channel Piles
#13605654
06/23/20 08:30 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,792
Donald Harper
OP
TFF Guru
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OP
TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,792 |
Article 27 – Rubble Fields and Channel Rubble Before the lakes were impounded tons and tons of rock were removed in areas were Marinas would be placed, housing developments to support docks, bridge embankments and foundations to pour the pylons. All of this rubble was not hauled away. It was put in tragic ares on the lake to support fish habitat or piled along the River channel. Many times it was just scattered in fields outside of the river channel in the last third of the lake. You will also find rubble piles on large flats just out side of coves where the Marinas are located. Some of the large shallow coves with housing developments dredged the channels and brought that rock outside of the coves to the flats. My favorite areas are the OLD SCHOOL methods that the farmers used in the river bottoms to keep their fields and crop from flooding. The bends in the river would silt in with all kinds of debris and rocks. This would cause the river to flood their crop fields year after year. Several of these farmers would get together with teams of Mules and pond scoops to dredge the S-Bends in the rivers, opening them up to carry the water away instead of flooding. All of this rubble is piled 10 ft high on the lip of the channel in many lakes. Before the lake was ever thought of being built the rivers provided huge pecan trees along the banks and this is where the Big Bass live. Many of those trees are still sticking up above water on some of our lakes. Ivie is an example; with heavy trees on the channel setting in 20 ft of water on the edge of the channel. If you idle your boat between these trees from the river to the fields and back out to the river you will find the Rubble Piles. These farmers did not carry the rubble very far. It is pilled right on the lip of the channel and works like a levee to keep flood water out of the fields. The piles are always in the bends of the channel forming a narrow high rubble pile. Some are very long and some are just piles. The depth change is the key here for the Bass to feed and Spawn on. The Bass are able to move from the river at 50 ft deep to the top of the rubble piles just 10 ft or less under the surface. This provides a super area to catch that DD Bass of a lift time. With the rubble pilled against the river trees sitting along the top of the channel lip, this puts the top of the pile near the first forks on all the huge trees. The trees are a perfect target for pitching and flipping a 1/2 oz pegged T-Rig with an 8” Gator Tail Worm into every tree sitting along the channel. There’s nothing like letting that big tail worm flutter down on Braid line through the forks of the tree and feeling that THUMP. Open flats of rubble will hold fish but not like the river channel with heavy wooded areas. I have seen the flats be loaded with fish then things change with water levels and they move because it is not where they live. It is just an excellent feeding ground when all conditions come together due to forage, water levels and water clarity. When you do find them on the flats in open areas they will usually stay for the whole season. The key here is finding something that others do not know about. I fish these by doing Controlled Drifts on fairly calm days. Of course a good map, Nav. Apps., and excellent electronics will all put you in the right areas. The rest is up to your drifting abilities and the baits you have confidence in on a Long Line C-Rig. The good thing here is that these Rubble Fields are not that tall off the basin floor. Bass are on the feed bag 24/7. Dragging through a school along the lip of the channel can be very productive; as they have not seen a lot of baits out there. If there are some contour irregularities involved close to the channel, then the larger fish will be at hand. This is one of my favorite areas to work during the Fall months when you know they are putting on the feed bag. Don’t let me influence you and make this sound easy. It is very time consuming when there is over 100 acres of flats holding rubble and 10 miles of river channel holding dredge piles. It takes patience and lots of fishing; but when you find them; well you know the rest of the story; making it well worth your time.
Each person you work with holds some promise to your future success. Websiite Sponsors: www.eletewater.com - Staying Hydrated www.lakeoviachic.com - Booking Mexico Trips 20 Hot Spot Mapping - GPS Contour Chips - Custom Spinner Baits - Jigs -Spooks Pure Extracts - Minnow-Night Crawler-Crayfish-Craylic
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Re: Article 27 - Rubble Fields and Channel Piles
[Re: Donald Harper]
#13605680
06/23/20 08:46 PM
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Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 352
ZX4545
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 352 |
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Re: Article 27 - Rubble Fields and Channel Piles
[Re: Donald Harper]
#13605865
06/23/20 11:36 PM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,715
F4 Gator
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,715 |
Phormer Phantom Phlyer
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Re: Article 27 - Rubble Fields and Channel Piles
[Re: Donald Harper]
#13606215
06/24/20 11:56 AM
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 423
Basscat8263
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 423 |
Thank you Don!! Great stuff!!
Tony
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Re: Article 27 - Rubble Fields and Channel Piles
[Re: Donald Harper]
#13606962
06/24/20 10:20 PM
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Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 267
SkeeterHunter
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 267 |
Thanks Don!! Love these articles!!
2019 Skeeter ZX250
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Re: Article 27 - Rubble Fields and Channel Piles
[Re: Donald Harper]
#13607889
06/25/20 06:18 PM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,889
Coolarrow
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,889 |
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Re: Article 27 - Rubble Fields and Channel Piles
[Re: Donald Harper]
#13613801
06/30/20 07:38 PM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 32
Triton417
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 32 |
Thanks!!
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