Suspended Fish in Timber

Anyone care to share tips and tactics for fishing for suspended bass in timber? Like 20 to 25 feet but fish are suspending in down about 10 feet? Fish don’t want to chase. I guess they might break a sweat.

Tried Carolina rigging a 10" Berkley worm?

Drop a spoon with single hook down on top of them.

PM sent ... yeah it's a secret

I break some off but I’ll pitch a jig and shake down. If that’s not doing it I’ll throw a senko texas rigged no weight and let it fall right next to the tree.

Sounds like the perfect scenario for livescope and a deep diving, suspending jerkbait.

^^^
same---1/2oz jig with a boottail trailer comes through deep timber well usually. Agree with senko as stickbaits get through branches well also.

At times, it doesn't hurt to 3/16oz trig pegged or put a nail weight in the senko

Medium diving crankbait banging off the trees. Have had good success stopping your retrieve when you hit the tree/branches. The crankbait floats up and back and that’s often when they hit it. Often!

I'm with this guy...also a drop shot along the trees doesn't hurt either

Try a DD22 but don't stop, bring it over the branch nice and slow.

Umbrella rig and live scope.

Fluke on light weighted swimbait hook, drop shot, underspin, 3-4" swimbait and livescope

Magnum fluke or similar type bait on 4/0 or 5/0 offset shank heavy wire hook fished weightless. Cast out count down, twitch twitch, count to 5, twitch twitch. Vary count down and cadence until you get them going. Right now I am catching them in 19-21 fow on a cr fluke on a 3/0 light wire hook with 6 ft mono leader and working it similar to how I would a shallow weightless fluke by twitching the weight hard twice and then letting it sit then repeating. Color has been significant it seems. Let you know once I make trip and stock back up. Lol

That don’t always work evidently, saw Josh Jones over here at lunch buying 100$ worth of live perch and have his customers carry them to the boat.

I would try a Neko rig.

Lol, 1000 dollar a day guide trip swimming perch.....

Thanks all, going tomorrow to see if I can smash em

I thought guys always used drop shots and vertical glass beaded worms for suspended fish in the trees. I would definitely want livescope for this.

lol. Here we go with the haters that wished they could. Bless your heart.

Hating on what? Tough fishing, got to do want you got to do to make it happen. Sorry if I hurt your feelings.

How do you drop shot suspended fish 15 feet above the bottom in trees? Just like a reaction bite?

That’s a damn good question and I’ll not be trying that but I bet Ratz will.

Same question for Carolina rig, frankly. I’m genuinely asking.

What hook is preferred for swimming these perch ????

Seriously…. I don’t think he read the OPs question if he is suggesting a C-rig for suspended fish. As for a drop shot, you can get directly over the fish, drop it down and stop it in front of their face.

Livescope and take Patrick Walters with you. Ride with him on day 1 on Fork two years ago when he caught them 6 feet down in 20 to 30 feet on Vision 110+ jerk baits. He had to mess with them hard to coax them to bite. Most bit quite a distance away from the tree he lured them out of.

THIS ^^^ whacky rig, (hook the fluke in the middle) no weight, let the Fluke float down , twitch,..twich....makes the fluke look like a dying shad. Fish slow...
I think there's a color called disco violet,..pearlish with a light tint...

Video game fishing, just like they do on the smallmouth up north.

This was the other technique that I’ve read about. Seems simple enough and should be fairly snag resistant.

https://www.fieldandstream.com/arti...odle-slide-how-to-entice-suspended-bass/

I have had to force myself to start cranking more and did it more last year than I ever had.

It helped getting a rod designed for them and making myself do it over and over again.

big senkos t rigged?

smallmouth crush mentioned in one of his videos 8 foot leaders....i think he mentioned 8 foot PLUS iirc. That dudes a pretty solid stick so ill trust him....since ill never have the confidence to try! LOL

Split shot rig a fluke/senko/4” hags or you could do it with a pegged light carolina rig. great way to catch em at lah

He's from the OT. Maybe forgive him and hope he sales more vehicles?

Guy, Guys, it is NOT "SALES more vehicles" .....ever heard of a verb? "SELLS" is a verb; try it some time!

JB

Yeah definitely don't try a Carolina rig for fish suspended in timber, unless you want to show them something they aren't used to seeing every day and are likely to eat.

When I fished regular baits, pre swimbait addiction, I had some great summer trips swimming a lighter c rig through tress. It takes some finesse touch to learn how to bring the weight over branches and not get the bait hung up but the technique works. I always used a 8" or larger worm, but a creature bait would work.

I remember reading about that well over 15 years ago.

Jerkbait in timber catching suspended fish is all the rage since the Walters win on Fork last fall. Wish I had more confidence in that bait. I'm making myself throw jerkbaits more this yr. Crankbaits work well to though. Those suspended fish will feed up so start shallow and work down. Some people would be amazed what they can catch with a 1.5 size square bill cranking tree tops in 20-50ft of water. I've found that the Rapala DT series cranks also work well . They seem to come through those tree tops better than many other brands and offer lots of options to target fish at various depths.

Thanks, that makes more sense re: drop shot.

Seems like hangups would be the result of most casts, even after you figure out how to finesse it, and a lot of break offs would occur when you hook a fish, especially with light line and multiple knots.

Interesting! Thanks for the link.

I’ve been Vertical jigging Timber, Points, Creeks, Ledges & drop offs for 50 years. Spoons & jigs in Winter & Wacky worms & Wacky Tubes & Wacky Flukes in the the Summer.
Winter jigging 20-60 ft requires Great Sonar (old school) and delicate slow movements of your bait. 90% of most spoon fisherman, use high sweeping motions of there rods which moves the spoon long distance at a fast rate and the Bass react to the flutter, I found accidentally that leaving the spoon still in the strike zone and adding an occasional side to side wiggle pause and lifting an inch or two allows the Bass to “Home in on” the spoon/bait. Summertime patterns where the Bass are suspended and moving in schools/packs; both fast Flittering and subtle techniques work. My biggest surprise was at Sam Rayburn in Five Fingers, Fishing the “guts” on each side of long points, I would just hold a Wacky tube perfectly still in 20 ft over 40 ft and caught 30 good fish that just swam off with it.
I fish Ray Roberts regularly and this technique works are RR also, summer & winter. I didn’t know I was going on a long rant I will try and add pictures ?
Hope this helps !👍🎣

Livescope is preferred, if they are very picky you can take an 1/8oz grub head and small swimbait and reel it through them with a fairy wand. Move up to 1/4oz if you throw it on a baitcaster on a rod similar to a weightless worm rod and light line (10lb). Don't need live scope but you need to know how fast you bait falls to reach 10ft and throw it out and count it down. Or as others have said get over the top and dropshot but you stand a pretty good chance of spooking them.

7” M Pack Shad with only a swivel

Not at all. 1/2 oz weight, 2-3' leader, big slow falling worm or creature. Main line 50lb + braid, leader 20lb flouro. Fish on the outer edges or over the tops, keep it swimming until you make contact, hesitate a few seconds and give slack. Raise the rod tip and crank the rig fast a few cranks, repeat. Get bit, crank'em out with a stout reel and heavy rod.

Seriously, if I could figure out how to do it it

I learn by example. I might give this a try. Thanks!

Neko or jig a blade

Swim jig, weightless magnum fluke, wacky rig senko w/ hook guard.

Seriously…. I don’t think he read the OPs question if he is suggesting a C-rig for suspended fish. As for a drop shot, you can get directly over the fish, drop it down and stop it in front of their face.[/quote]

Thanks, that makes more sense re: drop shot. [/quote]

Duck you can fish a drop shot just like you fish a crappie jig.....get the depth, get your bait to the depth, and just dead stick it, wiggle it, lift and drop....whatever

The old unnamed jerkbait seems to catch a bunch.

Thanks, that makes more sense re: drop shot. [/quote]

Duck you can fish a drop shot just like you fish a crappie jig.....get the depth, get your bait to the depth, and just dead stick it, wiggle it, lift and drop....whatever [/quote]

thank you, sir!

Spinnerbait slow rolled

Put on a crappie jig and you will catch all you want of those nasty things on the trees.

Years ago on fork i used to put a 3/8 worm weight on then tie a balsa b on slide weight up 2-3 ft. and crimp weight. Pitch it out past tree let it fall till it stops then reel slowly till you feel the weight bump a limb hold it for a couple of seconds so bait will float up then slide weight over limb by lifting rod. Let it fall to next limb and repeat. Had some good days doing this with lots of 5-8 lb. bass and two over 10lb.

Susie sales see shales on the see shore and sells away in her sale boat to fine see shales on sail