While trying to avoid the wind, I learned a new pattern.

[RIVER HAWK]

Read on here about a bank fisherman catching his limit from the bank on the Rip Rap (Rocks along the highway or under a bridge). The fish were definately NOT under the docks on Oconee, so I did my best to get out of the wind. As you know the Rip Rap drops from 2' to 17' to 25' only a few feet off the bank. I cast 2' from the shore and let my jig fall with a very slow jerking retrieve. AMAZING. The crappie were holding between 13' and 17'. They hit the bait very much like large mouth bass. You would feel the old familiar tap, but they would run with the bait much like a bass. Caught some nice fish on a day the wind had me cussing myself into hell trying to shoot docks. I encourage folks to try this method. It was an unexpected pleasant surprise. Instead of giving up and saying they were not biting, try something new and bring home a mess. You know they are biting somewhere, we just have to figure out where.

[DrJohn]

Good post River Hawk....thanks for the info.

[Fisher-o-Men]

River Hawk,

I'd always figured casting a leadhead to the riprap was a surefire guaranteed way to lose a ton of jigheads!:D

How did you keep it off the rocks, or did you lose a few jigs while catching the fish?

[RIVER HAWK]

I lost one or two, but I lose ten times that many shooting docks. The Rip Rap drops off dramatically just a foot or two from the bank. Cast two foot off the bank and make a slow jerky retrieve. The wall of the Rip Rap is almost a straight drop off. It is very similar to fishing a ledge. If you get hung in the rocks, just go get unhung. I got hung more in a big old crappie's mouth than I did in the rocks. It was a pretty memorable experience.

[team james]

10/4 on the fall back method. I've started with it before when they were doin' some serious bug eatin' in the middle of May. The Lm, bream, and crappie were herded up on the rocks at sundown, dinin' on the bugs while I guess waitin' for bait to school by thru the night? And Yes the bite was similar to Lm.

[papasage]

yep the wife cought 9 trolling along the edge of a railroad bed . wend was out of the south so we got on the north side and trolled about 10 to 15 ft from the bank .i didn`t catch a fish .i was on the other side of a pontoon boat