by Bruce Middleton, June 14, 2005

This classic combination makes bass angler’s drool with anticipation…

As described in his own words, in 1932 George Perry cast his lure to a "disturbance next to a large tree lying in the water." That cast hooked and landed George the World Record Largemouth Black Bass, which tipped he scales at 22 pounds and 2 ounces. Bass, water and wood. The ideal combination of features that bass anglers all over the nation look for and fish.

It’s funny how the words ‘Worlds Record’ conjures up visions of massive bass straining the line and bending the rod to the breaking point. We all dream of fighting such a hawg but very few of us even catch a bass over ten pounds let alone twice that weight. Is it because there are more fishermen out there and less big fish or something else? I think it’s something else. Every lake that has bass in has a few old timers in it that would qualify as trophies, maybe not World records but certainly State records. In my home state of Washington the record Blackmouth bass is 11 pounds and 9 ounces. I can tell you without a doubt, that with all the absolutely fantastic lakes my state has, there are many bass out there that exceed 11-9. And when you think about it, 11-9 is a ridiculously low weight for a state the size of 1/4th the east coast.

But with the worlds record being set next to fallen wood it’s easy to see the importance of the relationship bass and wood have. Wood comes in many forms in and on a lake. It can be a fallen tree, a log or logs on the bottom, a stump or tree sticking up from the bottom or it can be a wood piling or a dock pier. Wood can be as large as a tree or as small as a pile of brush and everything in-between. But whatever its form it has one thing in common, it attracts bass. Understanding the importance of stumps, trees, brush and all the other forms of wood, even man-made structures such as docks, artificial reefs and xmas trees under docks can greatly enhance our ability to catch more and bigger bass while enjoying a better quality of bassing.

Let us start at the very beginning of a trees life, or in this case, a trees death after it falls into the water. Beneath the surface of the water is a criss-cross mass of limbs attached to the main trunk of the tree. It offers shade and great deal of cover for the bass. It is nearly impenetrable because of all the limbs, leaving the fisherman limited choices as to the types of lures he can use to fish in and around it. Single hook lures and baits work best because they lessen the possibility of hang-ups. Jigs, plastics and spinner baits are used to get into the middle while top waters and crank baits are used over and around the outsides.

Later as decay sets in along with wave action and a lot of the smaller limbs fall to the bottom, algae, mosses and other aquatic life forms go to work on the wood. This attracts snails, invertebrates and tiny creatures of every size and shape. A new microhabitat is established and colonies are formed. This in turn draws in small fish that eat the tiny creatures and eventually bass that eats the small fish. The chain-of –life in the lake is alive and well and has a new home (tree). The only real bad place to fish is the bottom foot of the lake beneath the tree. This is the garbage dump of the new community. Not only is it a tangled mess, it is decaying matter that uses up all the oxygen in the immediate area. You won’t find to many bass down there.

As the colony grows, there are changes in light levels in different parts of the tree. Shade is an important part of the environment for a bass. Shade and structure hide their profiles from prey fish. This is what makes a good ambush point. But since the sun moves in the sky the ambush points change hourly moving the bass to different parts of the tree during different times of the day. Light and shade also influence temperatures of the water as well as the actual location of the tree in respect to which part of the lake the tree fell in, i.e. the NW side or the SE side. These two sides get different light levels at different times of day. One gets full morning sun and little evening sun and the other is just the opposite.

At this time in the trees relationship with bass it’s much easier to use a broader range of lures to draw strikes. Virtually any lure or bait can be used and you can fish from the bottom of the tree to the top. It should be noted that the inactive bass will be found much closer to the bottom of the tree and the active bass will be located higher up. Why is this, the active bass are looking to eat and up high, the inactive bass are resting near the bottom. If bottom vegetation is present this signals an added feature that draws bass to the tree. Weeds hide bass better that tree limbs. They also produce oxygen and harbor crawfish as well as various small prey fish. Multiple features like a tree and grass, or a flat and a channel will attract more bass than a single feature, always.

As decay continues and all but all the largest stubs have fallen away, the log becomes so water logged it finally sinks to the bottom if it isn’t attached to the bank. By this time all the litter and debris from the tree has completely decayed away and the floor of the lake is quite clean. If other logs are on the bottom it will add to the pile or if not it will be just a log on the bottom. A log on the bottom by itself won’t draw action in the way of bass unless it falls across a ditch, rock or other obstruction that makes a portion the log lie off the bottom and provides a place of cover. If the log falls on other logs and creates the same area or areas of cover, it will become attractive to bass and draw them in.

Again, this is a time to use any lure you wish. The choice of lure(s) is influenced only by the depth of the log. One would seldom use a top water lure over a log 25 feet deep..

Then there is the stump and its massive root system. If the roots are exposed, this represents a huge bulk of wood for the bass to hide in and around. On really big stumps, you can have many, many bass using the same stump at the same time while a small stump may only have room for one bass. This is on of the best possible scenarios because you can catch several bass from one spot. Note too that bass hang out by age group. If you are in a group of bass and you catch a three pounder, you can bet the majority of other bass you catch from that area will be three pounders too..

But wood in the water takes on many forms. We have very few reservoirs and impounds where I live and I have never fished a lake in my state where there is standing timber in the lake. Then a friend and fellow writer pointer out to me that I had timber on almost every lake I’d been on. "Their call dock pilings or piers" he said. And then it struck me, he was right. Except for the stump part of the tree there was no difference. I’ve fished old railroad bridges that crossed a lake, ski jumps and old docks where the piers were all that was left. Standing timber..

And let us not forget the little stuff, brush. Some of the very best bass fishing is done in brush piles. Brush piles and bass go together like peanut butter and jelly; you just can’t have one without the other. Largemouth bass are creatures of shallow cover and the thicker that cover is the better the bass like it. Heavy structure like brush piles are a natural attractant that bass will hold in most of the year, as it offers many advantages and few disadvantages for them. A brush pile can hold a great number of bass in and around it whether it is on the lake bank, out in deep water or somewhere in between..

To correctly fish a brush pile you have to start at the extreme edges and slowly work in towards the middle. By starting out working the edges and slowly working in, if you catch a bass, the others will only move a little closer to the center of the brush pile. It is also important, vital even, to work both sides thoroughly before moving in towards the center. Once to the center work it from the top down covering all levels of the water column. Work every nook and cranny before leaving..

In really muddy water bass move in tight to the shoreline because that is where the water is cleanest. They also seek out any wood or cover to hide in and around. They also hide in these places on really windy days on the windy ends of the lake. Take advantage of this fact and fish this area while other anglers are seeking protected bays. You will out fish them 3 to 1 but you will use up a lot of battery keeping off the bank. Remember that this is just for windy days and cold fronts. During a windy cold front, you too should find the protected bays and the wood that lies in them..

Enjoy everyday you can fish and learn something about fishing every time you go out. One other thing too, try at least one new lure or one you haven’t used in a long time every time you go out. Don’t get stuck in a rut using the same 3 or 4 lures and baits every time you go out. You know, the old faithfulls that always work, well most of the time.

Break out of the box and try something new every now and then and you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.