Fishing Ditches?

dixon413 · Post by **dixon413** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 1:17 am

I fish Clarks Hill lake in Ga and everyone talks about fishing ditches when the water temp drops. I was just wondering what exactly are these ditches, where do I find them and when I find them How do I fish them? and with what lures?

brendanc · Post by **brendanc** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:50 pm

Hi jdixon,

Great question. Ditches to put it simply are depressions in the bottom. Some people also call them a "hole". Ditches can be natural, or created by water entering a body of water. For example if you have a creek that pours into a lake, there will be a ditch near the mouth of the creek. These ditches are created from erosion due to current. You can find ditches in other areas as well. They can be found on flats, humps and even points. I hope this helps clarify the first part of your question?
So how do you go about finding ditches? One way is if you are lucky enough to have a really detailed contour map of the lake. You want to look for areas that are relatively flat (showing the same average depth) but there will be an area that outlines a shape (usually circular or oval shaped) and these contour lines will show a greater depth than the surrounding area. Something to think about… everyone who has the same lake map as you, can also find these so they are usually heavily pressured. Even with a map, ditches are not easy to find, as map data is only so accurate. In the end, you will always find yourself driving around these areas starring at your electronics and waiting for the depth to drop on a flat. Then you must drop a marker buoy (or hit a weigh point on your GPS if you have one) and begin exploring the area to confirm that the depth change you found in fact is a ditch. Remember that a ditch is basically the reverse of a hump. So you need to find the edges to confirm that it is a ditch. To give you a better mental picture, think of a “pot hole” in the road. That is what you are looking for. Some ditches may be the size of a car, others could be the size of a football field. I recently purchased a Humminbird 997 with side imaging. This unit makes finding ditches MUCH easier, as it allows you to see a picture of the bottom over 240 feet off each side of the boat at the same time. So in one pass, you can see 480 feet of the bottom. This unit is not cheap, but when you think about the advantage that it can give you, it is something to consider.
So what makes one ditch better than another? Like any other structure, the more irregular features you have the more likely they are to hold fish. Ditches that have weeds, rock, notches, close proximity to a road bed, etc. will typically attract more fish than those which are barren. Have you ever have heard the saying ‘find the spot on a spot”? With ditches, it is the same. A ditch the size of a football field may only be productive in one small area the size of a car. This is usually caused by something different, like an additional structural element or the additional of a piece of cover like some brush piles or weed and rock. When you examine a ditch with your electronics, you want to search around for these types of irregular features. Most times that is where you will also mark baitfish and bass.
So now what lures should you use and how should you fish them? I personally like to let the type of structure and cover dictate my lure choice and let the seasonal conditions dictate my presentation. When starting on these areas, you may want to try searching with a Carolina rig. This will let you get a good feel for what is down there. Carolina Rigs can be slowly dragged and paused, or even hopped. In cold water I prefer dragging them because you get a better feel for the bottom. Once you have a mental picture of the area, tThen you can fine tune from there. If you are fishing water deeper than 25’, another good cold water choice would be a ¾ oz Hopkins Shorty (Jigging Spoon) or a ¾ oz Silver Buddy. These lures can be casted and also fished vertically. There is an article on our boards that discusses fishing spoons that might give you some help if you are not used to using these types of lures:

Bass Love Heavy Metal

Aside from the couple of choices I mentioned, I’m sure some of our other Prostaff members will have some other lures and presentations to share.

I hope this help…

Brendan

dixon413 · Post by **dixon413** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:45 pm

Thanks Brendan that really helps me out alot. That's some very good advice.

carl · Post by **carl** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 9:17 pm

Brendon, you're info is right-on as usual. One lake that we fish has a couple of ditches. One runs across deep flats, the other is the old creek channel that snakes it's way down the lake. The one that runs across the flates is rather straight, barren, and 30 to 40 feet deep. Never caught a fish off it. The second is in 29' of water. I always hit it during tournaments. It winds between two points, and always holds some fish; trouble is, I never catch any big fish from it. In the past I've used spoons, jigs and plastics, but still haven't dug up any fat ones. Carl

mofish · Post by **mofish** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 2:42 am

If you lake gets low during the summer is a great time to ride or walk around the lake and find ditches. The best ones I have found were doing this. Also look at the bank as your fishing if you see a washout on the bank you can bet that it looks that way under the water too. Here is a link to some great pictures of some ditches and a great article about placing some cover on them. This guy knows what he talking about too! Awsome fisherman. I had the pleasure of fishing with him once great guy to be around.

http://www.robbyrose.com/robbyrose/fishingTips.cfm

brendanc · Post by **brendanc** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:57 pm

No Problem Jdixon...

Carl, thanks for the vote of confidence... how are things with you lately?

Conley,

That site has some great photos... Man would I like to have a dock with a ditch like that next to it when the lake is at full pool!

mofish · Post by **mofish** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 1:19 am

The thing that strikes me the most about that picture is it is a nothing looking bank and dock not many folks would stop and fish it. Just goes to show you never can tell whats under the water.

brendanc · Post by **brendanc** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:36 pm

You've got that right... It pays to explore "all" areas regardless of what they appear to be from the surface...

TableRockGuide · Post by **TableRockGuide** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:26 pm

Man, is this site great or what!! Great Job Guys!!!

Good Fishing Everyone

Capt. D

kspringer · Post by **kspringer** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 12:55 am

Hey guys, dont forget to explore these "ditches and ledges" in the hot of the summer as well. That is where we spend all of our time here on beautiful Ky Lake from May until September. After the spawn, fish will use the ditches as roadways, moving around chasing baitfish. The best places to fish are the bends in these ditches, thats where the majority of the fish will be positioned. Any questions, let me know.