Warmer weather often means getting offshore and fishing for big schools of bass. One of the most popular methods, especially in the early season is ledge fishing and targeting river ledges away from the bank. It's a staple in fisheries throughout the country, and one of the most successful with the approach is Major League Fishing pro Mark Rose, who has several big wins from fishing this way.
Rose was an early adopter of using his electronics to scan for schools of bass, especially with side scan, and now, it's all about forward-facing sonar, and he's embraced that, too. He mixes both styles of fishing to find success when fishing offshore.
Ledge Fishing Over the Years
One of the most significant changes in fishing in recent years has been forward-facing sonar. It's changed everything about fishing, including offshore fishing.
"The obvious change in the past few years is forward-facing sonar, and now a lot of guts are catching them with a jighead minnow and casting to individual fish, where we used to have to sit back and fan cast to areas with swimbaits, crankbaits, and stuff like that," said Rose. "I benefited from using my electronics when side scan first came out to find schools, but now you have to use forward-facing sonar as well. Instead of just the traditional ledge fishing stuff, now I'm using minnows, Neko Rigs, and small swimbaits along with them."
While some techniques may have changed, Rose says some things stay the same. There's a particular time of year when the ledge bite kicks off, and it's starting to happen across the country.
"When the first fish get out there and group up, that's all about the water temperature," he said. "It happens in mid-May to early June, and the shad starts getting out there, and the bass group up really well. That's when you can get out there and catch a bunch in a day, but they'll start to get pressured, and you'll need to mix in some finesse techniques to get bites when that happens."
The Finesse Approach
Whether using his forward-facing sonar or not, Rose says finesse tactics like a Neko Rig or jighead minnow are key in his arsenal. The jighead minnow is a staple for him, and he's a fan of a standard round ball head like the Mustad Ultrapoint Ball Jig Head.
"I've pushed myself to get better with the jighead minnow because it's something that seems to play in every tournament nowadays," he said. "That 3/16-ounce ball head with a Strike King Baby Z Too is a great option, especially when the bass is on smaller forage. I like that ball head because of how sharp the hook is and because it's got a great keeper to keep your bait in place."
The Neko Rig is another way to fish that Rose will employ when fan casting around on ledges or casting to individual fish he sees on his screens. With a standard straight-tail worm, his hook of choice is a Mustad TitanX Wacky/Neko Rig Hook.
"I don't think it gets any better than that hook; it's super sharp and also comes in a weedless version," he said. "That slick coating on there is very sharp, and the hook is very strong so that it won't flex on you like other hooks."
Power Fishing Offshore
There's no telling exactly how much money Rose has won with the help of deep-diving crankbaits over the years, and he's still using them. Some of his favorites are the Strike King XD series, everything from a 5XD up to a 10XD. For all of these baits, he'll change out the treble hooks with Mustad Alpha Point 3X Triple Grip Treble Hook.
"That's a proven hook design that keeps fish pinned, and now it has the slick coating and Alpha Point to make them even sharper," he said. "I like to use a 1/O on my 6XDs, a 2/O on my 8XDs, 3/O on my 10XDs. For my 5XD, I throw a #2 because it has different hook hangers on it. Besides being sharp, that point is turned in just a little bit, which helps keep the hook point sharp when dragging bait around the bottom."
Another tool that Rose can't do without is a Carolina-Rig. "The 'old ball and chain' will still catch plenty of fish, and it's a rig that works great for ledge fishing," he said. "I like to fish a Strike King Scounbug with a 1/O Mustad Grip-Pin Big Bite hook. It's a great way to catch them when the bite slows down, and that hook keeps your bait secure no matter what."
Mark Rose has been at the top of the ledge fishing game for many years and enjoys fishing this way. While some things have changed over the years with new electronics and rigs, some old-school methods still work, and Rose uses both fishing styles in his approach every time he heads offshore in the early summer.
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