Boat control essential for successful bass trips
Ken Sherman is a perfectionist, paying close attention to every detail involved in catching fish. And one of the things he says many bass anglers overlook is the importance of boat handling when approaching a log jam or tree.
“I see people all the time get so focused on fishing that they don’t know where the boat is, and then they have to hit the trolling motor to stay away from (their target cover),” Sherman told me during a trip years ago. “They hit that tree with the trolling motor’s prop wash, and that’s it.
“They’ll never catch a fish there.”
Sherman said keeping control of the boat is made easier when fishing in the current simply by pointing the bow upstream.
“Every time I’m fishing current, I’m fishing into the current,” he said recently. “You can handle the boat, and you can set up to fish the front of the boat.”
In other words, you’re not passing by the targeted cover so fast that you have to pitch off the side of the boat.
“If you think about a clock, I’m fishing in the 10 to 11 o’clock position or the 1 to 2 o’clock position,” Sherman explained.
By pitching forward of his position, Sherman presents a bait in a natural way to any lurking bass.
“A fish always sets up looking into the current,” he explained.
Moving into the current also allows an angler to control his speed, easing forward so he can meticulously work over his target to ensure he doesn’t miss a fish.
“I’m running the trolling motor very, very slow and I never take my foot off it,” Sherman said. “That way I don’t get the flush of the water (on the target); the worst thing you can do is flush water into it. “
