 “HOW
TO FISH WHEN THE WATER IS UP WITH CLIFF CRAFT”
Bassing Steep Rocky Banks, And Finding Bass On Big
Floods And In High Water
EDITOR'S NOTE: This week we’ll look at fishing
high water with all the floods in the Gulf Coast area
due to Hurricane Katrina and the rain dumped along the
Eastern Seaboard by Hurricane Ophelia. Cliff Craft of
Sugar Hill, Georgia, has been one of the country's leading
anglers for a number of years. A professional fishing
guide on Georgia's Lake Lanier as well as a tackle representative,
Craft  travels
the country teaching fishing seminars and competing
in bass fishing tournaments, and enjoys fishing high
water.
When the water comes up, the bass move up on the rocks.
They are going to follow the baitfish into the shallow
– no matter what structure they have to go to
while following the baitfish. When the bass move out
of the deep water onto the rocks, my favorite bait still
is the worm. However, a crankbait can be deadly also.
I try and match the crankbait to the baitfish in color
and size. But to get a strike, the lure has to do something
the other baitfish are not doing. I run my lure into
rocks, let it float up and lay on the water a few seconds.
Then I start my retrieve again. I believe when the lure
hits the rock it gets the bass's attention so that the
fish looks for the bait. The bass may see the crankbait
on the surface and usually will attack when the bait
starts to  swim
again. Another tactic that produces with the crankbait
is a stop/start retrieve. When a bait is swimming, stops,
and starts to float up, the bass often will strike,
thinking it's found an easy way to catch a tasty hors
d'oeuvre. If you are having to angle on a bright sunny
day, and you can find rocks that are partially shaded,
if you’ll cast into the shady area and work the
crankbait into the sun, many times the bass will strike
when the lure crosses the shadow. Often I want my bait
to float up just as it comes out of the shade and into
the sun. That's when the fish usually will explode on
the bait.
Finding Bass On Big Floods And In High Water:
The problem is not how to catch the bass on a big flood
but where to find the bass. Usually when the water is
rising slowly, the backs of creeks in freshly flooded
areas are best for locating bass. However, when an area
has a major flood, the  number-one
thing to look for is clear water. Often you can find
springs or small, clear branches running into a muddy
lake. That clear water is like a magnet that draws bass.
The fish will go to clearer water when they are quickly
surrounded by muddy water. Once you find that clear
water, you usually can catch bass on almost anything.
A small crankbait or a top-water lure will pay off most
of the time. Novice anglers often are afraid of not
being able to catch bass when they get to a lake and
see that a usually-beautiful body of water has turned
into a clay hole. However, generally, rising water moves
bass more shallow and closer to shore. When the water
starts up, the bassing should get better. If I had my
choice, I would rather fish rising water than any other
water condition as long as the water doesn't come up
too quickly and isn't too muddy.
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