Knapp: How to be a savvy fisher around laydowns, for crappies and other species
The mature hardwood tree, one sporting two main trunks, lay in a perpendicular angle to the lake’s shoreline, its outer branches extending out to a depth of around 12 feet.
At some point during the past couple of years, high winds had unhinged the tree from its lakeside home, its final descent leaving it mostly submerged. It now joins many others along that bank that have suffered the same fate.
We anglers call these fallen trees “laydowns.” They provide cover for gamefish and panfish, ambush points from which to pounce on prey, as well as cover to prevent being eaten themselves.
During an exceptionally windy day (of which we’ve had many lately) recently, I anchored my boat off the end of this laydown. Tucked in behind a sharp turn in the reservoir, it offered protection from the steady gale.
My first cast was met with a light tick, the resulting hookset bending the light powered rod into a sharp bend. I managed to keep the fish out of the wood and soon had a 14-inch crappie in the boat. The next cast produced a similar fish. Camping out on the spot, making minor adjustments in boat position, I took nearly 20 more crappies, several more of which were on the plus side of 10 inches.
Laydowns offer anglers several advantages.
During the fall, they are often magnets for crappies and other fish. During the described outing, I also caught a couple largemouth bass and bluegills. They are visible, not requiring any type of electronics to locate. Since they are near shore, oftentimes fishing them does not expose you to the harsher conditions that can exist off shore, though you might likely be in the shade, particularly along steep banks.
Like any form of fish cover, certain laydowns tend to be more productive than others. In some cases the differences can be somewhat obvious, in others the details are known only to the fish.
The depth in which the laydown is found can be a factor. Many laydowns are found along steep shorelines, where the creek channel is tight to the bank. Such cover can provide fish with a variety of depth options since branches exist at different levels.
The angle at which the tree is laying in the lake is another consideration. Laydowns along channel swings tend to enter the lake at a sharp angle, over 45 degrees or more. Trees found along more gently dropping shores tend to lay more horizontally, providing cover that sticks out farther into the lake. Don’t discount these types of laydowns, as they represent the features that provided me with this quality outing.
Perhaps the biggest element is the age of the laydown. Younger trees provide more cover retaining the intricate network of branches, whereas time often deteriorates older laydowns.
When targeting crappies, as I was, laydowns can be fished a couple different ways.
In this case, there were many branches submerged within a foot or two of the surface. I could have tried a light jig under a fixed bobber, but I suspect this would have resulted in frequent hangups as the wind rapidly pushed the bobber across the surface.
Rather, I cast a light jig, supplemented with a split shot, into the nooks and crannies, and swam it back at just enough speed to reduce snagging. When I did get hung, the jig’s light wire hook flexed enough that I didn’t break it off.
After a few minutes, I had a feel for the open lanes, where I could make a snag-free cast and likely catch a crappie.
Shoreline laydowns are a significant fish attractor during the fall months, areas the savvy angler will frequently check out.
Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.
