Hump / noun: something that protrudes from a form; in physical geography, a low, rounded rise of ground; in bass fishing terms, an underwater island or section of a lake bottom that rises gradually, signified on topographical maps as contour lines that create a circle or oval shape.
In bass circles, the word "hump" is among the most common terms used by anglers at all levels. Humps come in all shapes and sizes, depths and locations, but share a common denominator: These bottom structures hold bass throughout the year.
The composition of a hump is basically rock, although it can be framed with aquatic vegetation or a sand topping. Humps can be found almost anywhere on a lake, reservoir or river — isolated or in conjunction with a point or ledge. This type of structure can give way to deeper terrain with immediacy or have a gradual slope.
To bass, the attractiveness of a hump is twofold: Its entire food chain is often found there; and these places provide easy access to deeper water where bass can suspend while adjusting to weather changes.
Because of their depth, humps take some skill to exploit. Here are 10 great tips for fishing underwater humps.
1. DEREK REMITZ:
LOOK FOR THE ODDITIES
Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Derek Remitz was graphing submerged structure on the bottom of California's Clear Lake when he was asked for his best tip for fishing humps.
"Spend time studying your depthfinder," recommends the Minnesota native now living in Alabama. "I look for any type of little differences on top of them.
"I graph it pretty intensively trying to find those little sweet spots on it. That could be a little rock ledge off one side or grass growing down the other side of it, or if it breaks off faster on one side. And a lot of people put brushpiles on them. Anything that's a little different.
"A lot of times I'll spend 15 minutes graphing them, looking for those key spots, as well as getting to know how it lays out."
2. BRYAN HUDGINS:
CURRENT POSITIONING
Growing up on the St. Johns River, Florida Elite Series rookie Bryan Hudgins became an expert on fishing current. Believe it or not, even deep water humps — and the bass that relate to these structures— are impacted by such water flow.
Hudgins points out that bass in this situation typically will be positioned on the downcurrent side of the hump and facing into the current in anticipation of ambushing baitfish that wash over the top of the mound. So he casts upstream and allows his lure to drift over the hump.
"Also, a lot of times, people try a hump one time during the day," he adds. "But these fish will pull up on a hump throughout the day at different times and feed. Just because you hit a hump one time during the day and don't get a bite, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't try it again in two hours. You might come back and be able to catch 25 pounds in a hurry."
3. DENNY BRAUER:
DON'T SPARE THE JIG
When discussing submerged humps, most anglers talk about crankbaiting and Texas or Carolina rigging. All-time BASS great Denny Brauer reminds us that a rubber-skirted jig can be especially productive in that situation (particularly in the summertime).
During the hottest months, the Missouri pro targets humps in 25 to 30 feet of water with a 1/2-ounce black-and-blue Strike King Premier Elite jig with either a twin-tail grub or ribbontail worm as a trailer.
"The bass are going to concentrate more in certain places like humps, and it's harder fishing," he says. "It's a totally different kind of jig fishing. It's not a type of jig fishing I enjoy as much as shallow water fishing. It can involve a lot more work and time. It's harder to find those places. But once you find those places, it can be very, very rewarding.
"Once the jig hits the bottom, I give it a couple of hops like I normally would, and if nothing happens, I sweep it up off the bottom. It's a tremendous, tremendous way to fish a jig during the summertime."
4. SHAW GRIGSBY:
GET TO KNOW YOUR HUMP
Veteran Florida pro Shaw Grigsby advocates getting to know your hump intimately. For him, that involves using his Lowrance LCX-111C HD console color depthfinder to get a detailed picture of the structure and often his X26 HD bow unit to actually fish it.
"The good thing about GPS nowadays is you can fish a hump found on your GPS without ever dropping a buoy marker once you figure out how it lays out," the eight-time BASS winner says. "So I'll fish it with buoys if nobody's around; if somebody's around, it's all GPS.
"An easy thing to do is drop a buoy on it so you can work the hump more efficiently. If it's a big hump, I'll use more than one buoy. Drop one on each end. And if it's got some unusual contours on it, I'll use three or four buoys just to make sure I know what's down there."
As he spoke via cell phone, Grigsby had been searching various sized humps in the California Delta — looking for early spring prespawn bass.
"I've got one that I marked today that is beautiful," he mentions. "It took me about 20 minutes to find this rock hump that comes out of about 25 feet and goes up to about 9.
"I idled it for a while and then backed off, which is a good tip. Depending on how deep it is, if you've idled over it a few times, give it a few minutes to settle down. Then sneak back up on it and make a cast; you'll probably be really successful."
5. KEN COOK:
SUMMERTIME HOT SPOT
