How Bass Set Up on Laydowns w/ Patrick Walters

In fishing terms, a "laydown" is simply a tree that was growing along the shoreline that has fallen into the water and has become a piece of cover for bass to set up on and ambush their prey. However, not all laydowns are created equally, and often times bass will position themselves in certain ways when they are using laydowns as a form of shallow cover. Here, Bassmaster Elite Series angler, Patrick Walters, breaks down how bass will typically set up on laydowns. During the prespawn and spawn, laydowns are often a great piece of cover to target. When fish first pull up shallow, they will position on the outer edges of the fallen tree, closer to deep water. As the water warms and bass get closer to spawning, they will move inward along the tree until they are right up close to where the trunk of the tree meets the shoreline, which is often a location they will spawn. After the spawn, bass will migrate back outwards along the tree to the outer edge, closer to deep water as they recover from the spawn and feed on shad, bluegills, or other forms of baitfish. When fishing a laydown, Patrick likes to fish the outer edges first and work his way into the thickest part of the tree with each cast.