The vast amount of standing timber in Lake Seminole presents the classic give-and-take scenario. These remnant bones of pre-reservoir forests offer prime bass habitat, but while the fish know how to use these solid objects for ambush feeding, they’re also pretty good at leveraging the wood when they get into trouble.
That means they’ll use the trees as escape tools.
Elite rookie Joey Cifuentes experienced an on-camera heartbreak when an estimated 4-pounder bit his finesse worm, gave Cifuentes a good tug, and promptly ran into a submerged skeleton.
His painful response bespoke the risk-reward proposition that defines this habitat.
“That was a good one; I needed that one.”
Cifuentes tried various angles and even reached his rod below the surface in an effort to dislodge his fish, but to no avail. Eventually, his bait popped free — with no fish attached.
And if you’re wondering why a guy would use spinning gear around heavy cover, consider two points: First, you do what you gotta do to get bites and worry about the extraction later. Second, the fish pull these escape acts on baitcasting gear just as often.
