Gear

Sands’ ledge fishing tacklebox

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Photography by
Kyle Jessie
As a guide on Chickamauga Lake, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Cole Sands knows a thing or two about targeting bass offshore on the ledges.
When it comes to targeting offshore schools of bass, having a rotation of baits is crucial. The mood of the fish will often determine what baits will trigger a bite.
Sands pulls out a variety of baits that he relies on when fishing offshore ledges in the postspawn period.
Duel Hardcore Bullet Crank 7+
“A deep-diving crankbait will get some of the biggest bites out of a school of fish,” he said. “This crankbait will get a little deeper than most which is an advantage. I really like to reel the bait though a school as fast as I can to trigger a reaction bite and then change my retrieve from there.”
Duel Hardcore Bullet Crank 5+
“The Bullet Crank 5+ is one that I turn to a lot because of its profile and running depth,” he said. “This bait will run a little shallower than the 7+, but I still use the same concept of burning it fast to trigger a reaction.”
Diamond Baits Spoon
“At times a flutter spoon will trigger bites unlike other reaction baits when ledge fishing,” said Sands. “This spoon is unique because it’s two spoons laid on top of one another which allows the spoon to fall backwards which is a really big deal. It’s super erratic and has a unique action.”
True Bass Shuttlecock Hair Jig
“The hair jig is much more subtle than the crankbait or spoon, but it still triggers a reaction bite,” he said. “I work the bait by burning it upwards in the water column, then stop it and let it fall back to the bottom. There’s something about a falling hair jig that gets the fish going. The majority of your bites will come as the bait is falling.”
Bass Mafia Loaded Daingerous Swimbait
“A swimbait that can get down to the deeper is always going to be on my deck when I’m fishing ledges,” said the Tennessee pro. “It’s a very natural approach when other baits that move much quicker won’t get bites.”
Duel Hardcore Ninja Glider
“Using a glidebait on ledges is kind of a newer concept over the last few years,” Sands said. “With forward-facing sonar, you can watch the bait fall down to the ideal depth range. If I need the bait to get deeper, I will add weight to the hooks. Once you get the attention of a fish, the key is to work the bait back quickly.”
Football jig paired with FishCo Savage Chunk trailer
“A football jig is a bait that’s been catching bass on ledges for a very long time,” he said. “I like to use a natural color jig with a trailer that stands out a little bit. On the Tennessee River, they really seem to like some type of orange hint.”
Neko rigged 8-inch FishCo Finesse Worm
“The Neko rig is a very subtle bait that gets a lot of bites,” said Sands. “When you’re faced with tough situations where there’s no current and the fish are not biting, you can still get bites on the Neko rig. You want the bait to fall as slowly as you can get away with, and once you get the bait down to the bottom, you don’t want to move the bait a lot.”
Drop shot paired with a FishCo Finesse Worm
“The drop shot is another bait that really excels when the bite is tough,” said Sands. “The fact that you can work a drop shot in the same spot is a really big deal.”

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