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Fishing stakebeds for bass

Kentucky pro Mark Menendez looks for stakebeds built near some kind of depth change like a small ditch or depression. bass Photo by John Neporadny Jr.

A popular crappie hideout also attracts quality bass during certain times of the year. Frequently overlooked by bass anglers, a stakebed or fish crib (usually made of a wooden pallet with wooden stakes sticking up from its base) can be a great piece of cover to catch a hefty bass — if you can get to it before the crappie crowds arrive.

“In the spring time, you might have to play bumper boats with crappie guys here and there. But in the summer and late fall, you aren’t going to have that too much,” pro angler Jacob Wheeler said. The Tennessee pro has succeeded in catching bass from stakebeds at Kentucky Lake along with other Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) lakes and the James River.