One thing every lake has in common is the abundance of hard spots. These can range from shell beds to chunk rock – and everything in between. 

“Hard spots are a place where fish like to stop,” said Nick Lebrun, Major League Fishing pro. “They don’t, per se, live there, but it’s a great place for a fish to stop before they go to where they’re wanting to go.”

Locating these spots on the lake can challenging with your electronics, but Lebrun suggests using side-scan technology to help find them. While some cover and structure are easy to spot, hard spots often only appear as bright spots on your graphs. One of the ways Lebrun explains to help locate these key spots is by fishing areas with the goal of finding hard spots and shell beds. 

“I like to keep it simple, with a one-two approach,” Lebrun said. “One is a crankbait. Two is a jig.”

Football jigs provide an opportunity for anglers to imitate one of the most important parts of a bass’s diet – crawfish. Most anglers opt for dragging or hopping football jigs, but either presentation allows you to feel differences along the bottom. 

Meanwhile, crankbaits allow you to do the same thing, but in a way that covers more water effectively. 

In this seminar, Lebrun takes us on the water to share his tips for both locating and fishing hard spots for bass. Aside from the baits, he also shares his rod, reel, and line setup for both techniques, including one technique you can turn to if the other two don’t produce.

• 2:30 When To Find Bass On Hard Spots And Shell Beds
• 5:30 How To Fish Hard Sports And Shell Beds
• 8:20 Importance Of Changing Out Crankbait Hooks
• 9:50 How To Select The Right Gear Setup For Crankbaits
• 15:10 How To Fish Hard Spots And Shell Beds With Football Jigs
• 21:40 On The Water Fishing Hard Spots
• 28:15 When To Switch Between Jigs And Crankbaits
• 30:00 Importance Of Fishing Small Swimbaits

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