Inside Turn: Approach lanes, rigs, and casting

Don’t drive the boat into the notch

Keep the boat in open water outside, first cast at an angle to one shoulder, then slide to work the other shoulder, and finally cast to the back. This order reduces the boat and your line passing through unfished water. After a Jig lightly ticks the edge, pause—don’t make big continuous hops that skip tiny sweet spots.

If it’s a deep hard-bottom notch, use a drop shot to linger near the key turns; in heavy grass, switch to a weedless rigging. Each time you drag back grass, first change your entry angle to avoid the thick edge, then decide whether to upweight and punch through.

Starting setups and when to swap

For hard-bottom notches: 7' MH/F rod, 7:1 reel, 15 lb fluoro, 3/8 oz football jig with a 3-inch craw. For clean deep edges: 7' ML/F spinning, 2500 reel, 10 lb braid to 8 lb fluoro leader, 1/4 oz drop shot with a size 1 hook and a 3-inch worm.

Rigging, baiting, and tackle details: Skirted Jig, Drop Shot. For comparing boat position and execution, see Related Tactics.

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