Marker structure provides sharp relief that attracts fish as wel as a natural ledge.

I recall fishing a sandbar ledge at the juncture of two large tidal rivers and hanging my jig on something. I couldn’t see anything on the bottom with my depthfinder at 15 feet, but I lost two more jigs there, plus a live bait on a fishfinder rig. Finally, I worked a soft plastic lure rigged weedless near the place and quickly set the hook in a 4-pound seatrout. Two more casts yielded two more smaller trout, then a flounder and a redfish. Since then I’ve caught countless fish there, and I’m convinced it’s a hotspot on the ledge because of the “object,” which is likely a small sunken boat or old dock piling debris that somehow lodged onto the ledge. The point here is always look for additional structure along ledge dropoffs.

Boaters working inshore ledges can often locate fish quickly and efficiently if anglers work lures or baits as a team. Once a ledge has been discovered, position the boat perpendicular to the ledge face. Using a depthfinder, keep the boat over the ledge (sideways) by maneuvering with an electric motor, sea anchor, lightweight bottom anchor, or even the big motor if necessary. Use wind, current or tide to your advantage.

With three anglers on a boat, it’s possible to probe lures or baits at virtually every depth along a ledge where fish may hold. For example, if the topside of a ledge is four feet deep, one angler can cast topwater plugs, weedless spoons, soft-plastic jerkbaits and similar shallow-running lures to learn if fish are holding there. A second angler can work jigs, mid-depth diving plugs or spoons right on the dropoff, which may fall from four to eight feet, for example. A third angler can probe the deepest water along the ledge, using jigs, jigs with natural baits attached, or even freeline live bait such as mullet or shrimp. It’s a fast way to check a ledge for gamefish, and the only way to go if a ledge is long, say 200 or 300 yards. Fishing this way also tells anglers a great deal about the spot, such as where there are steeper or deeper drops, or turns or incongruities along the ledge, for example an oyster high spot on a sandbar dropoff.

Anchoring and chumming over inshore ledges can be deadly, and this tactic can work on almost everything with fins. Captain Fuzzy Davis showed me how well this works near Hilton Head, South Carolina. There, cobia enter Port Royal Sound by the thousands. Davis anchored right on a ledge in 25 feet of water, which he said cobia habitually used for feeding as they move during tidal changes. He used cut menhaden and mullet in chum bags, which he hung at the boat stern, and off the anchor—but only when tide and current flowed scent from chum directly along the ledge dropoff. We ended up with several good cobia, including a 40-pounder that came topside from the ledge to the stern chum bag. There it promptly devoured a streamer fly I flipped its way.

Rolling tarpon may actually feed best smack on bottom at the edge of sharp dropoff.

Many of the best ledges are uncharted, unnoticed spots anglers cruise by daily on their way to other fishing spots. This is why it’s wise to keep a sharp eye on your fathometer whenever fishing inshore. A quick rise or drop in the bottom can lead to a great ledge loaded with fish. Some shallow ledges in clear water also can be readily seen by observant anglers wearing good sunglasses and caps to shade the eyes.

The entrances to backwater bays and small passes in mangrove shorelines can have very productive ledges. Tide and wind-driven current flowing through such tight waterways cut ledges into the bottom over time. Often a ledge of only a foot or so in very shallow water will hold fish. Such ledges at bay mouths or shoreline passes may cover 100 yards or more. The shallower the surrounding area of flats and bays, the more attractive a shallow ledge can be—especially for backcountry snook, redfish, tarpon and flounder.