Why are Bluff Walls a productive place for bass?

[Flyswatter]

I like to understand bluff walls better.  Is it because it limits shad escape routes?  If so what brings shad there?

[merc1997]

a lot of bluff walls will hold bass year round.  of course, a food supply is necessary.  one of the main reasons that bluffs hold bass year round is because of the instant deep water access.  usually, somewhere on a bluff there will be a ledge that is the depth bass are wanting to stay at.

bo

[coldfront]

a lot of bluff walls will hold bass year round.  of course, a food supply is necessary.  one of the main reasons that bluffs hold bass year round is because of the instant deep water access.  usually, somewhere on a bluff there will be a ledge that is the depth bass are wanting to stay at.

bo

do you find that south facing is better than north facing bluffs? 
how important is orientation?

Know from reading reports through the years, bluff ends get a lot of attention during the winter...which would be a 'point' with instant vertical access to deep water...

[Dark3]

I tend to get a little intimidated fishing a wall, don't know why just don't feel confident

[Bobby Saffel]

I have a lot of confidence on bluff walls. They're great place for fish to move shallow and deep really easy. They're good for when you have drastic changes in lake level. A shakey head or a jig can be real good.  We don't have any here in Louisiana, as far as I know, but in Virginia there are quite a few. I caught big bass in a tournament off one with a jig on Buggs Island Lake.

[Wizard]

Spotted bass love bluff walls for the reason bo stated. As you troll along a bluff wall, look for large crevices and rock slides. These are other good places for bass and if it is the only spot along the wall, it can be a real winner. Bluff walls have ledges under water. Simple, one drop ledges can produce bass but complex ledges are the best. A complex ledge is a series of ledge drops, one below the other. A jig pulled of the top ledge falls to the next and so on. An instinctive angler like Tom Mann could go down a bluff wall and not stop. Then he would turn and say "here they are" and there they would be. To me, it all looked the same. Used to drive people nuts.

[Polaris425]

Timmy Horton says Pickwick bluff wall + jerk bait + February = Success.

[merc1997]

do you find that south facing is better than north facing bluffs? 
how important is orientation?

Know from reading reports through the years, bluff ends get a lot of attention during the winter...which would be a 'point' with instant vertical access to deep water...

believe it or not, but south bluffs this time of year can produce a bite all day.  the reason why, is they will have a shade layer all day in the winter.  of course, in the spring. north banks warm faster and have sun exposure all day.  of course fishing in the shade all day in the winter can be very cold, but catching bass will warm you up in a hurry.

bo