Whats Your Favorite Deep Water Technique?

[Scorcher214]

I fished a lake yesterday that was shallow around the shore and deep in the middle (30ft). No points, humps, or irregular features along the bottom. There were also docks that extended into 10t of water and couple that went into 20ft Fished the along the drop off. Mainly with medium diving cranks, spinnerbaits, jigs, and carolina rigs. Not much other than a pike and one bass. It was really sunny and the water is really clear. Could see my lure up till about 10ft. What I didn't get was why bass weren't along the drop offs. Lots of bluegills swimming along the shallow part on the edge of the drop off. Woulda thought there would be a fish just waiting for a blue gill to go over the wander off into deeper water. Anyways, Im guessing that they were much deeper, in the 20-30ft range due to the sunshine and clear water. So I'm just curious as to what are some good deep water techniques. Never fished anything really deeper than 10ft on St. Clair.

[Bluebasser86]

Shakeyheads and football jigs for me. Trying to figure this deep cranking stuff out but it's tough when I know I can catch them doing other stuff.

[Nitrofreak]

Really clear water and bright sunny day = A pearch colored hair jig for me, either on the bottom or swim it about 2 feet off the bottom in the deeper parts, since you mentioned the lake had flat structure, if that did not get a strike I would switch to creature baits, deep.

[A-Rob]

David Walker said on BASS that if the max depth lake is 30', bass won't be there. He said you can rule the deepest part of the lake out b/c it isn't how bass operate.

I would assume with that clear water the bass may be really backed up under those docks hiding or deeper on some subtle transition or structure that you haven't found yet...either way sounds like tough fishing!

[Gatorbassman]

Fist of all just my two bits about your story. You said your lake didn't have points but it did. Think of those docks as points and fish them as such. For me a dock in the summer time is a fish magnet. Find the depth the fish are holding at and focus on the docks where the end posts meet the ground at that depth.

My favorite deep water technique has to be the CRig, followed by the jig, but I will have a whole bunch of stuff ready to go like a deep crank, shakyhead, dropshot, TRig, and a depth charge or two.

[A-Jay]

What you described is very similar to many of the waters I fish routinely.

If docks are the only structure and some extend into deeper water, I'd start there.

Fish might be anywhere in the water column on a dock in 20 fow.

In that clear water, go stealth. Stay off the dock a good ways, and cast a weightless stick bait (wacky) on spinning gear and 4 lb line. Start at the end and cast all around it. Be patient. Let the bait do it's thing. If there are bass there, they'll eat it. Be prepared for the bite / fight. With that light line you'll need to be ready to move the fish out of there right off. I use the boat to help me move the fish out to open water.

This is a very standard tactic for me and one that is often times the only way to get bit in the summer. You may be surprised at the quality fish under there and mid day is often the best time.

Good Luck

A-Jay

[Lund Explorer]

On 7/25/2012 at 6:24 AM, A-Jay said:

What you described is very similar to many of the waters I fish routinely.

If docks are the only structure and some extend into deeper water, I'd start there.

Fish might be anywhere in the water column on a dock in 20 fow.

In that clear water, go stealth. Stay off the dock a good ways, and cast a weightless stick bait (wacky) on spinning gear and 4 lb line. Start at the end and cast all around it. Be patient. Let the bait do it's thing. If there are bass there, they'll eat it. Be prepared for the bite / fight. With that light line you'll need to be ready to move the fish out of there right off. I use the boat to help me move the fish out to open water.

This is a very standard tactic for me and one that is often times the only way to get bit in the summer. You may be surprised at the quality fish under there and mid day is often the best time.

Good Luck

A-Jay

Sure enough that Michigan is blessed with a good number of clear water lakes, and cursed with just about as many lakes that are built just like a bowl.

When the deep weedline isn't working for me, I hit the docks too. I also keep my eyes open for the boat lifts. The owners of these things will power load onto them quite often and it creates a nice depression a little deeper than the surrounding area.

One last thing Scorcher might want to keep in mind is the possibility of zebra mussels in some of these lakes. As he fishes LSC often, he should know all about needing line that will hold up around those pesky critters.

[Scorcher214]

Thanks fellas. Shakey head is something I didn't think about in deep water.

What about Lilly pads? Along the shallower edges

And along the sides of canals that connected to a bigger lake, there were dense pads. They stretched from 10ft off shore to about 20ft. I fished with a frog and hooked one and that was it. Probably didn't fish them as well as I should have though.

[Bankbeater]

I like to throw a heavy jig to keep it on the bottom. I would keep experimenting with plastic trailer until you find one they like.

[out_doors_guy]

I would target the docks, especially the ones that end in the deeper water. Work the shady side and don't be afraid to pitch tubes and worms way up under them. You will have to work a variety of depths to figure out where in the water column the fish are on a particular day, some days they may be tight to the bottom, other days they may be suspended.

The pads are worth working over as well, especially if they are growing in deeper water, say deeper than 4 or 5 feet. Frogs over the top of them is a good choice, especially if they are active. But don't neglect to work the edge of them either. Try pitching T-rigged plastics or jigs at any irregularities, pockets, points, isolated clumps close to but seperate from the main body of the bed. Pitching to openings in the pad bed it self can be productive if they aren't active enough to chase down a frog. The pads in the canal between lakes can be good as well if there is enough depth there and/or there is a current of any kind. Definitely need some stout equipment if your fishing the pads.

[00 mod]

I like a jig, pick your color of choice. And when fishing deep, I ALWAYS tip my trailer with JJ's Magic. Sometimes in deeper water, the fish are more finicky or the bite is not as detectable! I use the JJ's for confidence/help when I don't feel the bite instantly.

Jeff

[WRB]

Are the bass LMB or SMB, makes a big difference where and how you fish.

Another ? Is the lake a natural body of water or a man made reservoir? Also makes a difference in regards to where the predators will prefer to locate and what type of baitfish are available.

You mentioned bluegill, are there any crappie or perch? You also mentioned pike, any other predators like musky?

Tom

[Scorcher214]

Are the bass LMB or SMB, makes a big difference where and how you fish.

Another ? Is the lake a natural body of water or a man made reservoir? Also makes a difference in regards to where the predators will prefer to locate and what type of baitfish are available.

You mentioned bluegill, are there any crappie or perch? You also mentioned pike, any other predators like musky?

Tom

LMB, natural lake, and i think there are SOME crappie, but mainly tons of bluegills. No clue about perch though. Also, there are no musky.

[NoBassPro]

Many of those lakes with real shallow shelves and steep drops in my area have primarily sandy bottoms transitioning to peat/muck at some point. Sometimes those few mucky shallow areas just fish better. Also, don't overlook the channels. Particularly the man made ones tend to have some depth, weeds and are highly fertile. They aren't usually the best summer areas but they do often hold fish. Those steep breaks look good, but they just don't often fish well around here imo, at least without some sort of secondary cover - logs, docks, etc. If you get bored this winter try ice fishing at the base of the drop, if there are perch in the lake odds are you'll find them.

[RyneB]

i like to use a flutter spoon in deep water. If the structure doesnt allow that, ill throw a C Rig

[RyneB]

and a drop shot

[jimmykm21]

Some thing most of us anglers forget about are tin spoon jigs. I am also guilty of it also.

They catch fish in any type of water and at any depth.

Position your boat over a school of suspending fish or fish holding close to cover and drop it down.

Then just raise and lower your rod tip.

[WRB]

LMB, natural lake, and i think there are SOME crappie, but mainly tons of bluegills. No clue about perch though. Also, there are no musky.

Natural lakes in the great lakes region were created by glacier movement, pockets in granite that over time filled with water and soil sediments from errosion. Your lake is aging and now supports heavy scaled fish like the sun fish family that includes LMB and bluegills. The pike are the top predators in your lake, the bass are part of the food chain, until they become adults.

The Lake basin in usually muck and may have a few rocky reefs, good structure if any are there! The weed line is usually the deepest edge bass will use in this type of natural lake. With pike owning the outside weed beds, LMB sould be confined to near shore cover, docks, trees, weed beds.

I would fish the weed beds where the water enters the lake, any trees and docks and channels or pockets that create edges, including the inside weed break line.

Surface spoons like Persuader Image weedless spoons in crappie chartreuse, 1/4 or 1/2 oz #681269, T-rigged plastic 6 to 7 1/2" worms with 1/8 oz bullet weight.

The weedless spoon is very versitile; add a 3" single ribbib tail grub in chartreuse or pearl white, fish it across the weed beds, let drop into pockets or slow the retrieve and fish deeper along break lines, should be your go to lure!

Tom

[Bass Slayer 72]

In addition to the sound advice from above post, I like to experiment the deep cranks, I will throw different colors and sizes, when I am retrieving the crank I try to keep the wobble slow and lethargic giving the bass a chance to decide to take it, I like to use Blk on bright days, I’ve heard that to a bass dark colors moving will look like a bait fish trying to get away and they go after it before they realize they shouldn’t. I will also throw out a spinner let it sink and the same retrieval…