Deep Water Texas Rigging

[hoosierbass07]

 I feel like I just opened up my eyes this evening to something new! lol.  I went to a new pond I never visited before with my kayak.  I loved it.  It was a small strip pit pond with high banks so there was hardly any wind and lots of angles I could move paddle to so I could get out of the sun.  I caught six or seven small bass on a Texas rigged plastic worm and was getting a little tired of catching small bass like I usually do.  

 

 So I decided to cast out away from the bank about fifteen feet.  I've done that before but I usually cast out, let my lure hit the water, wait a few seconds, close the bail, and start working it back.  I decided to do something a little different.  I cast my worm out, let it hit the water, and kept the bail open and watched my line closely until it stopped sinking.  Then I closed the bail, moved my rod up a little, opened the bail, and watched the line sink even more.  Then I repeated and watched more line sink.  So as I was moving it toward me a little I think it was getting deeper and deeper.  Now here is what is cool - when my lure was right beneath my kayak, I reeled it up and it took around fifteen seconds of casual reeling to reel my lure back up to me.  I have never had my plastic worms or any other lure so deep in my two years of bass fishing.  

 

 I spent the next hour casting my worm out and trying to get it deep.  I did catch one small bass doing this in deep water but no other bites.  Still, I had fun working it deep.  It's hard to believe but Iv'e never really used my Texas rigged worms like this before.  Now I feel it opens up a whole new area of bass fishing.  Not only bank and shallow fishing but deep water fishing too!  I can't wait to do more deep water fishing. 

 

 Now I'm wondering - how do you work Texas rigged worms in deep water?  Slowly move it with the rod or slowly move it with the reel?  Or pop it up and down a little?  Also, what works best - a straight tailed worm or curly tailed worm?  Also, is deep water where jigs work the best?  I'm no lover of weedless jigs but I'm willing to give them a try again if they work good in deep water. 

 

Thanks!

[papajoe222]

Sounds like one of the many strip pits around here. The first ten or fifteen feet off the bank is shallow and you can catch some dinks there, but the the water's depth drops quickly to 30ft. or more. Sometimes there is a second ledge that will extend a short distance further out before that big plunge.  Before I mention the methods I use on strip pits, I'll answer your question about fishing deep water with a Texas rig.  I always move a bottom presentation with my rod and not my reel. You can maintain bottom contact so much easier and at the first indication of a bite, drop the rod tip so the fish can take the bait without the weight. Speaking of weight, you'll need to go heavier if you want to maintain contact in that deep water.

As for what type of worm to use, that is a personal prefference.  If I'm moving the bait quickly, I prefer an action tail.  If I'm crawling it along I prefer a straight tail, but that's me.

Now a quick word about my experiences with strip pit bassin'  Unless they are actively feeding, they are most likely suspending just off one of those drop offs I mentioned. Paralleling the drops with a crank that runs just above the depth of the drop with a crank or jerkbait is a killer.  If they are actively feeding, get that bait up on the shelf just off shore as that's where the majority of forage spends their time.

[WRB]

You need enough weight to maintain bottom contact. If you thought you were on the bottom and wasn't how do you expect to detect a strike?

Shaking a T-rig or doddling is letting the weight stay on the bottom and shaking the weight against the worm, good deep water presentation. IMO you are fishing too fast.

Tom

[gardnerjigman]

Trial and error with it. Some guys will tell you to pop it, some guys will say drag and stop, others will say slow roll it. It's what works best for you and your technique.

You can fish trigs, crigs, and jigs deep. Guys are even starting to modify arigs for down deep.

GL

[Catt]

Welcome to my world!

What I do that fits my style of fishing deep structure (15-40').

Bump it, drag it, hop it, stitch it, shake it, stroke it or what ever; try one the bass will tell you if they like it.

I throw 3/16 - 1/4 oz most of the time regardless of depth. However I can feel when a 1/4 oz hits bottom in 20'.

When I make a cast I'll strip 3-5 arms lenghts of line, this will give me a vertical fall and keep contact with the bottom longer. I usually fish uphill which keep me in contact with the bottom longer. I will drop anchor!

I throw 2 lures on structure before I leave it, a Texas Rig and a Jig-n-Craw, I fish them identically.

Who serious are ya!

Fish it at night with no moon and your sense of feel will quadruple!