How Deep Is My (Jig, Spinnerbait, Etc.) Running?

[Evan K]

I freely admit to still being a beginner bass fisherman, or at least a beginner serious bass fisherman, and I have a question that's bugged me but I haven't been able to find much on.

With crankbaits it's pretty obvious how deep your lure is running. If you crank it good you can get it down to its advertised depth. But what about other lures such as jigs, spinnerbaits, T-rigs, C-rigs, dropshot rigs, swimbaits, etc.? How can you get an idea how deep the lure is as you're cranking it in? Does it depend more on lure weight or retrieval speed? I'm pretty sure I want to be targeting bass in certain depths, but I'm not sure if my bait is actually at that depth.

Note also that I am a bank fisherman who also fishes from a kayak whenever possible. It's probably about 50/50.

Thanks for your patience and answers!

[FinCulture]

well you know how deep you are with say a jig, t-rig, shakey head, etc., because you're going off the bottom with these presentations and can feel the bottom as you work the lure (hopefully). With your other sinking lures, unless you're working those close to the bottom, as well, you may want to try figuring out the sinking rate of whatever lure you're throwing. That way, you can make a cast and "count down" the lure until it reaches the depth you wanted to. Say you find a lure to sink at about 1foot per second and you want to suspend your lure in 8 feet of water. make your cast and count to 8 when the lure hits the water. at 8 seconds, the lure should be at the desired depth.

[Catt]

Jigs, T-rigs, & C-rigs shound be on the bottom

Spinner baits & swim baits depends on retrieval rate & how high or low you hold your rod tip

Drop shot depends on how far you let it drop

[stk]

With jigs, t rigs, and c rigs, I have always thought them to be bottom baits. I cast them out and watch the line, as I am watching I count until the line has a sudden bow between the tip of the rod and when the line hits the water. This is when the bait is on the bottom. At this point I start a retrieve back, either popping or dragging or hopping or some combination.

The counting down before reeling will start your bait at that depth and rise as it gets closer.

[bigbill]

I use a spinnerbait and inline spinner either above the sight line or slow it down till it's below the sight line.

Or reel it slower to go deeper using a heavier weight. Or you can yo-yo a spinnerbait.

The guys above are right the rate of fall is one foot per second.

I've used rapala jointed countdown minnows in ten feet of water jigging them at around 9'.

I been fishing since 6yo now I'm 65yo and still learning. We never stop learning.

[WRB]

Unless you have a depth finder/sonar unit on your kayak the water depth is unknown to you without a good topographic depth map. Without knowing how deep the lake is where you are fishing, all you know when the lure hits bottom is it's on the bottom or it stopped going any deeper.

The suggestion testing the rate of fall is a good idea, you need to do this in a swimming pool or someplace the water depth is known. Cast let the sinking lure fall until it stops on the bottom and the line goes slack. Count the time in seconds for each lure and weight you use, with practice you can determine depth doing this.

The important factor with bottom bumping or contact lures is knowing the difference between the bottom and a fish stopping the lure. If the water is 10' deep and the lure stops falling or hits something at 5', it's not the bottom.

Tom

[ClackerBuzz]

it's interesting to read posts like this b/c i'm 100% the opposite. i don't like crankbaits b/c i never know what depth they are running at.  and if the wind blows my boat 50 ft i have to tie on a new one b/c i'm now in 14 ft of water instead of 9 ft.  i just don't like using them.  

now jigs, drop shot, T rig...i love'm.  it doesn't matter if i'm in 6" or 29 ft of water, i'm always on the bottom making contact and annoying fish.  deeper water and windy days just require more weight to stay on bottom. you can use lighter weights in calm conditions and water under 15 ft.

spinnerbaits and chatterbaits are the wild card here.  they rise in the water column b/c of bigger blades or lighter lead.  it just means you have to reel slower and keep ur rod tip down.  i like smaller blades and heavier weights so i can reel faster to cover water while still maintaining bottom contact

[senile1]

The only way to truly know the depth of a particular lure is to do as Tom (WRB) said and determine the rate of fall in a known depth of water.  If you find that a 3/4 ounce jig dressed with the trailer of your choice falls at 2 feet per second and it stops at a count of 5 in 20 feet of water, your jig has only reached 10 feet and either a fish has it or it has landed on some type of underwater cover.  (Often, with a decent rod you can feel if the lure has landed on cover.)  The same holds true if you are fishing a swim jig, spinnerbait, swimbait, or any other lure that can be fished at any depth in the water column.  It is important to have an accurate approximation of how deep the lure is.  

[Evan K]

Thanks for the feedback. It appears that testing the speed of fall is the best answer.

I'm curious though, how much my rod and line affect the lure's depth as I'm reeling it in. Does a floating line like braid prevent a lure from sinking as deep or fast? Does the fact that I'm pulling it up slowly make a big difference?

[Turtle135]

I'm curious though, how much my rod and line affect the lure's depth as I'm reeling it in. Does a floating line like braid prevent a lure from sinking as deep or fast? Does the fact that I'm pulling it up slowly make a big difference?

 

To remove some of the variables at play, let's just discuss a 3/8th or 1/2 ounce spinnerbait for example. In this case, no your braid will not prevent a lure from sinking as fast. In fact due to the small diameter of braid you can actually fish that same spinnerbait deeper compared to using a really thick monofilament line. The "diameter" of your line plays a large role in how high in the water column a spinnerbait will run. The inherent buoyancy of your braid in this instance will be pretty much negated by the weight of the spinnerbait. All things being equal, same line, same spinnerbait, the slower you retrieve that lure the deeper it will run.

[scaleface]

Well ,naturally  when you retrieve it  , the lure is going to rise , eventually . Just stop after a few turns of the reel handle and see how far it drops to hit bottom . 

[WRB]

Thanks for the feedback. It appears that testing the speed of fall is the best answer.

I'm curious though, how much my rod and line affect the lure's depth as I'm reeling it in. Does a floating line like braid prevent a lure from sinking as deep or fast? Does the fact that I'm pulling it up slowly make a big difference?

When you perform the rate of fall test with various lure, watch the lure so you know they react to your retrieve speed, line, rod position etc. the blade type on spinner baits combined with the head design-weight determines the running depth at various retrieve speed, line diameter or flotation has little affect. Deep diving lures that float or suspend when stopped are trying to follow the pull direction of the line, angles come into play so rod position can affect how those lures run.

Sinking lures sink, the line can and does creat a bow as the lure sinks faster than the line does. Keep in touch by controlling the bow or controlling the slack line can be essential to detect initial strikes. If the bass eats the lure and swims off with it, you will detect those strike when the line tightens or moves.

Lots to learn with practice and time on the water fishing.

Keep this tip in mind; learn to look at your lures in the water, watch how the run and look for bass. Most anglers cast and never look at their underwater lures and rarely see bass before they strike.

Tom