Im struggleing deep water fishing

[JustJames]

Last sunday we took the boat out to Diamond Valley Lake. It was my first time but my friend had been there a few time. A week before he had a blast caught like 15 fish in a few hour. 

This water is quite deep in DVL 30 - 100 ft deep where we fish. I only caught two dinks, one on drop shot and the other on keitech swimbait. My friend got a skunk.

On the 1/2 oz jig and drop shot, it take quite awhile before the bait hit bottom, then my boat would move with the wind and tide, the line would stay tight and hard to make any action to the bait below. If i cast in front of the boat by the time weight hit bottom my boat already move past it and again hard to make any connect with bottom. My boat is 14' job boat which move quite fast in deep water. I always have this problem when fishing in open lake like DVL, perris.

Any suggestion to help me become a less looser?

[scaleface]

Do you have sonar ?

[Catt]

OK the lake is 100' deep but how deep ya fishing?

[SWVABass]

I've found what works for me is to go above my spot cast out and allow the wind to push me back over my spot. Use a heavier weight to help to maintain bottom contact, and drift your spot. I had read about it but never put it to use until fishing a tourney in 25 mile an hour winds and it was pointless to try and sit on a spot.

[JustJames]

3 hours ago, scaleface said:

Do you have sonar ?

Yes, the cheap one elite 4X chirp, but im not good of reading structer just yet. Sometime I see big arch suspending or big log under water but still cant seem to catch fish.

2 hours ago, Catt said:

OK the lake is 100' deep but how deep ya fishing?

Depend, most of the time 20-30 ft deep, but I tried to cast all the way to the rock.

1 hour ago, Swbass15 said:

I've found what works for me is to go above my spot cast out and allow the wind to push me back over my spot. Use a heavier weight to help to maintain bottom contact, and drift your spot. I had read about it but never put it to use until fishing a tourney in 25 mile an hour winds and it was pointless to try and sit on a spot.

I tried that too but like I said by the time the weight hit the bottom, my boat already up there. So i only got one chance of every cast.

I have not tried drift with plastic, but I drift for catfish with cutbait before. That maybe a good idea to drift with carolina rig instead of drop shot.

[bagofdonuts]

did you try any shallow spots? don't know what its like there, but this time of year I would start looking shallow(real shallow) in the backs of the creeks and move out from there. when i say shallow i mean where you'd think there backs would be sticking out of the water. 

[Turtle135]

Do you have an electric motor mounted where you can work into the wind? 

I fish out of a kayak so I feel your pain with the wind. One presentation I have found to be effective this time of year is to peg a 1/4 ounce bullet weight in front of a Texas Rigged 5" or 6" Stickbait (Senko, Yum Dinger, etc.). That will knife down to the bottom very quickly in 30' of water (much more quickly than a skirted jig) and the presentation lends itself to a more active retrieve (I like to lift & drop and shake it). I have managed to catch fish in 40' of water on a fairly windy days (the wind seems to improve the bite in the fall on my water).

[Catt]

53 minutes ago, JustJames said:

Yes, the cheap one elite 4X chirp, but im not good of reading structer just yet. Sometime I see big arch suspending or big log under water but still cant seem to catch fish.

Depend, most of the time 20-30 ft deep, but I tried to cast all the way to the rock.

I tried that too but like I said by the time the weight hit the bottom, my boat already up there. So i only got one chance of every cast.

I have not tried drift with plastic, but I drift for catfish with cutbait before. That maybe a good idea to drift with carolina rig instead of drop shot.

Start with the basics ignore everything on the depthfinder except structure & cover.

Are you anchored or trying to hold with the trolling motor?

I fish the main lake of Toledo Bend out of a 16' Jon boat. I use an anchor to hold the boat on structure in a position that allows me to cast 360° around the boat.

What I teach my students is to count their down to the bottom. With a 1/4 oz weight you're looking at about a foot per second. You can also watch your line & tell when it's hit bottom. 

With your 1/2 oz jig I would still give it a foot per second, once on the bottom don't move it for at least 10 seconds.

[scaleface]

50 minutes ago, JustJames said:

Yes, the cheap one elite 4X chirp, but im not good of reading structer just yet. Sometime I see big arch suspending or big log under water but still cant seem to catch fish.

 

The bottom " structure " is easy to read . There should be a thermocline that is visible too , if not turn the sens up until you can see  interference at a consistent depth . You dont want to fish deeper than that . Look for changes on the bottom shallower or at the thermoclne . They can be humps , depressions , points , ledges. . If you see fish  and/or cover at these changes  then they might be good spots. Mark them with buoys , so you will know precisely where to target .  If you need to use more weight to   fish them dont hesitate to do so. Keep an open mind and figure out how to get and keep  your baits in the zone youre trying to cover .   "Any" lures that sink can be used . 

[Raul]

7 hours ago, JustJames said:

 My boat is 14' job boat

 

That´s 2 ft more than mine.

 

1 hour ago, JustJames said:

Yes, the cheap one elite 4X chirp, but im not good of reading structer just yet.

Eagle Cuda 128 here, that´s a cheapo sonar I got.

So you better start by learning how to read structure, there´s tons of videos on YouTube and a bunch of articles and videos at BR on understanding sonar basics.

[scaleface]

I have a vintage Eagle Fishmark 320 that I converted to a portable unit and use it on small jon boats all the time . 

[Ktho]

DVL is fishing really tough so don't feel bad about your counts. Even DVL locals that fish there a ton are struggling mightily to catch 12"+ fish. Points and coves/pockets with more isolated cover would be where I'd target(which is hard to come by). The fish have really scattered since the water has come up so much. DVL also has a good thermocline, I think right now it's around ~30ft so I wouldn't fish too deep.

I've done a lot of fishing with the rental boats without trolling motors. When it's calm I like to just slowly drift. A slow drift is great for working plastics on the bottom. The drift takes care of moving the bait and then I just shake or pop it over stuff. Once the wind gets going 2 anchors are gonna be your friend. A double anchor will keep you from spinning and let you stay very still while fishing the deeper water.

[JustJames]

@Raul, yeah that what I need to learn the most how to read the bottom. It tough, though since I dont get to go out on the boat very often and the demo really telling you nothing. I have watched some video where they telling you to look for but sometime I dont see nothing like that.

@Catt, I use trolling motor(35lb). The way I do it to troll pass spot stop then cast.

@Turtle135, That what my friend used, he got a couple of shot bite on that.

@Ktho, that where we started, the south side where around those big rock @30-40 ft deep. We saw a few boil here and there but nothing last very long. We started of with top water but no take. We was gonna stop at small island but there were 4-5 boats there so we just move on. I believe the let new water in more than 15ft so far after open 5 months ago. I saw a lot of summerged tree around the cove. Man it suck a week ago he caught 10-15 fish there, this week nada.

[Catt]

A 35# trolling motor aint gonna hold you in place in any wind.

Learn how to read structure & learn how to anchor!

[TnRiver46]

When my boat is getting blown around like that I cast a large grub on a jig head and just let the wind blow and hang on. Bass love 15-25 feet year round and it will be down there somewhere in that range with the tail swimming. Good way to cover a lot of water, like trolling without using gas or battery 

[OCdockskipper]

9 hours ago, JustJames said:

Last sunday we took the boat out to Diamond Valley Lake...then my boat would move with the wind and tide.

If the tide is moving your boat, then the bigger problem is you aren't at DVL, but actually somewhere in the Pacific.  

[Jaderose]

If there is standing timber, tie off down wind of a tree.  You can go the end of your rope and just hang there and cast where you want.

[camman]

To fish during those windy days go and either buy a drift sock and that will help slow your movement down.  The cheaper option is to use a 5 gallon bucket to help slow you down.

[BobP]

First you need to find the bass, or at least what depth they are using.  My home lake is max 130ft deep but I rarely see bass deeper than 55ft deep in winter, as they are grouping up to feed on schools of baitfish this time of year.  One of my most productive lures is a 3/4oz jigging spoon.  It gets down fast, it's easy to fish, and makes for fast action when active bass are feeding on a shad school.

[JustJames]

I might take my boat out again this monday to lake perris where the bass are in little bit shallower like 15-20ft deep to learn how to read structure more.

 

[scaleface]

3 hours ago, JustJames said:

I might take my boat out again this monday to lake perris where the bass are in little bit shallower like 15-20ft deep to learn how to read structure more.

 

Its easy to get discouraged but once you get on some fish things will start clicking.

[A-Jay]

 I'd Forget looking deep now. 

 It's October Man, the fish should be moving or are probably shallower - following the bait.

Developing a plan of attack according to the water temp can help. 

If the water temps are between 60 - 45, fish a close to the bottom, horizontal / moving type presentation you have confidence in.

Often times they can be found relating to the same areas / banks where they spawned at. 

The baits speed may need to be adjusted according to the mood of the fish.

May have to go back deep later but fishing where you have been, I'm betting the best bite is behind you.

Give it a try, you can get skunked anywhere, what do you have to loose . . .

A-Jay

 

 

[JustJames]

Here water temp still around 70 degree, I believe. Can you believe it was 97 degree that day when I left the lake.

@ DVL is pretty deep all around, I think they built the d**n between mountains. I did tried some shallow spot with a lot of sunken tree.

@ Perris the shallow area sometime unfishable, there are a lot of weed up to the surface. The fish were caught around weed line at 15-20ft deep.

This CA drought is pretty bad all the lake is dry up some lake not even suitable to launch.?

[NYWayfarer]

In situations like yours I increase the weight on my dropshot sinker to get the bait to the bottom faster. The deepest I fish is 40'

I also use a drift sock to slow down my movement. 

My last trick is I switch from spinning gear to my Quantum baitcaster which has a "flippin switch" It basically lets out line as long as you keep the thumb bar pressed. No need to turn the handle or thumb the spool. I let out line this way as I drift to keep contact with the bottom when in the strike zone.

[Ktho]

9 hours ago, JustJames said:

I might take my boat out again this monday to lake perris where the bass are in little bit shallower like 15-20ft deep to learn how to read structure more.

 

Perris is nice. There is really good structure off the dam side but towards the launch ramp of the island. 12-16ft with brush piles drops down to 25-30ft. The tires and brush piles on the south shore can be really good in october with some of the weeds dying back. Back by the road bed in the corner by the water intake can be really good too. Perris is probably easier than DVL as far as the boating aspect goes. Water level is pretty low which imo makes the lake a lot easier to fish.