Fishing drop off's with CB

[NHBull]

Folks,

At this time of the year and on my home lake, I always have problems.

There are almost no subtle drop offs. Mostly 6 ft flats then 70 degree drop to 40+

Fish are suspended at 15 these days and wonder how you guys do it.

I have tried to fish parrell the bank, 90 degrees deep to shallow and reverse.

Trying to use deep diving CB is difficult since I can't bounce off anything.

Any help is appreciated 

 

The fish I have caught have been on wacky and T rigs.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Al

 

[scaleface]

I dont know how to get suspended fish to bite .Once the bass leave the flat for the drops they get difficult for me to catch too . Can you follow the flat out to 15 foot ?

[NHBull]

I have had limited luck with lipless CB, but these are drops, not fades, and that it why I think many guys choose to hit the grassy area.  It is just frustrating as hell to see the bigger fish and not be proficient in a technique to catch them

[MasterBasser]

I saw a 1rod1reel video the other day, he was fishing for crappie in deep water under a bridge.  He used some jerk bait that had a 1 foot per second fall rate.  The fish were 15 feet so he would wait 15 seconds and start to retrieve.  It was working well.  Not sure of the jerk bait, sorry.

 

This is an example, I'm sure there are many more.  https://www.kjscustomlures.com/product/4-sinking-jerkbait/   Also called count down baits. 

[Scarborough817]

throw jerkbaits parallel to the drop off, drag jigs along the ledge as well as you can, maybe throw a spoon

[fishballer06]

A Rapala countdown can be a good bait. For fish like that, I really like yo-yo'ing a fish head spin with a small Keitech.

[Catt]

2 hours ago, NHBull said:

Fish are suspended at 15 these days 

 

Over what depth?

[NHBull]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

Over what depth?

30.......

 

As I mapped the area, most fish were in 15 ft regardless of depth

This was around sunset between 6 and 8

[WRB]

What depth is the thermocline, my guess is 15'. How do you know the fish are bsss? 

Instead of using a crank bait on suspended fish that may be inactive, if no bait is present, try a 1/8 oz dart head jig with 5" curl tail finesse worm and swim it slowly through the fish.

If you can't find fish near 15' deep structure where they should be more active don't waste time with fast moving lures.

Tom

[NHBull]

36 minutes ago, WRB said:

What depth is the thermocline, my guess is 15'. How do you know the fish are bsss? 

Instead of using a crank bait on suspended fish that may be inactive, if no bait is present, try a 1/8 oz dart head jig with 5" curl tail finesse worm and swim it slowly through the fish.

If you can't find fish near 15' deep structure where they should be more active don't waste time with fast moving lures.

Tom

Tom, yes I believe the TV is around 15 feet and it never occurred to me that they may not be bass as I have never caught anything but in this area.  I appreciate the bait input and have it on hand.  Never occurred to me......thanks

[Fishin' Fool]

Drop shot the breaklines

[Fishin' Fool]

Also check with @A-Jay and see how he fishes those situations in northern Michigan lakes.  They are very similar in how they drop off.

[Catt]

8 hours ago, NHBull said:

30.......

 

As I mapped the area, most fish were in 15 ft regardless of depth

This was around sunset between 6 and 8

 

[clayton86]

I have a similar situation here and started using a vmc gliding jig with a truck worm trailer or robo worm. Both willow and Oklahoma blades have been working for me. 

[Catt]

Rinky Dinks are most productive when casted and fished with a yo-yoing retrieve, the bite all most always comes on the fall and will be extremely subtle. 

When you feel something that's just not right, set the hook!

 

To effectively fish the Rinky Dink or Knock Off, I usually use 12# fluorocarbon matched with a medium to medium-light rod; even at ¾ oz the Rinky Dink (5/8 oz Knock Off) is definitely not a power bait. Lighter line makes a difference in the number of bites and the lighter rod will give you a better hook sets without ripping the lure out of the bass's mouth.

[A-Jay]

12 hours ago, NHBull said:

Folks,

At this time of the year and on my home lake, I always have problems.

There are almost no subtle drop offs. Mostly 6 ft flats then 70 degree drop to 40+

Fish are suspended at 15 these days and wonder how you guys do it.

I have tried to fish parrell the bank, 90 degrees deep to shallow and reverse.

Trying to use deep diving CB is difficult since I can't bounce off anything.

Any help is appreciated 

 

The fish I have caught have been on wacky and T rigs.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Al

 

 

9 hours ago, NHBull said:

30.......

 

As I mapped the area, most fish were in 15 ft regardless of depth

This was around sunset between 6 and 8

 

3 hours ago, Fishin' Fool said:

Also check with @A-Jay and see how he fishes those situations in northern Michigan lakes.  They are very similar in how they drop off.

 

@NHBull ~ Here you Go ~  This is Gold.

Don't tell anyone else though . . . .

A-Jay

 

[Catt]

Drive home from my brother's house in the country staring at the full moon it hit me!

[Bucky205]

Might wanna try a spinnerbait, it will go as deep as you want, and give you a lot of options depending on the retrieve, and configuration. Charteuse and white, with a single silver willowleaf blade, and some kind of white trailer about 3" is usually what I try first deep.  Count it down when it hits the water, and try different retrieves. If I was trying to target 15' I would count up too 1012,..1014,..16..., etc. on different cast.  When it gets hit I try the same count, and retrieve again.  I could actualy see the spinnerbait on my old 2D sonar in 83/200,  and I didn't have to count. Made it really easy to put the bait at the same depth as the fish.

[IndianaFinesse]

3 hours ago, A-Jay said:

 

 

 

@NHBull ~ Here you Go ~  This is Gold.

Don't tell anyone else though . . . .

A-Jay

 

Would that be any good for green bass, if you didn't keep the bait as far above them?

[A-Jay]

8 hours ago, IndianaFinesse said:

Would that be any good for green bass, if you didn't keep the bait as far above them?

 

Can't say, as I've not done anything like this for green bass.

Try it and let us know. 

However this and floating a stick bait over them under a slip bobber, are the only two ways I have had success with when targeting truly suspended smallies out over deep water. 

I've tried a lot of other presentations and although they 'sound good' at the dock, brown bass totally ignore my attempts.   

I had all but given up on trying to catch these fish, which can make for a long summer (and a lot of deep drop shotting) but now when I do find them, it's a decent deal. 

On a side note; for me, the conditions have to be right - usually mean relatively calm, to light wind with little to no boating traffic (which seems to break up the bait which is needed to help concentrate the bass)

Doesn't happen often.

A-Jay