Fish suspended in 5-6 feet in 8 feet deep water

[jdr99a]

I fish from the bank of a few pretty large ponds. All the ponds are about 8 feet deep at the farthest point I can cast to. I have one of the castable sonar devices (Deeper Sonar) and it looks like the fish are hanging out in 5-6 feet of water all over the place.
 

I’ve been throwing crankbaits that dive 5-8 feet and have caught a handful, but it feels like they aren’t particularly active and may want something a little bit slower. 
 

Are there any techniques or slow-moving lures that stay in the 5-6 foot zone you would suggest? I’m used to dragging soft plastics, throwing top water, and maybe running a crankbait for the middle if the water column, so I’ll take all the advice I can get. 

[garroyo130]

If you arent throwing suspending crankbaits, it might be worthwhile to give those a shot. 

 

Also a fluke style lure may entice them with a different profile.

[jimmyjoe]

   Try a slip bobber with a marabou jig (or anything else you think might be appropriate) on it.        jj

[Mobasser]

A 4" plastic worm, or minnow shaped plastic bait. Rig them t rig or on a sharp ball head jig. Try to keep the weight light, count them down to depth, and retrieve slowly.

[Fishin' Fool]

Throw a drop shot with a 2' to 3' leader and that puts you right in strike zone.

[Finessegenics]

The dropshot is great for fish suspended just off bottom. But since that’s already been mentioned, I’d suggest a Carolina rig with a long mono leader. I’d add a buoyant bait to make it even better. Something Zman. 

[garroyo130]

When casting from the bank at a pond with a maximum depth of 8ft, hes simply not going to get 2ft off the bottom with a dropshot unless hes casting 10ft in front of him.

[J Francho]

1 hour ago, jdr99a said:

I have one of the castable sonar devices (Deeper Sonar) and it looks like the fish are hanging out in 5-6 feet of water all over the place.

Are you sure they're bass?  This sounds like sunny behavior.

[TnRiver46]

Jerk bait 

[Todd2]

Seems counterintuitive, but try burning it fast if your slow retrieves stop working. I've seen this work many times. 

[Dwight Hottle]

23 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Jerk bait 

X2  Suspending jerk bait

[Big Rick]

Buck the trend and do the unexpected: throw a topwater popper or walking bait. Bass are predatory and react well to baits that cause a commotion above them. Don't fish too fast but keep things interesting and don't allow too much time for the bass to figure things out. Jerk, jerk, pause for a second, then jerk, jerk again. They are totally impulsive and will strike out at a topwater when they've let everything else go right by. 5-6 feet is not at all too far to pull a fish into striking distance. Just be sure you don't set the hook until the fish has it. Otherwise, you'll blow your shot at a quality bite. 

 

And it's a good chance that very few people are throwing top water plugs out in the middle of the pond. So, you have a great opportunity to present something that these fish seldom, if ever, see. 

[plawren53202]

I'll just throw this out there, could be totally off base, but are you 100% sure they're truly suspending in the middle of the water column or is there some very slight bit of structure or cover they're relating to? Like someone else said, bass usually don't just totally randomly suspend, that's more like crappie or bluegill, there's usually some sort of structure the bass are still relating to even if they aren't glued to the bottom or to cover.

 

Reason I ask, my subdivision pond is a nearly-featureless goldfish bowl of a pond. There are places where the bass could appear to be suspended mid-water column but on closer inspection there is a bit of structure they are relating to. In one place there are a few rocks where a storm sewer enters the pond and then on the other side there is a kind of overflow outlet. The rocks are barely noticeable, hardly big enough to detect with a bottom bumping bait, but where there is no other cover they will hold fish. Also, in a lot of places around the perimeter of the pond there is the slightest little drop off. In some places I'm guessing it's 6 inches. But in this pond that is enough to hold fish, and with that in particular I think they cruise along it.

 

I've used a squarebill a lot, burn it along at a pretty good clip and then when it bumps one of those rocks--or when it starts to dig into the bottom all of a sudden and I know it has probably hit that "dropoff," I pause it for a couple of seconds, I'm sure long enough to let it rise at least a foot or two.

[jdr99a]

You guys are right. I am working under the assumption that they are bass but I guess I don’t actually know. No structure that I’m aware of in that area. There are no crappie in this pond. I’ll pay more attention next time I’m out to see if there is something out there that the fish are relating to. 

[raoka]

my vote would be to try a suspending jerkbait

[NYWayfarer]

On 8/12/2020 at 1:44 PM, jimmyjoe said:

   Try a slip bobber with a marabou jig (or anything else you think might be appropriate) on it.        jj

This would be my suggestion as well. If they are Sunfish they will hit this type of presentation as well. Then you can be sure of what you are seeing

[scaleface]

Any lure that sinks . Let it go to the bottom , pop it up and retrieve slowly . Beetle spins would work well . I have a couple of prized vintage Bayou Boogies that dont rattle . Those things are killer like that .

[detroit1]

In only 8' of water, you can use anything you want. If they are hungry, they will munch. The other 85% of the time you have to make them bite. This is the fun part, trying different types, sizes, colors,speed of retrieve and so on. I would dig up a couple of worms and fish under a bobber to find what species they are.