I cant fish deep! am i missing out.....

[Del from philly]

For some reason, i can;t fish for bass in deep water, just doesnt feel right....iv never caught a bass anywhere but off a shjore line.....

can i continue to fish like this? or will i run into slow/stop days when i dont have to ??

do all of you guys fish deep water? Anybody else that just can't fish deep?

i fish exclusively senkos at 2 of the 3 lakes i fish, the other lake i fish mostly kreatures with a few spinnerbaits every once in a while

do these baits work with a deep water presentation, or am i better off

[BadKarma42]

Can't or won't?

Sometimes its very difficult to get out of our comfort zone and try new things.  Especially if you are not seeing results immediately.

However, I can certainly relate to your issue as I am currently facing a similair experience.

[Gatorbassman]

The one thing to remember is that "Deep" is relitive to the lake you are fishing and what the fish like. On most of the lakes that I fish. The bass are 8 to 16 feet deep in the heat of the summer. On one of the lakes they are only 6ft deep and on another they are 30 to 50ft deep. So it depends. The best advise I have for anyone who is wanting to gain more confidence in deeper water fishing is this. Don't think of it as deep water fishing. Think of it as off the shore fishing. Look for off shore structure like underwater humps with brush or grass or rocks on it or rockpiles at the deeper end of long points. If it's a clear lake you might find deep off shore grass flats. (Look for the greenest grass you can find) If it's a muddy lake you wan't to look for rocks or brush on humps and points. Off shore ledges are great to. You can do it. Just don't think of it as deep fishing and you will do fine.

[Siebert Outdoors]

Fishing deeper water say 15-30ft is alot different then fishing less then 15ft imo.  For me its slower going and more tedious with a little different tactics.  Typically its more rewarding and the fish are bigger.  Not always but most of the time.  I prefer fishing deeper water.  Most of my lakes I fish dont go deeper then 30 ft.  I'm not one that fishes tablerock that often at 50+ ft deep.

[Shad_Master]

Deep is one of those funny words that means different things in different situations - I assume by "deep" you really mean away from the shore line.  If you have a good depth finder, look for changes in the contour of the bottom - this is called structure.  If you see an area where the bottom drops down or rises, this change in the contour can signal and area where fish may be holding.  Now look for signs of cover in that area - trees, stumps, rocks, brush piles, etc. and you have potentially struck gold.  You will need to put your bait where the fish are.  Jigs, T-rigs with weights of 1/4 oz or larger, deep running crank baits and C-rigs are good for fishing "deep".

If you don't have a depth finder, try dragging a heavy jig or throwing a Rat-L Trap until you come in contact with the cover at various depths.  Then switch over to the lures mentioned above.

There will always be fish along the shore line, but the further away you get from the spawn, the more likely it is that they will pull back and set up in "deeper" areas.  Once you get locked in on 'em you will be surprised how great the fishing can be when you go "deep".

Of course this all begins to change back in the fall when water temps start dropping.

Ain't bass fishing great?

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Can't or won't?

Sometimes its very difficult to get out of our comfort zone and try new things.  Especially if you are not seeing results immediately.

That says it all right there.  

It took me a few years of fishing with my partner to get there.  I got sick of watching him catch 4-6 lbrs off the back of the boat on a jig casting to the deeper water while I would catch  a bunch of small fish with the occasional 3 lbr thrown in fishing at the bank.

Discipline yourself, there is much better fishing in the deeper water.  It takes time but the results will come. slow down,....read the bottom like it was brail and pick it apart.

[Catt]

For every bass you find along the shore there are 5 behind you in deep water  

Deep water fish are less affected by adverse weather changes therefore they are easier to catch. Deep water fish are structure oriented making them easier to find; simply find structure that has descent cover, access to deeper water, bait fish and there will be bass.  

[roadwarrior]

For every bass you find along the shore there are 5 behind you in deep water

Deep water fish are less affected by adverse weather changes therefore they are easier to catch. Deep water fish are structure oriented making them easier to find; simply find structure that has descent cover, access to deeper water, bait fish and there will be bass.

Well, that just about sums it up.  8-)

Fishing deeper water is actually easier and more productive, it's just different.

[Catt]

That's the way I see it I'm a simple man  

[Siebert Outdoors]

For every bass you find along the shore there are 5 behind you in deep water

Deep water fish are less affected by adverse weather changes therefore they are easier to catch. Deep water fish are structure oriented making them easier to find; simply find structure that has descent cover, access to deeper water, bait fish and there will be bass.

Well, that just about sums it up. 8-)

Fishing deeper water is actually easier and more productive, it's just different.

Well, I guess you guys explained that one better then me. 8-)

[gatrboy53]

there are plenty of pros that never fish deep.there are plenty of bass that dont go deep.if you want to be only a bank beater then you will be able to fish for bass in most places yr. round.

the easiest way to transition to deeper water is to move out to the first drop.typically in man made lakes its about 10-15' from the shore.in some lakes its very subtle but in many lakes there is a pronounced drop off which bass will hold to especially in the summer.you fish it w/ the same lures and techniques as you would the bank.

w/ the increased fishing pressure especially in the shallows,bass are becoming more wary of presence,lures,noise,and are becoming haerder to fool.the fish in deeper water feel safer and are less affected of those very things and to me are much easier to get to bite.and once you get the hang of it ,structure fishing is alot of fun.

[Matt Fly]

For every bass you find along the shore there are 5 behind you in deep water

Deep water fish are less affected by adverse weather changes therefore they are easier to catch. Deep water fish are structure oriented making them easier to find; simply find structure that has descent cover, access to deeper water, bait fish and there will be bass.

If I may add to Catt's wisdom.    I can catch more numbers shallow with wacky rigs and such and that doesn't do it for me.    I catch fewer bass with jigs, but more quality, yet those fish see a jig by bank beaters all the time.  

Now I can go out in the middle of the lake, and normally put more weight in the boat with higher numbers of quality fish that are less pressured due to the "mental or comfort zones"  aspect of the bank beaters.

Its like they need a target to flip, pitch, or cast to.

AS for pros, there are pros that have to wait on the right conditions before they have an honest chance to win one fishing shallow.

If you look at consistency, the guys making the cuts, they are the ones that do alittle of every thing well.

How many times have we seen Denny Brauer make a living fishing deep water.   His strength lies in jigs shallow, and that bite isn't there year around or the lakes that were selected were at wrong times of the year.

Remember, the old days, the season was over in June, and in June, you have brim spawns that still keep bass interested in shallow bites.    That schedule no longer exists, it staggered into the summer months.    

I am a firm believer you are missing the bite.

Matt

       

[GeorgiaSpotSticker]

Man you've gotten some great answers. Another thing is electronics. I can't stress enough how good electronics help tremendously when fishing deep.... You need one just as good up front as you do on the back.

[jeremyt]

For the majority out there. How do you approach something not in your comfort zone.  I just started bass fishing and I am not comfortable outside of say 6-8 ft . I have read and read and tried to apply, but it just doesn't seem to produce. I am getting frustrating with it, not to the point of giving up but to the point of questioning my interpritation of information. I know some days are better than others, but I am seeming to have no good days. I am comfortable with the shallow bass, but I have been told that the big uns aren't  shallow in the summer months.

[CJ]

Alot of good info.Electronics are a must as noted above,to me it is the combination of electronics plus a topographical map.

A simple but good tip is to inquire about the water you are fishing.Some rivers and lakes don't fish very well deep.But those are few and far between.JMO

[Catt]

jeremyt, what about deep water makes you un comfortable?

[Tpayneful]

I have had to learn how to fish deep over the last year and a half.  I am not an expert but I have a clue where to look.  You need a topographical map first, a depth finder second and time on the water third.  Look for a location close to shore that all of contour lines are close together.  Say the water goes from 3' to 15'.  Find a few of those locations.  Next go to the spot with your boat.  When you get there run back and forth over the area in a zig zag motion.  You are looking to determine if you are in the right spot first and second you are looking for something on the bottom.  Try to find a brush pile, stumps, rocks, grass or an old shopping cart.  Mark the spot or the area with a marker bouy and start fishing around the spot.  Use something that is heavy enough to feel the bottom really good.  See if you can feel the stump, brush pile, etc.  Once you can feel "cover" on the bottom you will get a lot more confidence that you have found a place that might hold bass.  The next step I have not gotten good at is finding fish or baitfish on one of these spots.

I have found some spots by accident, using an underwater camera drifting across the lake and even made my own brush piles so I know where they are located.  I am not great at figuring it out but it figure it will just take time looking.

[jeremyt]

Trying to find good structure that is holding fish. I never seem to be able to catch deep fish.

[senile1]

Trying to find good structure that is holding fish. I never seem to be able to catch deep fish.

Give us a few more details and maybe we can help you.  How do you approach fishing deeper structure?  Do you use lures that you can drag through cover on the structure, lures such as deep cranks that are fished near the cover or bumping the cover, lures that suspend over the cover, etc.  BTW, you do look for cover or something different that will hold bass on a piece of structure?  Do you cover the whole area as you would if you were fishing shallow with numerous techniques?  Is your fish finder a newer model or is it an old one?  Some older models aren't very detailed and require more work from you to locate the fish.  If your fish finder is decent, do you use marker buoys to mark the edges of the structure and to mark cover locations?  Do you do three Hail Mary's and pray the big bass prayer before fishing deep?  

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Man you've gotten some great answers. Another thing is electronics. I can't stress enough how good electronics help tremendously when fishing deep.... You need one just as good up front as you do on the back.

speaking of front and back, another thing that is just a nice additive, is that when fishing deep, there tends to be a lot less of a difference between whether you are the guy up front running the t/m or the guy in the rear.

[jeremyt]

Senile,

I have a Garmin 160c. I usually go out to 12-18 ft of water and try to find a nice sloping point. I usually start fishing these with deep cranks. I have varied the retrieve speed and tried different color patterns. Once I have fished these a while I will go to a c-rig plastic and drag it down the point. The water I fished is clear and not much forage, but has rocks and stumps. I just don't seem to be able to catch a fish deep. I have tried about everything that I know, its probably just needing to spend more time at it. I usually go back to shallow after a couple of hours.

[Matt Fly]

Senile,

I have a Garmin 160c. I usually go out to 12-18 ft of water and try to find a nice sloping point. I usually start fishing these with deep cranks. I have varied the retrieve speed and tried different color patterns. Once I have fished these a while I will go to a c-rig plastic and drag it down the point. The water I fished is clear and not much forage, but has rocks and stumps. I just don't seem to be able to catch a fish deep. I have tried about everything that I know, its probably just needing to spend more time at it. I usually go back to shallow after a couple of hours.

Is this a wind blown point that would hold planktons?   Wind positions planktons in the water with a few days of steady wind, shad will be were their food source is.    Where the shad are, bass won't be far off.

I like to turn up my sensitivity on my graph (if needed) to find the thermocline in the water which is important for deep fishing.    The shad will be in the thermocline.     "IF" the thermocline is set up at 22 ft, take a map and find all contours, and structures that intersect at 22 ft.    The fish may not be with the shad at that time, but will be in that depth zone on points, humps, road beds, trees.    They will be awaiting the shad to move in and feed on those areas that hold the wind blown planktons.

Turning the sensitivity up will look like two bottoms, the upper being the thermocline.

Matt.

[Catt]

Bass anglers must get a proper mental picture on structure fishing; anglers must recognize from the beginning that not all good-looking structures harbor bass. But never will bass be found that are not related to structure in some manner.

Structure is a portion of the bottom that is different from the surrounding area, like bars, humps, creek-channels, riprap, and submerged points of land. A structure fishing situation consists of a structure, breaks, break lines and deep water. Breaks are things on the structure's bottom like stumps, rocks, weeds, logs, and bushes. A break line is a line or lines along the structure's bottom where there is a defined increase or decrease in depth, either sudden or gradual like the edge of a channel, hole or gully. There are other break lines too, like a weed line wall, a brush line, where two bodies of water meet which differ in temperature, color or water current. Deep water to the serious structure fisherman is water with depths greater than 8 or 10 feet.

Remembered that deep water is where bass spend the greater part of their time because it is a sanctuary from changing weather and water conditions. In order for a structure, break or break line to be consistently productive for mature bass, it must be very close to deep water, or at least, the deepest water in the area being fished. You cannot have schools of large bass if the structure, breaks and break lines are not connected in some manner to deep water. Accept the fact that the only escape a bass has from a changing, hostile environment is deep water. The older and bigger a bass gets, the more reluctant it becomes to venture very far from deep water

[Del from philly]

GREAT INFORMATION!!!

thanks.....

let me say this, it will help

dont laugh......

i fish a little inflatable row-boat......no electronics whatsoever.......

just me and my little anchor that doesnt even make it too the bottom in some spots.....

[NJfishinGuy]

im coming in here a little late but better late than never. im in the process of learning to fish offshore myself. what i notice is i have a hard time finding steep drops, most of the time its a slow gradual decent to deep water. do these slow long drops hold or should i forget that and look for steep inclines only? i need better electronics i know this but even on my buddys high resolution one  alot of times i see something down there but hell if i know what it is.  i think one day i need to go out and only set up for deep fishing and stick to it no matter what.  im going to post a picture of a map of a lake in my area, maybe you guys could mark the picture in paint show spots you would go to find fish.

This lake is 2600 acres and main lake is about 40ft deep. i think its 7 miles long to give u an idea of what your looking at.

i have other maps but this is the only on that has some detail to which you might help me