Bass Depth-Activity Level-Lure Choice

[Paul Roberts]

Senko77 Wrote:

Muddy - Either the fish were still deep, but were rushing upwards to take your topwater bait, then diving back down to the deeper water or there were fish that were suspended above the grass during the day that became active that night.

This would be my guess too. However it is very possible these are the same fish. Likely the fish you caught "on bottom" swam down to intercept your jig. If the bass needed to use the water column over short a period of time they could do it by accommodating to the mid range depth, and move up or down to feed (but not hold for any duration).

Just a thought.

[Randall]

Senko77 Wrote:

Muddy - Either the fish were still deep, but were rushing upwards to take your topwater bait, then diving back down to the deeper water or there were fish that were suspended above the grass during the day that became active that night.

This would be my guess too. However it is very possible these are the same fish. Likely the fish you caught "on bottom" swam down to intercept your jig. If the bass needed to use the water column over short a period of time they could do it by accommodating to the mid range depth, and move up or down to feed (but not hold for any duration).

Just a thought.

Just to add, Pauls example almost never happens ever. I used to say it was impossible. But, Ralph told me if I said that some crazy freak bass would do it. It is possible but highly unlikely. So, I changed my terminology. ;D   If a fish moves down within the first couple of feet the swimbladder will begin to compress as the fish moves farther down the bladder will compress to the point that the fish loses it's buoyancy and sinks. The fish must then constantly swim to stay up. It's much harder for a fish to swim down more than few feet to feed than it is to make a quick burst up and then back down.  Deeper fish would have a greater range to move down ( Like when Ryan Coleman won the Lanier Tournament in the example above) but shallow fish up near the surface are more limited unless they want to sink to the bottom or swim constantly until they are acclimated to that depth. The other thing about the swim bladder is it is connected to the equilibrium of the fish which is a whole different topic but another reason fish like to stay at one depth. I have spent hours and hours watching suspended fish near the surface in clear water and I have never seen one go down more than just a few feet. Even then they almost always come back up. I have even seen big female fish suspended high over deeper spawning beds and they will almost never go to the bottom to chase or pick up a lure on the bed. They go nose down up above the bed and look like they are standing on their head but you have to catch them up above the bed where they are at. It just don't happen much in shallow water or fish suspended shallow that a fish swims down.    

[Paul Roberts]

Fascinating. If 3 feet is really the limit of vertical movement down in shallow water -that is very interesting. I'm trying to think if I've seen such a movement. I know I've seen bass lying fairly close to the surface, that will drop out of sight, but I've noted that many simply move off and away from me, just under the surface. Also, when spawning bass chase each other, they do so at a very shallow depth, often well out into the pond, creating a wake. Ralph noted this same thing in his pond observations.

Anyone seen bass drop deeper?

[Muddy]

If anyone doubts that this is the spot to get information and ideas they really should stick to pan fishing! Thanks to all, I must say I am getting to the point where my head is hurting!

[Muddy]

Hey Muddy how ya doing My guess is that you where catching suspending fish during the day and the same group of fish at night. 1/4 oz jig in coontail as thick as coontail gets I would doubt your jig hit the bottom. I think you found a heck of a spot and the fish just moved up and down the coontail.

 Doin fine Chris, hope the same for you! The 1/4 head has a wide gap hook I like and along with the weight of the *, it definitely finds it way to the bottom!

[jwo1124]

WOW, I really didn't think this post would get so much attention. I'm not a very studied fisherman by any means, most of the fishing knowledge I have learned came and comes from TV shows, magazines, and online articles. I haven't read too many books on bass or studied their biology, which I should, so I was just quoting from Bill Dance Outdoors.

On the same note, fishing from shore, and not having a boat nor electronics, none of this had every really been a variable to me.

[502largemouth]

I cant even type much of anything now, I am totally blown out by all this.

I agree with the sentiment if someone doubts this is the place to come to, they need to stick to a bobber for bluegill....lol.

I know I dont post much, thats cuz I am sooooooooo busy reading this stuff and taking it all in. Its as bad as trying to become a physicist sometimes I do believe.

Cyas,

D(the bassninja.....or at least an aspiring one)

[Muddy]

WOW, I really didn't think this post would get so much attention. I'm not a very studied fisherman by any means, most of the fishing knowledge I have learned came and comes from TV shows, magazines, and online articles. I haven't read too many books on bass or studied their biology, which I should, so I was just quoting from Bill Dance Outdoors.

On the same note, fishing from shore, and not having a boat nor electronics, none of this had every really been a variable to me.

No! Thank you for starting this thread, a lot of the best fisherman took time to share their experience, GREAT START FOR A GREAT THREAD, thanks

Dominick

[jwo1124]

I'm glad I shared this thread too. I think the information struck me interesting because I could start relating more to depth and really start taking into consideration the water column. As anglers we are in a boat, or casting from shore and all we see is a vast blanket of water. Sure we can see under a little depending on water clarity, brightness of the sun, or with the use of polarized sunglasses, but we don;t really know what goes on under the surface as much as we like to think we do. We have to start thinking where we are in relation to the fish, and how we can get to them, meaning get our lure to them. And to do this effectively we must think about where the fish is in relation to us, where they are in the water column, how are they related to structure and cover, what are their activity levels, and what is the best lure to tempt their inner most hard wired predatory instincts.

The more fisherman use their imagination and put together an image in their mind about what is actually going on below the surface, the better they will become at fishing. We need to start seeing the unseen. This is why anglers use GPS and sonar fish finders as well as the use of the under water camera. But we do not see in graphs, or sonar blips. We can see these images on a screen and put together what they mean, but they do not immediately translate to how we would see the image with our own eyes. And that is what must be down, we must take any and all raw data we are provided while fishing, and put it into the most understandable image as possible.

[drmnbig]

I'm glad I had the time to read this thread this morning.  Understanding how bass use depth has always been a killer for me and I believe has not allowed me to move to the next level of competent fishing.