Fishing deep thread

[CJ]

I want to start a thread on fishing deep. Different fisheries usually have techniques that are more suitable for the structures and elements that make up for what may be best for bodies of water across the map.

I live near Kentucky Lake which is on the Tennessee chain of lakes. I know others that are great anglers live on other lakes and rivers that have different features causing our techniques to differ.

Types of structure and cover, techniques, lures, boat positioning, and the fish's position relative to structure are some of the things an angler has to take into consideration when attempting to locate bass in their summer haunts. Other elements like weather, water clarity, and current play a big role as well.

I am hoping to get members who fish these different types reservoirs whether you throw big worms around standing timber, swim baits on the points of deep clear lakes or drop shot 60 ft. deep for spots, etc.,to chime in and share some of the keys that unlock their patterns for fishing deep.

[Chris]

Actually where your fishing to be honest if you want to find active fish and tons of yellow tail shad lock out into the river. Right on the rip rap at the mouth of the lock on the river side Alton Jones won a tournament drop shotting a yum dinger in the summer. There is also a hump out in the middle of the lock channel (unless it got washed out). Above towards the dam is a small dock where the shad ball up and most cast for shad and herring. Down river at the bridge the shad ball up at the down current side and the bass stack up there also. If you continue down river there is a pipe line that crosses the river that has rock all over it and bass. (it holds big smallmouth) It is marked by a sign just don't anchor to it. Down from there on the right there is an old creek channel that forms a "y" out from the bank with a deep hole on either side which holds good fish also. If your fishing later in the day or at night right on the public boat ramp there are several vehicles that got dumped into the river. I say fish it at night because it is a busy ramp.

[roadwarrior]

On a recent trip to Kentucky Lake with ghoti.,

we found smallmouth in 10-20' of water on

sheer bluffs. The depth at river bottom may

have been 100+, but the fish were holding

tight to the wall closer to the top of the water

column.

The technique was casting to the waterline or

into the wall and letting the bait fall on slack line.

I caught fish on a MegaStrike prototype, similar

to a Double Wide Beaver, and Rage Tail Baby

Craw.

Another technique that has been a big producer

for me is the 3/4 oz Ledgebuster Single Willow

Blade fished on deep humps and ledges. The

presentation is lifting the spinnerbait off the

bottom, then allowing it to fall on slack line.

Fishing with CJ, the DD22 has been a producer

in or around deep vegetation. Strikes generally

occur when the lure catches on grass or runs

into an obstruction. This presentation is a long

cast and steady retrieve with an occasional twitch.

At my local ponds, fishing from shore, the

Anaconda and 3/4 oz GMAN Mop jig/ Rage

Tail Lobster rule! Mattlures Baby Bass is a

is another very effective option. Right

now I'm focused on the Thumper, but have

not fished it enough...yet.

So far this year, the most productive search

baits have been the Eeliminator and Rage Tail

Lizard, C-rigged. If you are fishing from the

back of the boat for "fun" or in a tournament,

this is the best technique you can use. I think

CJ won a boat just trolling a jig behind his

partner, but the baits I suggest can be rigged

so you won't get hung up too much.

8-)

[Big Tom]

The lake I fish the most has a ton of standing timber in it.  It seems that flipping jigs in the deep timber is the only way I can catch good fish in the summer on this lake.  It seems the magic depth is between 15 and 18 feet most days.

I will admit that I am not good at finding fish otherwise.  There are a lot of deep points on the lake as well but I don't think I have ever caught big fish off of them.

[CJ]

Kentucky lake is a "current sensitive lake". That doesn't mean no current, no fish. It does play a role in how the fish will relate to the structure, how deep they may hold, and will effect their feeding mood. It features structure from 1-60 ft. of water though 25 ft. is as deep as I may fish. Lots of hard bottom contour with rockpiles, brushpiles, stumpbeds, old foundations, and vegetation for cover. It features every structure imaginable. Points, ledges, gravel bars, humps, roadbeds, they're all out there.

When the water temps rise to around 75-78 degrees surface temp, on the average around mid May, fish start stacking up on deeper structure.

They're a few really important features that a spot needs to be productive. Most important is bait. The first thing I check on my depth finder and side imaging sonar is for schools of baitfish. I also pay close attention to the average depth they're holding. Usually the bass will be within 10 ft. deeper than that depth.

The type of bottom contour and structure related to where relative to the lake area would be the next factor I take into consideration. Bass may not migrate from the spawning area to the main river channel that is over a mile away in just a couple days. The ledges within the bays and at the mouths of the bays are usually more populated earlier in the summer season, this just being an example. There is usually a dominant lake area that holds more productive spots.

Most all of the time I find fishing to be better on hard bottom contour. I can check for that on my sonar but I prefer dragging a jig or t-rig on the bottom. With enough experience and a sensitive rod, I can tell the actual grade of gravel or rock and occasionally sniff out a mussel bed.

The type of structure usually doesn't set the pattern. I have caught fish off points, humps, and bends or horseshoes within a ledge all in the same day. Though when water is being generated there has been times I have found points that were pointing into the current to be key, that kinda falls under fish positioning to structure.

One of the things that usually is key to a deep pattern is the type of cover and it's position to the structure. Rockpiles on top of a ledge have been great for me while current is present or during the time frame fish are feeding. Algae forms on these larger rocks which attracts baitfish. Brushpiles, stumpbeds, and vegetation always hold some fish but I find them to be more productive on sunny, hot days on up in the summer when less current is present.

Fish will position themselves at different depths and differently to said structure. Sky clarity, the depth the bait is holding, and current all play a part as to where a bass may be on any given day. Though I don't believe anything is set in stone as to cloudy days, we may find a majority of the bass to either be belly down on the bottom or out in deeper water below the schools of bait, there will be a dominant position the bass are relating to. Current is a element that does cause fish to position themselves on a said structure. Current stimulates baitfish causing them to relate to a structure and not be suspended out in a deep channel. This brings the bass up on top or the shallow part of a ledge and put them in a positive feeding mood. This is when I position my boat out in the deep water and throw to the shallow. The lack of current often causes the bass drop down off to the side of a ledge or even all the way down to the bottom of the channel depending on the depth of that channel. I may position my boat on top of the ledge and throw deep then but it really depends on what and how slow I am fishing. This is when I usually have more productive days fishing brush, stumps, or submerged grass. Though there usually will be time frames during that day the bass will become more active but some of those are short lived. The bass also may move out deeper and become suspended in deeper water. These bass can be a waste of time attempting to catch.

The main lures I use for fishing deep on Ky. Lake are 3/8-3/4 oz. jig-n-trailer, 10-14 in. t-rigged worms, deep diving crankbaits, 3/4-1 1/4 oz. spinnerbaits, c-rig, and shakeyhead finesse worms. I usually go with black and blue or green pumpkin jigs with a trailer to match. One of my favorite presentations is simply a slow dragging on the bottom. Giving it a pause of sometimes a few seconds in between drags. Obviously I fish this way only when bass are on the bottom. The other presentation is stroking. The bass may be on top of the ledge in a frenzy chasing the bait up in the water column or just suspended slighty off the bottom being inactive. This presentation will either attract a frenzied bass or even get a reaction strike from a fish in a negative feeding mood.

I actually use the same presentation with a t-rigged worm. Though the fish seem to prefer the profile a little better at times. I also prefer it when I'm fishing brush or vegetation. It seems to be more suitable for these types cover tan the bulkier jig.

Deep crankbaits may be the fastest and easiest way to locate and catch big fish on ledges. Though I prefer the fish to be feeding, they'll also draw a reaction bite when there are not. Fine tuning needs to be done to figure out what may work best. You may need to be throwing a 20 ft. diver in 10 ft. of water to get the attention it needs for example. Other times you may need to only clip the top of grass or brush to find that one thing that works best.

Heavy spinnerbaits kind of fall in the same class as do the crankbaits but they are a more weedless lure. They also are more versatile than crankbaits. At times, bass may suspend up and around brushpiles in deep summer haunts. When fish may be holding 16 ft. deep in 20 ft. of water, around brush this seems to be my go to bait. Again, they draw both feeding and reaction strikes.

When all else fails a shakeyhead finesse worm can turn a bad day good. Again I fish it in all water columns with all the basic presentations. I have caught some nice fish swimming it like a grub on days nothing else seemed to work.

[CJ]

Actually where your fishing to be honest if you want to find active fish and tons of yellow tail shad lock out into the river. Right on the rip rap at the mouth of the lock on the river side Alton Jones won a tournament drop shotting a yum dinger in the summer. There is also a hump out in the middle of the lock channel (unless it got washed out). Above towards the dam is a small dock where the shad ball up and most cast for shad and herring. Down river at the bridge the shad ball up at the down current side and the bass stack up there also. If you continue down river there is a pipe line that crosses the river that has rock all over it and bass. (it holds big smallmouth) It is marked by a sign just don't anchor to it. Down from there on the right there is an old creek channel that forms a "y" out from the bank with a deep hole on either side which holds good fish also. If your fishing later in the day or at night right on the public boat ramp there are several vehicles that got dumped into the river. I say fish it at night because it is a busy ramp.

The rip rap point next to the lock can be great as well as the pipeline but they have been hammered time and time again. But they were great spots. The problem anymore is GPS. I love mine but it is a bitter sweet. Pirating is killing us. Secret spots are becoming fewer and far between.

[CJ]

So far this year, the most productive search

baits have been the Eeliminator and Rage Tail

Lizard, C-rigged. If you are fishing from the

back of the boat for "fun" or in a tournament,

this is the best technique you can use. I think

CJ won a boat just trolling a jig behind his

partner, but the baits I suggest can be rigged

so you won't get hung up too much.

8-)

It was a spinnerbait RW. Kinda cool though. It was a day something had to be figured out. My partner and I were on a hot bite before this tournament back in 2007. The day of the tournament came around and our pattern was gone. We were catching fish in 5-6 ft. of water around grass. The day of the tournament came around and the lake rose a foot and it got cloudy. After not catching anything but shorts, I moved the boat up. Where we were catching fish was deeper so I put the boat back in the same depth on that spot. Then started slow rolling the spinnerbait on the bottom instead of fishing it high in the column. It saved us. The next day the sun came out and we went back to the original presentation and whacked em.

A lot of times we miss the fish just by one little detail. We know so many ways to catch them it's just we have to learn to keep our heads on straight and not be scared to try make the adjustments. The knowledge is everywhere it's just learning to apply it.

I see mention of the Eeliminator! I'm about to try it deep on a keel weight. I mentioned above about fishing for deep suspended fish around brush. I'm hoping it becomes a new tool of the trade. LOL

[fourbizz]

What are we calling deep? For me, deep starts at about 30ft and goes down.

[CJ]

What are we calling deep? For me, deep starts at about 30ft and goes down.

Sounds deep enough. LOL

[fourbizz]

Well that being the case, IMO, the most important piece of gear you take with you is your graph.

I dont run a real expensive graph, but I do use a quality one( Lowrance x-96). It is fairly inexpensive, but has great power and resolution, is consistent, and most importantly, I have used it enough to know what it is telling me. You could have the best unit on the planet, but you gotta learn to hear what it tells you.Some of my buddies, that tend to fish shallow reaction baits, have garbage graphs on the front of the boat. "Oh. I just use that for the temperature." ;D

I am a graph watcher, big time. Matter of fact, when fishing deeper than 20 or so feet, I probably spend a majority of the day listening to what my graph is telling me.

MAPS! MAPS! MAPS! The new units with mapping software are AWESOME, but a traditional topo map of your lake with good definition. Maximum of 10ft elevation lines, 5ft is better if you are fishing a deep, canyon type lake. You want the 2ft countour lines for shallower natural lakes.

Fishing deep is all about knowing what is down there. You can fish a lake hundreds of times over the next 30 years and start to learn it with a C-rig, or you can look at a map for half an hour before you ever get to the water and have a general idea of where to go. Ill look at the depth range where big fish are most likely to be this time of year, then circle potential structure with a pencil. That way when you get to the lake, especially if it is a new lake to you, you have a focus.

Turn on your graph and make some passes across the structure in a zig zag pattern. As long as you know how to read a graph, it will tell you d**n near everything you need to know. You can see exactly how the spot lays out, where the secondary breaks are on the structure, and if you find a boulder, tree, or bush on one of those break lines, you have found the sweetest of sweet spots.

Seriously, to me, I would rather have just a jig and a graph to fish deep than all of my tackle but no graph. If you want/need to fish deep and you dont have a decent graph, and more importantly the know how to read it, you are in for a tough road.

Now, at the extreme depths of 40+ you are unlikely to be able to see fish clearly unless they are suspended or sitting on a very featureless bottom. If there are good size rocks, at that depth, the fish tend to blend in. Most of the time I am using my graph to find structure and the subtle features of it, not the fish.

The other thing that I consider very important when fishing deep is using braid, often with a flouro leader. You put that kind of depth, possibly neutral fish, and a drifting boat into play and that extra sensitivity can mean all the difference. Obviously that sensitivity can let you feel more bites, but it also lets you set the hook more effectively when fishing a jig or big plastic, and it also transmits more of the bottom to your hand so you can better feel what piece of the structure you saw on the graph.

I believe that the biggest hurdle for most people when they start fishing deeper, is that they feel lost, like they are fishing a desert. The more you can do to see the structure you are fishing, and feel your bait as it traverses it, the more confident you can be that you are where the fish are.

I am of the opinion that if the average fisherman backed out and fished deeper on a regular basis, the more frequently he would catch big fish.

[Paul Roberts]

Good post fourbizz. Makes me wish I HAD deep water lol. The deepest water body I fish is all of 22 feet -in spring. But, I think what you say is true almost anytime "you can't see what's down there".

[Gangley]

What are we calling deep? For me, deep starts at about 30ft and goes down.

haha, deep for me starts at 10 feet!

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Good post fourbizz. Makes me wish I HAD deep water lol. The deepest water body I fish is all of 22 feet -in spring. But, I think what you say is true almost anytime "you can't see what's down there".

I'll trade you.  Most of the lakes I fish down here drop off to 50+.  I'd love to find a shallower lake around me..

[Catt]

In my little pea brain it's not about fishing "deep" since deep is relative to the body of water you are fishing.

To me its about fishing structure and when the subject of structure fishing comes up many people incorrectly assume you are referring to deep water fishing this is partially untrue. It does not matter if you are fishing bank shallow or 40' deep your are fishing structure that is if you are catching fish.

Like fourbizz I use a "cheap" low tech depth finder (Hummingbird 535) but I know exactly what its telling me. When I launch my boat the first thing I do is start the outboard, the second thing I do is turn my depth finder on.

The next part of structure anglers fail to understand when looking for structure is breaks/break lines.

Bass must have a visible path of breaks and break lines on a structure from deep water all the way to the shallows; which is where the bulk of food is available to bass. As bass move along a structure they pause or stop at "things"; breaks and break lines on the bottom. It is at such breaks that anglers can expect to make consistent contact with fish as they migrate along structure. This is why a certain stump or flooded tree, dock piling or submerged rock consistently produces bass for anglers. Most of the time such a spot is merely a break or bass stopping point on structure. Find more such breaks on the structure or break lines or even the deep water sanctuary near the structure then you'll find more and bigger bass more often.

Break Line: A break line can have more than one meaning. It can be another word for a drop-off/ledge, or a point of any quick change in depth. It can also be used to describe the edge of a vegetation line. For example, a "weed break" is the area of the weed bed where the weeds meet up with open water; or, where one type of weed meets up with another. The last example happens when bottom composition changes, as different weeds prefer different types of bottom composition. In rocky impoundments, a break line can also describe a line where rock meets mud, pea gravel, etc. In other words, the most correct definition for a break line is "Any distinct line that is made by cover or structure which leads to an abrupt change in bottom depth, composition, or cover transition".

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

Nice 1 Catt...

[badger_bassin]

Wow!! Some really good info here.  thanx guys

[DINK WHISPERER]

Good info...................deep for me is fishing pads in 7ft of water in the dead of summer! HAHA

[Manigotapee]

Here is a question about the deep fishing.  One of the local lakes that I enjoy fishing has some decent river ledges on it.  Through hours and hours of map study, I have located some "ledges" that I would love to explore in more detail.  The only issue I have with this is that these ledges are located on a body of water that doesnt have good water color.  The lake is usually stained or even muddy.  What is everyones thoughts on fishing deep/and fishing ledges in stained to dirty water?

Thanks guys

[jeb2]

I mostly fish Beaver Lake in NW Ark. Same basic kind of lake as Table Rock, just a tiny ways upriver from it. So deep can be 200' or more, although I've never fished over that much water. The water is usually what I call semi-clear. Not gin clear, but visibility anywhere from 5-15 feet. Lots of standing trees, lots of rocks, lots of ledges, lots of structure.

My favorite summer rig has to be a c-rig. I can cover a lot of ground with it and have great feel at different depths by varying the weight. For bait, I use worms, craws and lizards mostly. You have to work with the fish to figure out if they want the bait parallel to the structure, coming down a point, etc. I'll even drag it through tree tops. I do a lot of jigs, too, in the same general areas. Although I tend to throw them at rock walls more.

If the bite is really tough, I'll slow down and go to shakey heads and drop shots.

I agree that good depth finders are a must. Finding active fish sure makes the fishing more productive.

[Catt]

Thomas Wells, while a body of water my appear stained or even muddy on the surface the water below will be clearer especially creeks/rivers channels.

[Texas10Man]

I got some 3/4 ounce spinnerbaits and jigs, series 5, 6, and 6XD crankbaits, and carolina rigging stuff. Deep water is pretty much untouched around here. All you deep water guys keep posting good info for me to use!

Especially talking about what to look for on your electronics.

[CJ]

Here is a question about the deep fishing. One of the local lakes that I enjoy fishing has some decent river ledges on it. Through hours and hours of map study, I have located some "ledges" that I would love to explore in more detail. The only issue I have with this is that these ledges are located on a body of water that doesnt have good water color. The lake is usually stained or even muddy. What is everyones thoughts on fishing deep/and fishing ledges in stained to dirty water?

Thanks guys

What Catt says is true yet, if the water appears stained on the surface it's not gonna be real clear down deep.

First you need to throw something they can see so stay with what colors work best for you in stained water. Just as important as seeing, the bass need to be able to feel what your throwing.

I would start out with a heavy spinnerbait. It would be up to the fish what blade combination and what color but make sure you are getting it down to them. Let the lure hit the bottom before you start a slow retrieve and of course, try to find that special presentation. My second choice especially if you don't have any current involved would be a heavy jig with rattles. A 3/4-1 oz. jig would be what I would start with. The heavy head is as important as anything. The heavier the head the more vibration you'll make when it hits the bottom, drags the bottom, and deflects off cover. I also recommend a football head. A bullet head may clear cover more cleanly yet it makes less vibration. A football head will hit broadside causing more vibration and hopefully alerting more bass. A crankbait would be my next thought basically using the same concepts. A heavy chatterbait has also produce around here when the water appears stained or muddy while fishing deep. Keep in mind your presentation may be as important as your lure. You may find fishing uphill on the structure to give you better results, for example. I really feel noise and vibration are very important when the water has low visibility. A bass feeds by sight but sometimes you have to give them a reason to look.

[Mike 12345]

I think it's also important to consider water clarity/quality when considering 'deep water', or 'structure' fishing.  The better clarity/quality you have, the further sunlight will penetrate through the water column, and generally, the higher the levels of dissolved oxygen will be.  Therefore, vegetation, as well as fish and their food sources (like plankton, shad, etc) will be able to live deeper.  However, on lakes that are heavily silted, stained, and have poor visibility (on the lake I normally fish, you are lucky to get 8-10 inches of visibility) much of the food chain remains shallower, because that's where the best oxygen and food is.

That's not to say you can't fish structure-  absolutely you can.  But I think that it helps you make a detrmination that fishing in 25 feet of water might not be the best start if your water is pretty murky.

There are many articles written in magazines about this topic-  I just thought it was another wrinkle to the puzzle that might fit in well with the discussion.