# how do i catch deep bass



## KWaller (Oct 3, 2010)

Hey all,
I fish bass shallow all year round and have it down for the most part. But when this hot weather comes and a lot of fish are deeper, 6+' deep, I don't know how to catch them. My version of fishing deep is fish the main lake points that are only 3-5 ft and I just throw a crank or spinnerbait. but how do I catch bass in 10 feet of water? I mean what do you guys look for? Shad, drop offs, structure? And how do you catch them? I am a big crappie fisherman and have mutliple sponsors in tourny fishing crappie but being 15 years old I need to start accomplishing bass if I want to have a successful future in bass fishin. So throw the whole kitchen sink on how you catch open water/deep water bass! 
Much apreciated!

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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

I won't throw the sink...just what you need:

1. Drop-shot - probably the easiest to do as far as gear goes
2. Big jigs, C-rigs or TX rigs - probably the second easiest to do as far as gear goes
3. Deep cranks - need a low gear reel and a powerful rod

You look for what you always look for - forage, cover and structure.


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## KWaller (Oct 3, 2010)

Tokugawa said:


> I won't throw the sink...just what you need:
> 
> 1. Drop-shot - probably the easiest to do as far as gear goes
> 2. Big jigs, C-rigs or TX rigs - probably the second easiest to do as far as gear goes
> ...


ok, will bass suspend in the middle of the water column near the thermocline or will the be near the bottom like a walleye?

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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

You would do well to learn how to fish baits you drag and hop like jigs and texas rigged plastics. There are plenty of days where a bait moving through the water column wont get a sniff and you need to put a bait on the bottom. 

When I was younger I learned how important this is in a clear strip pond. You could see the bass and bring a bait right by them and they wouldn't hardly look at it. But as soon as you let your bait drop to the bottom their whole posture would change. Bass love to pin forage against the bottom, they feel like they have an advantage and that anything crawling on the bottom is easy prey. 

So say a bass is swimming around 4 ft off bottom in 12 ft of water. You may move a crank by him at his level but many times when they arent real active they just wont hit, but you cast a jig or other bait meant to be fished on the bottom and they watch it fall past them, they will turn and investigate it, and usually at least have a taste. 

I guess what im suggesting is if you really want to be a bass fishermen you have to learn how to work these types of baits along the bottom and learn what movements trigger fish. Just like in crappie fishing there are certain jig movements that will put more fish in the boat, there are certain dragging and hopping motions that will catch more bass on some days. Using these baits will make these movements second nature to you.


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## Hattrix (Jun 26, 2012)

A Texas rigged Senko or a lightly weighted worm allowed to drop to the bottom will often work for deep ones. You can't get impatient. You have to let it drop all the way. Often, as Joshy says, they bass will see it fall and follow it down. You can do the same with a jig with a tail on it. Just remember with a jig, you are imitating a craw. When it hits the bottom, you want to twitch it a couple times or bounce it across the bottom. Craws will jump back when they see a bass to get away. This type of action triggers the bass' strike instinct if they are following the Jig. If the water is free of weeds and heavy grass, you can fish a deep diving crank but I have not had nearly as much success on deep cranks. If you have a fish finder with any kind of structure scan, it does help to find some structure like a ledge, rocks or a deeply submerged stump as often bass will sit on those things. Deep points can also be a good place to find them. The biggest way to learn is water time. Just trying different techniques and baits to see what works best for you and for the water you are fishing.


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## firstflight111 (May 22, 2008)

whats your style of fishing ..they make crank baits that run to about any were you want .... 

really 10 feet is not that deep 25 + now were talking


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## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

Roland Martin used to catch a lot of bass in the south in deep water jigging hopkins spoons.


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## Photog (Jun 18, 2010)

I fish a quarry a lot and I have NO clue how deep it gets. That said, I am having great luck with worms Texas and Carolina style and Texas style plastic crawdads.


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## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

+1 Just like already stated......10' is definitely not very deep though......you can do everything thats been said....tok already hit good points though....drop shot and jig n pig are easy equiptment tactics....I'd definitely try jigging structure....weedpockets....or dropoffs.....also a crank "depth adapted" in open water will work as well.....if its clear water throw on a willowblade spinnerbait and match whatever fish in in the area with color.....try diff parts of the water column.....cloudy days usually suspended.....blue skies they're deep go jig n pig......good luck!!!


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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

KWaller said:


> ok, will bass suspend in the middle of the water column near the thermocline or will the be near the bottom like a walleye?


Both! Depends on conditions, and suspended bass are hard to catch.

There is a concept called the "funnel". Josh touched on it when he was talking about the bottom, but it also applies to the top of the water column too. A funnel lets the predator trap prey in a tight area, and a fish will take the bait when they feel they have an advantage. When the bass are suspended (like in 10' over 25')...there is no funnel.


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## KWaller (Oct 3, 2010)

I say 10 ft because that is deep here on buckeye lake  

On the other hand, I'm not too much of a crank bait fisherman. I am more so a live and die spinnerbait fisherman. I have caught my p.b. on one that was 7.5lbs. That being said, does anyone try slowrolling spinnerbaits? Spinnerbaits are just my cup of tea lol that is why when I fish the bass Tuesday night tournys that are cloudy or rainy I do better. Will tubes or shaky heads work? I don't have much experience with flipping jigs because I stick to senkos and soft plastics.

I really appreciate the help guys!

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## firstflight111 (May 22, 2008)

KWaller said:


> I say 10 ft because that is deep here on buckeye lake
> 
> On the other hand, I'm not too much of a crank bait fisherman. I am more so a live and die spinnerbait fisherman. I have caught my p.b. on one that was 7.5lbs. That being said, does anyone try slowrolling spinnerbaits? Spinnerbaits are just my cup of tea lol that is why when I fish the bass Tuesday night tournys that are cloudy or rainy I do better. Will tubes or shaky heads work? I don't have much experience with flipping jigs because I stick to senkos and soft plastics.
> 
> ...


well you just cutting your self short if thats all you do is use a spinnrebait at 10 feet.. i would use a swimbait around any weeds or stumps.. tubes are good baits.. go learn one new bait a week ..its not just having them it knowing when to use them


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

I gotta agree with Tokugawa on technique choices. Learning when to employ each technique is something you'll need to figure out. Carolina rigs and deep crankbaits are great search techniques for deep, or deeper water. They both great for covering deep flats, points, and the tops of deep humps. 

Drop Shotting is a technique that is better used once you've found the fish or if you are fishing a very specific spot. It's not really a search technique because you're fishing slower, but it's very effective. Especially if the bite is really tough. A shaky head is another technique that works better if you are fishing a defined area, but you can use it as a search technique. 

Big heavy jigs can be a great search technique as well as a great specific spot technique. And on average. the fish you catch on jigs are usually bigger. Texas rigging a big 10" Berkley Power worm with 1/4 or 3/8 oz sinker is another great deep water technique that catches big fish. 

As far as the thermocline.... I kind of doubt if Buckeye gets a thermocline just because it's so shallow. Maybe it does..... I don't know. But from what I understand, most of Ohio's inland lakes don't have enough dissolved oxygen below the thermocline for fish to survive. Once again..... maybe there is. I'm just going by what I've read.


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## KWaller (Oct 3, 2010)

i'm not only going to fish buckeye,
i will fish a lot of other lakes like salt fork, Dillon, a few west Virginia lakes, etc. ive caught one fish so far on a drop shot and it was a small small mouth bass on Summersville lakes WV and it was 85' down  when you guys use jigs in deep water, do you use a flipping pole or a casting pole? 
thanks!

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## firstflight111 (May 22, 2008)

KWaller said:


> i'm not only going to fish buckeye,
> i will fish a lot of other lakes like salt fork, Dillon, a few west Virginia lakes, etc. ive caught one fish so far on a drop shot and it was a small small mouth bass on Summersville lakes WV and it was 85' down  when you guys use jigs in deep water, do you use a flipping pole or a casting pole?
> thanks!
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


how deep of water ..for the most part i use a 7 foot medium fast action g loomis glx mbr842c .just the right back bone ..plus good to figh the fish with ..it a great all around rod i can do any thing with it great for worms ,cranksbaits , spinnerbaits and dropshot..


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

Bassbme said:


> I gotta agree with Tokugawa on technique choices. Learning when to employ each technique is something you'll need to figure out. Carolina rigs and deep crankbaits are great search techniques for deep, or deeper water. They both great for covering deep flats, points, and the tops of deep humps.
> 
> Drop Shotting is a technique that is better used once you've found the fish or if you are fishing a very specific spot. It's not really a search technique because you're fishing slower, but it's very effective. Especially if the bite is really tough. A shaky head is another technique that works better if you are fishing a defined area, but you can use it as a search technique.
> 
> ...


I agree with the above regarding a thermocline. Most of the lakes in Ohio are too shallow, and too small to develope a solid thermocline. You may get a slight separation of water temps and dissolved oxygen, but not a true thermocline. That being said, water clarity is usually the determining factor as to how deep fish will locate. Structure, cover and bait will have an impact on depth as well, but in dirtier water bait will stay near the surface anyway. The best way i've found to find an approximate depth is to idle proud and watch for schools of shad and note where the majority of them are. Then find structure (points, humps,etc.) That reach into that approximate depth range. If you can find cover (rocks, brushpiles, stumps,etc.) On that structure definitely fish it hard! I usually start by throwing crankbaits. The rapala DT series is a great line of crankbaits for this because they tell you how deep they will run and they are fairly accurate with their labeling. Hit it from several angles till you get a feel for what is down there. Follow it up with jigs, big worms, and heavy spinnerbaits.
Don't get discouraged. Not every stop will yield fish. But when you finally find the right spot, it can get ugly in a hurry! You'll almost feel bad about it.  

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