Best at depth

[BassProAddict]

I'm looking for hardbaits that can reach 17-20+ feet without needing to be trolled.Is there even such a thing? I have some deep indentations on my lake but honey hole ain't exactly "trollable".

Any recommenadtions for 17-20 feet? What about 20 feet and deeper?

For softbaits, would you rather reach this via Texas rig or D-shot?

[Deitz Dittrich]

BPA as for crankbaits, you can get that kind of depth out of a DD22 and poe 400+ pretty easy as long as you dont go more than 10 lb test, 8 may be better.. You can also get that kind of depth out of a DT 16, if you put a small rubber core sinker on the front trebble.

Dropshot, and carolina rig, jig n pig, texas rig can all bi fished at this depth quite easily as well. Believe it or not even a well weighted spinnerbait turned painfully slow is affective at these depths too.

[BassProAddict]

I've never tried those DD's before.Have you Deitz? Can I substitute 12lb braid for the 8lb mono and still get that depth?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Norman DD22 are a very good crank, they are pretty big however, you cant get them in a small size. They are work to pull in for sure, a lower gear ratio reel, something in the 5-1 ratio helps with arm fatigue.

You sure can substitute 12 lb braid, but I am not a huge fan of cranking with braid lines, its just my own personal preferance.. also 12lb braid has a tendancy of diggin in on its self on baitcasters.. just be very carefull on your next cast after figing a fish or pulling in weeds as the spool may stop and start and backlash.

[BassProAddict]

How's color reception a those depths? I know you're not a fish but what in your opinion and everybody else's is best at the 17-25 foot depths?

Reds? Chartreuse/Tigers? Shiny?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Thats going to depend on light penitration. I dont do red much for deep divers.. Most of my deep stuff has a lot of yellows/chartruce, purples, and blues... I also have a lot of panfish colored baits.

Some lakes 17 feet isn't even really that deep.. other lakes its downright dark in those depths..

[BassProAddict]

I guess it depends on the weeds and grass growths down at those depths eh?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Yeppers!!!

[RK]

Hiya -

On some of the lakes I fish the coontail is out to 20-21 feet by midsummer, so I do a lot of deep cranking. Deitz hit the mainstay baits - DD22s, Poes 400s, and DT-16s. Personally, I use the Poes and DTs about 80% of the time.

To get baits that deep, it helps to have a long rod and a good reel, and fling the things as far as you can. I throw mine on a 7'11" rod with a Lews BB-19 reel, and you can really launch a DT-16 with it.

Most of the season I use Fluoro for line (Fluorocarbon sinks, which helps you get a little more depth. Hard to say how much exactly, but I think it's a foot or two on a long cast). But unlike Deitz, I do use braid later in the summer when I'm into the coontail heavy. You can actually break off with 10 or 12# fluoro when you bury a bait in the coontail, and I got sick of busting off $7 cranks. I use 20# braid like Cortland MasterBraid. Have to be careful fighting fish with the stuff though. With no stretch, you can pull small crankbait hooks out if you aren't careful. I fish braid on a glass rod rather than graphite, mainly for that reason.

As far as colors go, I stay pretty basic. Dark back, white belly most of the time (I'm in very clear water). I could get by just fine with nothing but a Bluegill pattern DT-16 or a green back/white belly Poes most days.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Central Bassman]

Great information guys, I need to pick up some DD22s

[BassProAddict]

So what do you guys think of deep water RED cranks? Looking at it from the POV of the color spectrum (rainbow), it's ROYGBIV (Red,Orange,Yellow,Blue,Indigo and Violet), which color would "stay" the longest? The reds or the Violets?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Violets all the way.. red is the first color to turn gray.

[Nick Kuhn]

Casting I can get a Deep Tail Dancer (size 9) to bottom bounce in 20 feet of water. The flash perch is evidently tough to see that far down in stained water though, only fish I caught I snagged right below the dorsal fin.

[TonkaBass]

I'm not a huge guy on color, but I think it is something to look at. Some colors of crankbaits don't mimic anything, other mimic shad or crayfish very well. I personally think that when you're fishing a crankbait it is the action that gets the fish to respond. If you're catching a bunch of fish on a DT-10 and start throwing a Model A you probably will have different results. If you were to just change the color of the DT-10, you might see that you are catching the same number of fish. I'm not saying all the time, but more than not its the action alone that they want. If you are fishing in stained water the action becomes even more of a factor. The fish cant see as well so they locate off of the vibrations much more.

[BassProAddict]

I also believe that it's the action initially.The fish turns its head to see the action, but needs visuals such as color to confirm the prey.

This I learned from that 1700 hour underwater study I'm reading.