How deep will bass go?

[poncho]

I fish Ten Mile Lake, a deep ( 200ft is the deepest), crystal clear lake, the water clarity is aprox. 22 feet down. In the summer I can still find bass in shallow water, but when it gets real hot they go deep, I loose them!

How far down would the weedline be in water this clear. And, is there a limit to how far a bass will go? A buddy of mine swears he boated a bass in this same lake last summer 40 feet down!!!! I just can't see the reason for a bass to be down that deep, when there is food much shallower. Help me please!!! I want to learn how do fish these bass when they go deep on me. Thanks!

[Deitz Dittrich]

poncho, it really depends on if the lake gets a thermocline. I know down south they get bass on some of those bluff lakes in 80 feet of water all the time. So 40 is deffinatly not out of question here.

[setterguy]

Bill Dance won a Bassmasters tournament in the 70's with every fish coming in over 30' of water with a Carolina rig. I have caught fish in 25' of water while lindy rigging for walleyes. I'm no expert, just my experiences.

[bmc]

Last summer, July I think, I was fishing a local stocked lake trout lake and caught a 18" smallie about 25' down over 50' of water. I graphed a large school of bigger fish, smallies I'm assuming and smaller fish, ciscoes, I'm assuming. Come to think of it, I also caught a largie that day too, but think I was in about 30' of water. With the clear water, if there's ciscoes or tulibees out there, it might not hurt to probe the depths to see what's out there. Big fish of all species will suspend in no mans land if there's a school of ciscoes/tulibees around.

Brian

[poncho]

So... How far down would a weedline grow in a lake with this kind of clarity? Thanks!

[Deitz Dittrich]

your depth finder will tell you that... My guess? About 25 feet?.. it will also depend on what kind of weeds grow in the lake.. I have been on lakes like you describe that only have like a cabbage weed.. An ultra clear lake, yet the weedline was in only about 12 feet of water. Northern milfoil will grow quite a bit deeper, and coontail even deeper than northern milfoil. So the type weed does play a large roll, as well as bottom composition.