How Deep is Deep?

[Daze Off]

Got to wondering as I posted the other question, what is the deepest anyone has caught a bass from in MN - you see/hear about the bass holding in 40-50 ft and being caught in southern reservoirs. How about in MN?

My personal best is just under 20 ft.

Daze Off

[Deitz Dittrich]

I think the deepest I ever got one was right around 25 feet...

[Ray Esboldt]

38 feet on some gin clear, trout lake up by Saint Cloud. BRK, what's the name of that lake? Man, I cannot remember. It's going to drive me nuts.

[sicheneder]

watab lake

[SluggoMaster]

I have found deep is relative to water clarity. Deep on a murky lake is 10-12 feet. Clear lakes, 30-40 feet is common.

[Ray Esboldt]

Watab, that's it. Thank you.

[Bill L]

Deep is also relative to the body of water. Down here in the middle part of Illinois, you are hard pressed to find spots on the Mississippi deeper than 10-12 feet. That is how deep they keep the channel dredged. So, 4 feet deep in the backwaters is relatively deep water. Some of our lakes have a max depth of 20-22 feet. If I am fishing 10-12, I am fishing deep. As others have said, you might be approaching 30-40 feet to be fishing deep in some other lakes. Deep to me usually means I am fishing some off the bank location like points, creek channel bends, stump fields, humps that rise out of 20 FOW and top out at 8 FOW, standing timber along creek channels. etc. It seems to me that you folks have a lot more weeds than I get to fish. So, to me, that outside weed edge that could be from 10 to 20 feet deep would be deep since I am not beating the bank, or fishing the docks or pads. Good luck.

Bill

[Ray Esboldt]

The home page, front page, whatever you want to call it has an article that I penned about fishing "deep". And, like the other guys say - deep is relative. I think I mention that within the first paragraph. It sounds like a wishy-washy answer but it is the truth.

[Wayne Ek]

Ray, deep is anything over my head I have caught smallies in 40 feet of water while vertical jigging for walleyes up in canada in the late fall.

[Ray Esboldt]

Wayne,

That's a heck of a good point! I swim real similar to a rock, so 73 inches of water is deep.

[zepman]

Once caught a Smallie in 45 ft. of water while jigging for walleye in October. Nice one too---went 21 inches.

[Slyster]

On a clear lake like White Bear Lake.. I feel a 'deep bass' are anything beyond 15 feet... and they DO tend to be larger... but for numbers, I still catch most bass at around 6-10 feet during these mid July days... and a good number at only 3-5 feet!