Deep Water...........ya I know

[bassNspear]

I know this topic comes up more times then not, but i would love to hear everyones take on deep water again. There is alot of people on this site that love to fish deep, forsure deitz, fluke and Ray. Just love to hear what you pros of deep water have to talk about. As deitz and ray know, i was a huge dock and slop fisherman, but with them yelling at me more times then not, its helped me become better in deep water.

Lets here how you go about fishing deep water. When to do it? How you go about finding spots? What baits you love to fish? Where to fish them and why?

Type away boys.

[st.crioxfishin]

I'd like to think I was getting some confidence in fishing deep and then something like today happens. I told myself I wasn't going to fish anything shallow today and after fishing deep for about 4 hours with only one fish to show for it, I went to the shallow milfoil and started catching 18" fish! I realize 4 hours isn't a great amount of time, but when you only have about 5-6 hours on the water, a guy wants to catch some fish I just can't seem to CONSISTENTLY get on a deeper water bite. At times I can find them deep, but not consistently. maybe thats the norm...?

[Neighbor_guy]

I am trying to fish deep water more this year. When I have I have fished jigs, and jigging spoons with some luck, not much though. My biggest problem is what I like to call "an ooohhhh shiny moment." When I am out deep, watching the flasher fishing on a spot I can see lots of other shallower spots to try. Thus getting distracted like a kid seeing the sun shine on a dime in a parking lot.

I guess that is why I tend to lean more tward shallow.

[Matt Johnson]

Generally water temps play an important role for me. As water temps move into the mid and upper 70's I typically starting to seek out deeper water when water clarity is adequate to good. I also like to pay attention to the bluegill migrations. As the small bluegills move out so do the bass. Comfort and forage base are key with this migration in my opinion.

So, with that being said, now is the time to hit the deep weedlines Tonka, Chisago Chain, Waconia... a lot of these lakes are experiencing a deeper bite now for consistency. Jig worms, jigs, Title-shots and Beavers... these are all methods to go about catching them. Also might want to throw in the crankbait too

[RK]

Hiya -

Matt hit on a key point re: forage. As soon as the YOY sunfish start moving out, the bass will follow. It's a little late this year (at least on the lakes up North I fish) because the bluegill/sunfish spawn is so far behind normal. There are always some bass out deep I think (I caught some on a deep weedline the first week of the season) but I think the numbers start moving out later as water temps go up.

As far as finding deep water fish goes, I start by finding the biggest points or humps I can find that are relatively close to shallow water habitat where fish have been earlier in the season. Basically, go to where you've been catching fish shallow, turn around and face out to sea, and see what's nearby. From there, I try to find the spot on the spot kinds of things - little points, fingers, and inside turns on the weed edge.

If I'm in search mode, I often start with a deep diving crankbait. I use the crank not only to find and catch fish, but to feel my way along the weedline. I find a lot of the little weed fingers and thicker clumps of deep cabbage or coontail with a crankbait. You can then follow it up with a jig and pig, or jigworm, or a drop shot. I will often catch 3-5 fish off a small point on a weed edge with a crankbait, then catch a couple more with a drop shot. They're a great 'clean up' tactic.

If I'm fishing a spot where I know there's fish, or I think the fish are up high, I often start with a jigworm. Hard to beat them on many MN lakes. Fish the lightest jighead conditions allow (I use a 3/32 oz head 80% of the time) and just poke and probe your way along the weedline... It seems like when they're aggressive, bass will cruise 3-4 feet out from the weed edge and up off the bottom, sometimes right at the level where the weeds top out on the deep edge. Jigworms are really killer in these cases. They just grab 'em as they fall. Have to watch your line very carefully...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Deitz Dittrich]

The deep bite has been hit or miss as of late, depending on the lake.. Matt and RK hit the main stuff, not a whole lot to add..

I'll only add this, Once you hit this time of the year, its never bad to hit deep water. I fished with Yourbobersdown today, he was surprised when first thing in the morning we hit a deep water spot rather than the shallows. My reply to him.. Morning is a good fishing time, both deep and shallow. Why not try and find a school.. We were rewarded when my pole bent and I landed a nice chunky 19+" fish that went 4.5lbs.. Drop shot.

[Gutz]

Pretty much all the bases have been covered by you guys. I like to search with a crankbait, then I'll come back with a jigworm(my favorite weed edge lure), If I'm getting too many small fish with the jigworm I'll switch to a jig and craw. The only thing I'll add is I like to clean up with a texas rig worm. Sometimes if you've been working a school over they move back farther into the weeds and a tx worm can get ya back in there for another fish or two.

[Ray Esboldt]

Good call, Gutz. If a school quits on me, I will come back a little later and probe the jungle. I'll usually pitch a 3/4 oz. jig with a chunk. But a texas rig is perfect for it as well. The fish will usually stay in the same area, particularly on points.

How to approach deep water, what to throw, when to fish it. Man, we could all write biblical chapters on that. For me, once the water hits about 74 degrees (morning temp), I will always start on the fringes. An edge where weeds meets rocks can be phenomonal right away in the morning. I almost always start with a jigworm. It's not a search bait. Definitely not. But it is a confidence bait when I am fishing an area that I am confident in.

And confidence, that may be the key to selecting an area. Is it an area that should hold fish? How does one know that? Well, really only experience gets you to that point. Little things I consider: Is there hard (and I mean rocks, gravel, or hard pack clay) bottom? Is there a fairly large weed complex nearby? Fish always need a shelter area, so weeds are important. Is the wind in my favor? Meaning, can I effectively fish it. 3 footers makes things difficult. Dead calm can have also have a detrimental effect.

There's so much to consider if you're new to it. Really, you just need to go do it. Ignore the shallows for a couple days. Being a good shallow water fisherman is an asset. But, deepwater often offers more options in our neck of the woods.

[bassNspear]

Great information Guys. I love reading this stuff.