Pro-Fishing Tips - Fishing Articles for Pro-Fishing Success
Deep Structure
Deeper Bass Equals Bigger And less Pressures Bass
Cody Meyer
Finding deep structure is often the key to catching bigger spotted bass. Many anglers refuse to look below the 20 to 25 foot range when fishing for spots. This is what separates the big bag from the average bag in many tournaments. Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville are great examples of lakes where going deep to find bigger bass pays off.
Where to Start
The first thing on fishing deep is finding the right structure were you will catch them. This time of the year the bass move deep because the baitfish move deep, so finding baitfish is the key to finding good deep-water action. When I begin my search I always look for humps that top out at the depths with the most baitfish activity, or points and deep breaks that end at that depth. To pinpoint bass that will feed on these baitfish, it is important to find defined spots where they can intercept and run into the baitfish. To locate these structures you need good electronics with a high pixel count, along with a detailed topographical map that shows contour lines.
How to catch them
When fishing deeper than 40-50 feet, my presentation is basically vertical. I usually start out throwing a 1oz. blue/chrome Mega bait spoon or three-quarters to one ounce Yamamoto spider grub in a green pumpkin or smoke color rigged on a 7ft Powell rod with a good 15-pound line. I start by dropping straight down so I can closely watch it on the meter. Then, I begin hopping it or popping it on the bottom trying to draw a strike. Both lures are great locater baits and will catch the active fish in the schooling fish in the area. If the action slows down I will quickly switch to a 7foot Powell spinning rod with 6-8 pound test. On the other end I will have either a quarter ounce drop-shot or a darthead rigged with either a Roboworm or a magic worm in shad colors. Once again I will drop down both baits paying close attention to my meter hoping to watch a big spotted bass swim up and eat it. Once on the bottom, I will fish these baits very slow trying to imitate a wounded baitfish. For the most part the bite on the drop-shot and darthead will be a mush bite or the rod will just slowly load up.
On the right kind of lake, deep water can hold very good fish. Generally, you will not get as many bites as the shallow fish, but they will tend to be a quarter to half pound bigger. Also, you won’t be sharing the water with other tournament and weekend anglers as much. Remember, fish caught deeper than 20-25 feet can suffer from over expansion of the swim bladder. By inserting a hypodermic needle and using Rejuvenade you will help keep those fish alive. So the next time you go out in early fall and fish for tricky spotted bass, don’t overlook the deep stuff, drop a line down into some deep water after those unpressured bass.
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