Big Deep Fish

[jooleyen]

I'm in need of some tips here. I need to catch some bigger fish with more than just one technique. I'm gonna try to get really detailed.

My dad and I fish at a really deep quarry. (seems to get down to about 60 feet right at the bank)
It's ultra clear and rocky. There are nice smallies and largemouth in it. My dad landed about a 7 pound largemouth and about a 4 pound smallmouth. We've both had numerous 4+ pounders come from this place.

There is one technique that will catch the bigguns. It sounds really dumb, and I think it's really dumb, but it works VERY well at this place. We just walk along the bank, drop a jignpig down the ledges about 10-15' and bounce it slowly for suspended fish. I've used a dropshot, but I catch small ones. Would maybe a senko work better on a dropshot than a little finesse bait? Are the little ones all the way on the bottom? I always have crankbaits tied on no matter where I am, and I'm extremely confident in them, but I normally catch small ones. Very small - like 12". I will cast the shallow diving cranks parallel to the bank and walk it over the rocks, getting reaction strikes, but those are the little aggressive fish.
I've caught a couple of four pounders on crankbaits, but very rarely. I've only caught big ones throwing crankbaits onto what is either a big mound or just a transition from deep to shallow and catch fish, but it's been failing me lately. I'm just sick of bouncing a jig, because I know I won't be able to apply the technique to other lakes as well as I could with a crankbait or spinnerbait or other technique. I also know that that jig technique might not be working at the time, so I need a backup. There is also three corners of the quarry with shallow water and matted grass. I've caught a couple in the grass. There is also a slow tapering point adjacent to the "big mound or just a transition from deep to shallow".

So far, my idea list to catch big fish consists of :
1.Bouncing a jig.
2.Dropshotting a big soft stick bait.
3.Slowly yo-yo-ing a lipless crankbait near the bottom of very deep water.
I've got some more ideas, but they don't really seem realistic. Who knows.

So... Any ideas on catching bigger fish? Not just with a jig.

Thanks,

Julien

[JB]

Use a fluke or a finS and get a weighted hook..or use one weightless but would take quiet awhile to sink to the desired depth.
Once you get that soft jerkbait to the right depth, slow suttle movements of the rod tip, then pause, will drive them wild.
The key is going to experiment with depth...after you get the first one in,
try to figure how much line ya had out, or if you have a depth finder, look at the depth on it.

[bassfisher02]

Storm Swimbaits are always a good idea, swimming them parallel to that huge drop off at the shore, at a good, deep depth. Is the shore an overhang? Meaning there is a cuttaway beneath the waters surface that goes under where you are standing on the shore? If so a weightless stikbait wacky or not can be an interesting idea. Cast it parallel to the shore, but only about 3 or so feet from it. Let it just fall, and hold on, watch for the hit on the fall.

[brushhog]

Bassfisher02 stole my thunder!! I think Wacky rig senkos, with a weighted hook, or the like would work great. Cast as he suggests and let her drop. I like a twitch or two, very light, as it drops. the strike usually comes after the twitch as it drops. Keep us posted! Yo- yoing the lipless might be my second choice. Also, have you tried casting a deep diver type bait parallel to the bank and burning it deep? that is a fun way to fish and you can cover a lot of shoreline pretty quick...

[zooker]

out side the box slow rollin a blade..

zooker

[leroy]

Have you tried dragging a Texas Rigged Worm or Carolina Rigging a lizard or a finesse worm?

[keithdog]

Here is an idea. I have never tried this as I don't have lakes around here that are as clear as the one you are describing. But I have read of tournament fisherman fishing in very clear waters that are also very deep. One technique they talk about is fishing on the surface with a big Zara Spook. They talk about how in very clear water, bass will rise to the surface from deep water to nail a spook. You might give it a try sometime.

[robbor]

Sounds like you have an area all set. Id try live bait I think, small bluegill, large shad/shiner. Maybe even live crawdads. You can also try live bait on your bass jigs, ive heard of them using waterdogs, no rason you could not use a large bait fish on your jig. As far as swimbaits go for bass I like to go really big, I throw 9" castaic trout lures and I get alot of bites when I throw a 12" because most guys like throwing smaller baits. I think id just try live bait on a float and throw 3 of them up against the cliff and leave them for an hour and see. Id also try and use sliding floats and set them as deep as you feel comfortable 20' on a 60' cliff should be no big deal.

[BassAddict]

I agree with the swimbait idea as well as a Spook. If the water is real clear they will come up and whack that Spook.

Eric

[bassthumb32]

5-6" swimbait, big single willow blade spinnerbait, soon, blade bait.

[jooleyen]

That spinnerbait sounds good. And yes Bassfisher02, the shore is an overhang on some parts. It's like a little inlet where bass could seem to hide and ambush falling prey. The senko sounds good. I'll be letting it sink more than anything else, but I guess with a senko, letting it sink IS fishing it. Thanks a lot guys. I'll try all of those.

[keithdog]

Good luck Jools, let us know how things turn out.

[jooleyen]

Oh I will.

[DRBASSMAN]

Try Carolina-rigging a large craw; another thechnique to try is to cast a weightless 5" Senko - not wacky-rigged - on a 4/0 or 5/0 Gammy hook and just let 'er fall; I like to twitch it one to three times on the fall , , , but not too much.
DrB