Very Deep Bass

[fisherman_craig]

Hey guys
Went fishing yesterday and the bass were very deep. They were around 30 feet deep. What kind of lure should I have used. The water temp was 91 degrees.

[sabass]

swim baits do good at getting down deep.

[jglassguy]

You can let a big rattletrap sink and fish those depth, or a carolina rig , or a heavy jig n pig

[Rob Mak]

get a dd 22 use 8 pound floro it should put you down 30-35.


zooker

[bearpaw]

Zooker,
Went by David Fritts outdoors the other day and asked if they had a DT 22. They said that they haven't heard of these particular baits.
Are you referring the DT22 to a DD22 ?

[NorthNJangler]

Jigging spoon, that can go deep.

[jglassguy]

bassman

they still sell them, its a Norman DD22
I just went online and theres tons of places that sell them

[ryan7261]

SUMMER: In the summer, deep water fish are usually off the bottom six inches to two feet, and an angler can easily see them on a chart or fine tuned LCD unit. A concentration in the summer may stay in the same spot for two or three weeks, without any significant changes in the weather to move them. Summer patterns hold May through August and the big fish are deep. A good summertime lure selection would include the jiggin spoon with a two or three foot hop, the Little George tail spinner, the plastic worm and the watermelon or smoke colored plastic grubs. They all produce over the right structure. Many anglers have problems with deep water angling because they just don't have the patience to keep searching for the big schools. You have to dedicate a major portion of the day to seeking deep water fish to be a consistently successful angler. The first hour after sun up may be the best time in deep water, as well as in the shallows. Since shallow water bass are more effected by the sun's rays than those in the depths, many anglers head for the shallows first. The chart recorder and LCD unit have done for deep water angling what the spinnerbait has done for shallow water fishing. While the spinnerbait fisherman is spending a couple hours casting the shoreline to find fish, the deep water angler is idling across a good piece of structure seeking his quarry also.

[ryan7261]

WHEN TO CRANK: Cranking is typically best in water between 55 and 80 degrees, or when bass are at their activity level. In this range, bass are most likely to make the reaction strike that makes deep cranking so effective.

WHERE TO USE DEEP CRANKBAITS: 1. In Shallow Water: The long bill of a deep crankbait is an effective buffer against hangups, allowing the angler to root the bait on the bottom in shallow water. This gives the lure an erratic fleeing crawfish action which is highly effective in the spring, when the water is warming into the 60s and bass are moving shallow. Crank shallow flats, bars and coves. 2. In Shallow Depressions: Ditches, shallow creek channels, dredge lines and the like are migration routes for bass moving from deep to shallow water in the spring, and bumping the edges and bottom of these depressions with a diving crankbait can produce a quick limit. 3. On Humps, Rockpiles and Roadbeds: These high spots are bass magnets, and cranking is the most efficient means of probing them. They're worth checking from spring through fall. 4. On Points: Best in post spawn and fall. Bass gravitate to points to intercept passing schools of baitfish and are vulnerable to a crankbait presentation. 5. On Channel Drops: With today's crankbaits that dive 20 to 30 feet, bass holding tight to or suspending over a channel drop are within reach.

DEEP CRANKING TACKLE: Most cranking rods range from 6 1/2 to 7 feet in length and have a very soft action. Graphite is considered too stiff by many pros, who prefer fiberglass or composite rods for crankbaits instead. The reason for the long, soft rod? Many bass hooked on crankbaits are skin hooked or hooked on the very edge or outside of the mouth. Crankbaits often foul hook bass that take a swipe at them, too. Landing these lightly hooked fish demands the maximum shock absorption - if a stiff rod is used, the bass may throw or rip out the hook on its first run. To attain the maximum depth and action from a lure, use a baitcasting reel spooled with 10 or 12 pound test line when deep cranking.

[ryan7261]

CRANKING SUBSTRUCTURES: Crankbaits are among the best bass lures for probing substructures, or structure on structure. Often a large piece of structure, such as a channel drop off, most of the bass in the area will be on a smaller piece of structure associated with the larger, such as a sunken tree or rockpile. Use deep diving crankbaits in association with your electronics to pinpoint these areas. Once you graph the substructure, drop a marker buoy, then probe the area with a crankbait capable of attaining the depth necessary to bump the substructure. Often, strikes will occur as the lure careens off the rock, stump, etc. But sometimes bass will suspend over the object and will strike a fast moving crankbait retrieved through them without making contact with the object.

READING BOTTOM WITH CRANKBAITS: With practice, you can read the bottom with a deep diving crankbait. When coupled with a sensitive rod, these lures have the ability to telegraph a considerable amount of useful information to the angler. The experienced fisherman can tell a gravel bottom from a mud bottom, or a rock from a stump, when his crankbait contacts it. Strikes often occur where one type of bottom condition or cover transitions into another.

WOOD vs. PLASTIC CRANKBAITS: Both wood and plastic crankbaits have their place in a tackle box. Wood lures are more buoyant and may appear more lifelike to the bass, particularly when careening off objects. Plus, there's an undeniable mystique to fishing a wood bait, this may inspire more confidence on the angler's part. But wood crankbaits aren't as durable as plastic and often chip or crack when bumped around stumps and rocks.

CRANKBAIT COLORS: Stick to basics when selecting crankbait colors. Shad, bluegill and crawfish colors are best. Chartreuse or fire tiger are especially good in stained water or in clear water on overcast days. Many anglers use crankbaits with reflective finishes, chrome, gold, blue, etc. These simulate baitfish well on sunny days, but quickly lose their flash when clouds roll in. On overcast days, avoid reflective colors and switch to flat baitfish simulating colors such as bone or Tennessee shad.

CRANKING TECHNIQUES: Crankbaits are mechanical lures unlike jigs or plastic worms, they have a built in action predetermined by the lure's design and construction features. If you cast them out and reel them straight back to the boat without bumping them into anything, they will have an unvarying action. This may be sufficient to tempt bass into striking. Varying the retrieve often can increase stikes when using deep crankbaits. A stop and go retrieve may trigger reluctant bass into striking, and, especially in clear water, probably makes the crankbait appear more lifelike to the bass. Finding out what kind of retrieve the bass want on a given day is always a matter of trial and error. If bass aren't responding to what you're doing, change it. Many anglers crank with the rod sideways, tip close to the water. Some sink the rod into the water, the kneel and reel presentation. This can cause your crankbait to dive to extreme depths, but may deaden the sensation of the lure vibrating through the rod and cause you to lose touch with the lure

[Rob Mak]

doh my bad
bassman dd

zooker

[jglassguy]

My favorite deep diving crankbaits include Berkley's medium and deep diving 3/8 oz. Frenzy, Norman's Deep Little N, DD14 and DD22, Mann's 15+ and 20+, Pradco's Fat Free Shad and Storm's Magnum Wiggle Wart. I realize that this is quite a list, but I have caught fish on each and every one of these baits many times and almost consider them interchangeable. There is definitely something positive about showing the bass something different, so it doesn't hurt to change up sometimes. I have and will continue to experiment with color pattern, but I can't seem to find any color more consistently productive than "firetiger." Different lure companies have slight color variations and maybe different color names but the "firetiger" that I am referring to consists of chartreuse sides with a lime green or black back and orange belly. Usually the sides will have either black stripes or dots. I suppose that the bass think that this color looks like a bream, but I'm not sure. Chartreuse/blue back will catch a lot of fish and on sunny days, chrome/black or blue back can be good, but if I had to choose just one crankbait color for my home lake of Brookville Lake in. , it would be "firetiger." Regardless of color or model make sure those hooks are razor sharp. I usually change all of my crankbait hooks to the next larger size and always use VMC Vanadium Round Bend trebles, usually the short shank models. Many, many times, a bass strikes at a crankbait and only gets part of the bait in its mouth. With those razor sharp hooks, you stand a much better chance of hooking any bass that even looks at your crankbait.

The crankbait got its name from the fact that it was a bait that a fisherman could cast out and crank back and catch fish. And sometimes, it is just that easy. But to become a crankbait master, you must develop a "feel" for the bait. If you have ever thrown a crankbait, you probably figured out that the main problem with them is how easy that they get hung up. Please understand that if you are not getting hung up, then you aren't fishing in the right places. Start out the day with the idea firmly planted in your head that you are going to get hung up, not just once or twice but many times. That way you'll be mentally prepared to get hung up, and the process won't be nearly so frustrating. On a normal day of crankbait fishing, I will probably get hung up 40 or 50 times. This isn't a big deal, since there are many methods available to get your bait back. To start with, position your boat directly over the hung up bait with your trolling motor and reel all the way down until your feel the bait hit the tip of your rod and just push. Usually the bait pops free immediately. Sometimes you may have to give the bait a little coaxing to get it loose, but almost always the bait can be recovered with some effort. The problem with these deep diving crankbaits is that they dive deeper than we can reach with our rods. Various devices are made to help in these situations. Some are heavy lead weights that you attach to your line and lower down to your bait to "knock" it loose. The one that I use the most is a lightweight telescoping aluminum pole about 16' long. These poles have a means of attaching the end to your line and can then be used to push your bait loose. This may seem like a lot of trouble, but at $3-$6 per bait, I'm willing to spend a little bit of time trying to retrieve my hard earned dollars from the bottom of the lake. Your defense against getting hung up is developing that "feel" that I mentioned earlier. This "feel" is not something that you are going develop by reading this article. This takes time on the water with a crankbait on the end of your line. The first thing that you need to learn how to "feel" and the thing that will save you the most hang-ups, is the feeling of your line rubbing against a tree limb or log. When you get this feeling, stop reeling and use just the tip of your rod to move the bait, very gently up and over the limb. If you just keep cranking hard, you'll get hung up almost every time. One of the quickest ways to figure out how this feels is to throw your crankbait over a log that you can see just barely under the water. Then you can watch your line and bait and "feel" how that line feels rubbing on wood and how that bait feels when comes up and over the limb. Where most people miss fish with a crankbait is they get hung up just before the bait goes over the limb or log. Most strikes occur just after the lure has passed over the limb, so if your bait gets hung up before it goes over, it doesn't pass through the most productive strike zone. So, if you can develop that "feel" and decrease your number of hang-ups, you can greatly increase the number of fish that you will catch with a crankbait. With just a little bit a finesse, you can bring a crankbait through some amazingly thick cover.

[bearpaw]

JB,

I knew that they still make the dd22. I was wondering whether he meant dd or dt. The dt22 does not exist.

[jglassguy]

If ya ever get one , it feels like you have a bluegill on the end, it wobbles and thumps as you reel it in

[fisherman_craig]

JB,
Thanks for the Awesome advice! I dont fish crank baits just bc of that reason. I got very frustrated not too long ago bc i got hung up 3 times in a row!! But now I know to excpect it. Next time I go out, I will practice with it. The lake I fish at is very overfished, but I dont have many options. Great post! ;D

[Bin]

Bass can be found on the deep, outside weed line, typically in 15 to 20 feet of water.

They hang out in the deep weed growth, . It provides cover, the preferred water temperature and ambush spots for forage fish."

Make long casts with a Texas-rigged plastic worm, let it drop and reel it back slowly.

I use a 6- to 7-inch plastic worm rigged on worm hook with a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce bullet sinker, . If you peg the sinker with a piece of tooth pick it will stay in place and be easier to cast. But if you let it slide free, the fish won't feel the weight as easily.

Use dark colored worms on clear lakes and bright colors on lakes with stained water.

Set the hook harder than you think,. The fish are deep and you need a hard hook-set.

[Bin]

Deep-diving crank baits, including the Bagley DB-3 and the Rapala Deep-diving Shad Rap, can get down to re the fish are. :

With a low-stretch line, like Berkley Fire Line, you can crank your lure down faster and deeper than with monofilament line,

Crank baits can also be trolled.

Concentrate on deep weed beds, grass flats and rock bars

[jeffman]

FATCAT,

You did not say if you were fishing from bank or a boat. If you are fishing from a boat, where you can find the concentrations of bass, it would be a good time to use a drop shot rig.
Another trick is to rig a wacky worm or Senko rig and let it fall to the bottom. When you have reached the bottom depth, pull the line up about a foot or 18 inches and attach a small clip-on type bobber to your line. The tricky part is when the fish strikes, you have to set the hook, then reel up and take the bobber off the line and retrieve the fish. This method works best when there is a pretty heavy chop on the water, and your boat is anchored.

JackL