Deep Water Bass

[Hez]

Do any of you have any experience / success fishing deeper water in Florida lakes?

I am on the Harris chain and always graph fish in deeper water (12 - 15 ft usually) or a deep hole / slot, but no matter what I seem to throw at them - I never have any success.

For instance, I graphed some fish on Dora this morning near a deep hole at the bottom of the steepest break leading to shallow water; threw my marker buoy in the water and went to town. Threw rattle traps, lipped cranks, and worms (pegged tx rig both 3/16 and 1/2 oz weight) for about an hour without a bite. I was about 75 yards out from the vegetation line (reeds).

I eventually drifted up and fished the reeds and boated 3 fish in short work.

Are those fish out deep just inactive and the fish up shallow are active and feeding?

[GTB]

I like to slow roll a 3/4 to 1oz spinner bait or a magnum ez on a 7/0 weighted swimbait hook

[GTB]

What are the best bass lakes close to Apopka in Aug ?

[Ladr6]

Are the fish you mark on the bottom or suspended? If suspended, those are usually inactive fish and very difficult to catch, unless you are marking tons of bait mixed in, in that case throw a jerkbait or hairjig or flutter spoon. If on the bottom, 5xd or 6xd crank, c-rig, or big jig. Slow rolling a spinnerbait as stated above can be deadly too.

[Orion922]

Learn to drop shot. You can even drop shot in grass if rigged correctly.

[ohbass4me]

Learn to drop shot. You can even drop shot in grass if rigged correctly.

yup, we do that allot in the Placid area.

[Hez]

What are the best bass lakes close to Apopka in Aug ?

Harris Chain is 15 minutes here...multiple ramps

[Hez]

Learn to drop shot. You can even drop shot in grass if rigged correctly.

Drop shot is sometimes in the arsenal....but never had any success with it either

[Hez]

Are the fish you mark on the bottom or suspended? If suspended, those are usually inactive fish and very difficult to catch, unless you are marking tons of bait mixed in, in that case throw a jerkbait or hairjig or flutter spoon. If on the bottom, 5xd or 6xd crank, c-rig, or big jig. Slow rolling a spinnerbait as stated above can be deadly too.

I see both, suspended fish and fish on the bottom. I generally consider the fish inactive if suspended, as you mention...and target the fish on the bottom. One thing that I don't see a lot of is schools of bait fish...maybe I just have trouble distinguishing the cloud of baitfish from a clump of grass...either way...

Will add a jig and spinnerbait to the arsenal...and a drop shot more often...and a soft swimbait....I am going to keep at it...they are out there....very prominent markings on the graph.

I'm going to try to stay disciplined and try to figure this out

[Orion922]

I see both, suspended fish and fish on the bottom. I generally consider the fish inactive if suspended, as you mention...and target the fish on the bottom. One thing that I don't see a lot of is schools of bait fish...maybe I just have trouble distinguishing the cloud of baitfish from a clump of grass...either way...

Will add a jig and spinnerbait to the arsenal...and a drop shot more often...and a soft swimbait....I am going to keep at it...they are out there....very prominent markings on the graph.

I'm going to try to stay disciplined and try to figure this out

By no stretch am I trying to give advice just throwing out there. I fish Kingsley lake a lot or used to. It is 80 feet deep in some places and fishes more like a Northern lake often. Over 20 years I learned when you mark then they will bite fairly quickly, if not I’m moving to find more on the bottom or slightly suspended. If they are truly suspended I move on. For me, if they are more than 5 foot off the bottom I’m moving. When I find a good concentration I’ll mark both sides of the school or area then back off 40 some odd feet and drop another mark. I’ll stay in that mark and cast to the other 2 unless I’m dropping straight on them which sometimes they want. IMO (even for all us grinders) we think we are giving deep water time but we do not. Heck why stay out there when 100 yards away you can be pitching and flipping. When I am truly going to fish deep, I have a few drop shot rods with different lengths, C-rig, standup jig head, and crank for situation. Maybe a jig. Finally, you can get on multiple deeper fish but unless you fire them up you are going for one big bite. Sorry to sound like I know what I’m saying but I probably have 500 days fishing 20 ft or deeper.

[FlaPhoenix]

Get you a couple of the Nichols magnum flutter spoons and give them a try. Tried them last year on river ledges here on my local lake and had pretty good success. Just make sure you have the fish pinpointed because if you try to use it as a search bait you will be worn out pretty quick.

[Hez]

Loving the input guys - thanks a lot

[B-47]

I fish deep water (12' - 25') 85% of my fishing trips on local lakes. The only time I fish shallow water (2' - 8') is during the spring when bass are bedding and that would be on E. Lake Toho, Toho, Kiss. .... Most of the bass are caught on finesse worms, wacky worms, suspending jerk baits, crank baits and spoons.

[Hez]

I fish deep water (12' - 25') 85% of my fishing trips on local lakes. The only time I fish shallow water (2' - 8') is during the spring when bass are bedding and that would be on E. Lake Toho, Toho, Kiss. .... Most of the bass are caught on finesse worms, wacky worms, suspending jerk baits, crank baits and spoons.

Do you graph your spots or do you just have spots that have produced over the years?

[Whiteboat]

You need to start watching the Mikey Balzz videos on utube. He has several videos where he is fishing deep in public waters around Sebring, FL. Very informative.

[Hez]

You need to start watching the Mikey Balzz videos on utube. He has several videos where he is fishing deep in public waters around Sebring, FL. Very informative.

I do...he is mainly fishing brush piles with crankbaits...8xd...10xd...

[Spanky06]

Listen to Orion 922, I fish Kingsley and Lowry as well as Magnolia and do so regularly as they are very close to my home. He is spot on, Drop shot and Shakey Head are the way to go with these fish. today on Lowry my partner and I scored about 40 and most of them came on these deep water techniques.

Spanky

[Spanky06]

Jason,
WAZZUUPP???

Spanky

[Orion922]

Jason,
WAZZUUPP???

Spanky

Give me a ring brutha when in town.

[B-47]

"Do you graph your spots or do you just have spots that have produced over the years?"

I always watch my graph for depth, vegetation, drops, cuts to shallow water, fish symbols,......... Wife and I caught 61 bass today fishing about 3 hours on a lake down the street. The fish were moving from shallow to deep and staging inn 15' to 22'. All were caught on finesse worms, stick-o's and wacky stick-o's. I don't fish drop shot that often but I know a lot of people who do. I am always looking for new locations on the lakes I fish because fish will relocate often on a lake that has heavy fishing traffic and the hurricane changed a lot of lake habitat this past year. By searching for new locations, it helps increase my odds for catching bigger fish.