- Read our review guidelines
Deep water bass fishing can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, especially if you don’t have much experience. You might just need to change up your tactics in order to catch anything.
During the summer and winter, bass can often be found in deeper areas of water, which can make pinpointing them more difficult. But there are certain things you can do to increase your chances, so we’ve put together some tips that you can try out.
7 Tips To Boat More Bass In Deep Water
1: Use A Fish Finder
When you’re fishing in any depth of water a fish finder can come in handy but in deep water it can be especially helpful. A fish finder can help you to locate the fish and tell you how deep they are.
Video: How Fish Finders Work
Knowing the depth can help you to choose suitable lures and/or weights and can help you decide on the length of line you’re likely to need. This means you should have a better chance of getting your lure in front of the bass which can hopefully trigger a bite.
A fish finder can also help you understand the underwater landscape of the lake that you’re fishing. This means it can let you see where the deeper channels are and whether there are drop offs or underwater structure that might be attractive to bass.
> Learn more about fish finders for kayaks
2: Carolina Rig
A Carolina rig can be useful for fishing for bass in deep water because it can let you get your lure closer to the bottom and therefore closer to the bass that might be holding off there.
The length of the leader and the weight that you will use will usually depend on the depth of the water and how far off the bottom the bass are. You can usually find this out by using your fish finder. Generally, you will need to use a heavier weight in deeper water or in current to help keep your lure near the bottom.
3: Look For Ledges
Even though the bass might be in deep water, that doesn’t mean they don’t still look for cover and structure like they tend to do in the shallows.
Bass will often look for the same basic ingredients for their deep water homes as they do in their shallow water homes; generally, protection and access to food. Ledges can often provide good shelter, letting bass move up and down in the water column to feed while giving them added protection from predators and a good hiding spot to prey on passing fish.
Casting your lure along the ledge from a parallel position can let you bring it past any bass that might be up against the ledge. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits and Carolina rigged plastics can be useful for ledge fishing.
4: Use The Current
Chances are there will be some sort of current in the water where you’re fishing. Whether it’s a river, pond, lake or reservoir. Various factors can cause water to move, such as a dam or creek, which can create an underwater current that you might not always be able to see from the surface.
These areas of current can be useful when it comes to bass fishing, as this is often where bass will wait for baitfish to be swept along. This means you can use the current to your advantage when you cast your lure, letting the current help move your lure along in the same direction as the traveling baitfish.
If you can’t figure out if there’s current or if you can’t tell what way it’s going, you might be better off casting in different directions until you find a workable angle.
5: Football Jig
Football jigs can be one of the best lures to use for deep water bass fishing because they can let you fish along the bottom, closer to where bass might be. The shape of the jig also means that it can roll and bounce off of underwater structure and imitate crawfish and other species.
Video: How To Fish Football Jigs For Bass In Deep Water
A ¾ ounce jig can be a good size for most conditions and can be fished with or without a trailer, depending on what you prefer. But during the summer months, you may want to up the profile of the jig by adding a larger jig trailer to entice bigger bass to bite.
Try moving the jig slowly, even in summer, as this may attract more attention from bass if they see it as an easy meal.
> Learn about fishing with jigs
6: Sensitive Rod
The sensitivity of your rod will likely be important when it comes to fishing in deep water, as you will probably be less likely to see the fish take your lure.
A medium heavy rod of around 7 feet can be a good choice for deep water bass fishing, with a casting rod being ideal for getting those longer casts. You may also find that a heavier line, even up to 20 pound test, might be more suitable, especially with jigs or Carolina rigs.
7: Practice
One of the best things you can do to improve your chances of catching bass is to get out there in deep water and get some hands-on experience. This can let you try out different techniques to see what works for you, as you will probably find that some approaches will work better than others and this will often vary from lake to lake.
Use a kayak or boat to scope out your local body of water to check out the underwater landscape with your fish finder, so that you can get a better idea of where you’re likely to find bass, such as humps or ledges that might be hidden from view.
Video: The Key To Catching Bass In Deep Water | Bass Fishing
Finishing Up
Fishing for bass in deep water can be much easier when you have a few tips to try out and once you get to learn the patterns of your local bass you’ll probably find it even easier by the time next season comes along.
Do you have any deep water bass fishing tips you’d like to share? Leave us a comment. And help your fishing buddies catch more bass by sharing these tips with them.