By Chris Gorsuch
While shallow river areas are where I spend 90% of my time chasing smallmouth, there are situations when anglers have to go deep to find BIG smallmouth. Depending on where you are, deep can mean a lot of different things. On most of our rivers, you can be hard pressed to locate areas 15-20 feet deep during summer, and to lake anglers, deep doesn’t even start until you are at depths of 25 feet or more. Each body of water has a sweet spot when it comes to deep water, and when you locate it, you will find big smallmouth.
Deep channels in the river generally display slow current on the surface, but this can be deceiving; bass can hold in the drop offs in current that we cannot see or feel from the surface. In warmer months, these deep areas can be home to midday bass. These depths are generally cooler and cut the sun penetration on those dog days of summer. I have actually watched as bass move from shallow water to deep water as the sun rose overhead.
In lakes, I prefer to find rock piles or deep rocky shoals that offer shelves in various depths along the shoal. Keeping the boat in the deepest part and throwing lures to these drop-offs are key to finding summer bass. I have found bass cruising these shoals in 20 to 30 feet and at times deeper depending on the amount of sunlight. Some bass will be suspended, but most seem to be moving along the rocks and vegetation seeking forage.
There are a variety of lures to choose from, and impossible to list them all. My focus will be to outline a few of my summertime favorites for consideration, but I would love to hear our readers’ approach to deep water bass.
Crankbaits
For rivers and lakes in depths of 12-17 feet, a deep lipped crankbait is about my most favorite lure to throw. Selecting colors to match the primary forage is critical as bass can be dialed into the forage they are following. Color selections for fisheries with large alewife and cisco shad populations, compared to those with perch and crayfish will be quite different.
Another factor for me when using deep cranks is rod and reel selection. Baitcasting is honestly the only way to do this without wearing yourself out. A high-speed reel matched up with a medium weight, moderate action casting rod does the job for me. Casting the larger lipped crankbait and getting it down to the desired depth is a breeze with a baitcaster. Line weight will vary, and as much as I like to throw line weights in the 10 to 12 pound range, a lot has to do with the level of vegetation and the population of pike and musky that also roam these deep shoals. In those cases, I will drastically increase my line strength.
Spybaits
Let me state first, that I will not even tie on a spybait unless I have depths over 8 to10 feet. I find that anglers snag and lose too many lures in shallow rocky areas. Counting down the spybait in depths 10 to as deep as 30 feet is rarely an issue. The trick here is counting the lure down to your targeted area or feeling the bottom and navigating the bait along just above the rocks and vegetation.
Oddly, I am more at home with a medium weight, fast action spinning outfit. I just have a bit more feel with this set up. Spooled up with10 to 12-pound fluorocarbon line, the sink rate and countdown is more to my liking. An argument can surely be made for lighter or heavier lines and even braid with a LONG fluorocarbon leader. My belief is that the sinking factor of fluorocarbon is key with this bait.
Feeling the bait and keeping it just above bottom or before it comes in contact with vegetation is critical. This bait and other countdown lures are worth the learning curve in my opinion. Especially for deep water bass.
Swimbaits
Switching gears a bit from hard to soft baits, the swimbait is one of my favorite lure for deep water bass. Versatility is the key. Size, color and profile offer nearly endless choices to match forage. Jig weight can be selected to match the depths and the preferred way to fish them. Drag, swim, hop, or any variation that works for the conditions. To add a little flare, a skirted jig gives additional life and movement.
Rod, reel and line choice here is really up to the angler. Braided line with a fluorocarbon leader works best for me in most cases. As long as you reach the desired depths and control, the bass will come.
The presentation I use most, is to swim the lure just fast enough to make contact and drag along the bottom. Use the jig to feel the bottom and determine what kind of structure the bait is in. Strikes over soft structure (sandy or mud) are far less frequent, but once the lure hits rock, get ready. To plant a mental image, I often instruct clients to count the rocks with the jig head. When the lure is a distance away from the rocks, reel it in, cast and repeat.
If the area has a significant amount of vegetation, Texas rigging is a great option to pull the swimbaits through. Just know that you will have to really lean into the hookset when the strike comes, especially in deeper water.
Other Notable Choices
Drop-shot rigs, especially in deep vegetation is a great option. I have had success using them in shoals with grass when bass are suspended deep.
Alabama rigs work amazingly well in deep rocky areas, and while it is not my favorite way to fish, the results are hard to argue with.
Lastly, and I know it sounds crazy, but the subtle action of a NED Rig is one of those baits bass cannot resist in any depth of water. Dressed with silicon or without, it is just one of those lures that works. Anglers will have to go heavy on the jig heads, but rest assured they work.
Author Chris Gorsuch is a licensed charter guide in the state of Pennsylvania. He started the Reel River Adventures guide service in ‘07 and spends 225-250 days on the water annually. His home base is on the Susquehanna River where he operates 20’ jetboats.You can follow his daily fishing reports on Facebook ‘Reel River Adventures-RRA’ & Instagram @Chris_Gorsuch
