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During peak summers and winters, the bass moves deeper into the water because the surface water temperatures are hotter in summer and colder in winters. However, if you know how to fish in deep waters for bass, you can make a successful fishing trip in any season.
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How to Fish in Deep Waters for Bass
Warmer water carries less oxygen, so bass moves lower in the water. On the contrary, in winters, the water temperature near the surface is lower, which makes it unfavorable. Apart from the oxygen level, or temperature, there are more baitfish at the bottom of the water, and therefore, it is a good spot for bass in winter and summer peaks.
Entry-level anglers might find it hard to fish during these seasons because it is hard to locate schools of bass fish in the lake’s depth or the water body where you go fishing. Moreover, there are fewer fish to target, so anglers can try various ways to fish deep waters for bass.
Selecting Rig for Deep Fishing for Bass
With every sport, the equipment is most crucial and can make it easier for anglers to get the fish they target. When looking for bass in deep water, there can be an obvious selection of the fishing rod, reels, line, and lures to ensure that you take home a big catch.
The Fishing Rig
Anglers can make do with a six-foot-long fiberglass casting rod that is a medium to the medium-heavy rod. This heavy action rod will be a great way to cast the lures as the visibility is lower at the lake’s depth, and many fish species cannot see the heavier line or bigger hooks that ensure a quick catch.
This rod will help cast the lure deeper in the water and vibrate when the bass bites the lure. The reel can be lined with a 20 to 30-pound braid to match the rod. Anglers will need to give more line, so make sure you have some extra feet wound up. A fluorocarbon leader can work well for good lure movement.
The Lures
There can be various lures that will attract the bass from under the rocks and vegetation to come and take a bite. Numerous jigging techniques and lure casting methods will prove beneficial. If anglers select the right lure, they can get big bass from the bottom of the lake!
Jigs
Jigging can be a great way to catch bass from deep water. Selecting a small jig can help you reach bass spots in heavy cover and even through weeds at the bottom of the lake. You can lower the jig and then pull it back up. This back and forth movement will make the jig appear as if it is hopping in the water.
You can slow down the jigging, and the bass will come in to bite it. Jigs can stir up the water column, and that makes bass from a larger area attentive. The natural movement of the jig is going to be a successful way to get bass. Anglers will need to attach a sinker weight to allow this lure to jig properly.
Crank Baits
Crank baits are plastic lures that can vibrate and move like real fish. When you attach these lures to the line and lower them in the water, they move like small bait fish. Anglers can pause, slow down and jerk the lure to create an attractive movement in the water.
If anglers move the crank bait faster, they can cover more area, and it will give them better results. During the winter and summer seasons, the bass does not get a lot of bait to eat at the bottom of the lake. These plastic lures wobble in a way that attracts fish from their hiding places.
Even in winters, when the bass is reluctant to expend energy to come and bite a small fish, these crankbaits are able to entice this species to an extent that it decides to use up some of its stored energy to rush in and bite this merrily moving little plastic!
Flutter Spoon
A flutter spoon is not shaped like a fish, although it can be equally successful due to its movement and shimmering finish that gets big bass in peak winters or summer. These spoons fall like an injured or dying fish, which gets bigger fish species’ attention as they get ready to bite it.
To fish with this bait, cast it at a distance and then gradually reel in to move the spoon along the floor of the lake. Continue reeling up and then letting it fall slack to see how long the target resists the movement until it moves in to attack.
Swim Bait
Like the flutter spoon, swim baits can cause a lot of commotion among hungry bass fish at the bottom of the lake. These lures have an interesting action as they flutter side to side, and as you reel them in towards the boat, they are going to get eaten within minutes.
Drop Shot Rig
Drop shot rigging involves dropping down a worm, fish, or live bait to catch big fish swimming deep in the water. The worm has to be tied above the hook to ensure a catch every time you try this technique. You can set up a drop shot rig in three easy ways:
Direct hooking through the tip of the worm to expose the hook while allowing the body to move naturally in water.
- Texas-rigged involves piercing the worm with a hook and moving it into the worm to make it weedless and suitable for thick covers or rocky areas.
- Wackly style involves putting the hook through the center of the worm and leaving it exposed. The body of the worm moves on both sides of the hook.
- A drop shot rig will be an excellent way to explore the structures at the bottom of the water. Bass move around these structures when they travel from one spot to the other, and anglers can maximize their success by catching this predator fish mid-way!
In summers, bass spawn, and in winter, they move down the water to find warmer spots where they feed very less due to the unavailability of bait fish. Anglers can decide when to fish the structures if they know the lifecycle of bass. However, if a moving worm becomes visible, these fish will come out for a bite.
Adding Technology
Anglers can benefit by getting a quality fish finder on their boat when you are targeting schools of this species many feet below the water surface, an electronic gadget to tell you the exact spots where a quick bass catch will be more possible. Using technology to catch bass is a great way to success.
When to Fish in Deep Water for Bass
Apart from the peak winter and summer seasons, anglers should know when they will have to aim to fish deeper for this species. There are numerous weather conditions during which this fish moves lower in the water.
When the air pressure increases, bass fish move deep into the lake. At this time, they do not have a lot of bait fish choices, and if a lure is presented to them, they will take it. The movement of bass during high pressure can be used to the anglers’ advantage if you use the right rig.
Conclusion
Anglers can catch big fish if they know how to fish in deep water for bass. There are numerous ways to improve chances of success. Whichever lure and set up you select, be sure to know where you will be able to find more bass.