Deep Water Largies

[GPaquette]

I'm trying to find a few good lakes that have somewhat of a deep water fishery where I could work on catching them dragging a jig/worm or deep cranking. I live in Canton so if you know of any lakes nearby that has good structure for it that would be appreciated, thanks.

[Eric]

5 feet is deep to me.  I'm sure you had different ideas, and I'm sure some of your fellow Detroiters will chime in.

[djkimmel]

I don't know much about the lakes close to your area but deep bass are often under-fished in many lakes, especially in lakes where many anglers don't think there are many deep bass.

[bob o]

whitmore lake has some deep fish, you just have to trust your electronics

[McCarter]

white lake in highland is another good deep water largie lake.  you can catch em all day in 22 feet of water on drop shot, texas rigs, weighted wacky rigs, tubes, jigs, whatever.

McCarter himself

[Barb Elliott]

As already mentioned, deep water is often the most under used water there is - obviously because it is harder to fish something you can't 'see'....but you are headed in the right direction - a lot of times it ends up something akin to pulling a rabbit out of a hat!! Practice catching deep fish breeds confidence, and confidence breeds success.  Another thing about deep located fish - they have a better tendancy to STAY there - no matter the weather - ESPECIALLY  largies - smallies, well maybe and maybe not BUT if there is atrong wind that messes up the shallow bite, your chances are way better your deep fish will still be there come tourney day - also if the shallow fish are pressured/have been fished hard for days in a row, deep fish  can be refreshingly easier to catch - ,  that's how I won my first tournament - deep caught lmb in 20-30 ft of water while everyone else was fishing shore to 8 ft - or trying to.....it was an amazing epiphany - a lesson I'll never forget.... ...Just concentrate on the deepest water you can find on your lakes you normally fish and practice - you're on the right track!!  Even in deep water - the fish generally relate to some sort of 'structure' - be it sharp changes in 'elevation/depth', humps,  deep weedlines (try to find where the weeds get sparser or the edges of the weeds), and/or rockpiles/deep sunk timber...and, since you can't 'see' what's down there, use tungsten weights - lead will get you there but it's like trying to feel something with gloves - you really aren't quite sure what the weight is bouncing/hitting off - tungsten will allow you to feel the diff between sand/small rock/bug rock/plant stems...I have found it is worth the price.....Catching deep fish is a blast - but watch out for barotrauma/overinflated swim bladders on these guys - they typically suffer it a lot and dead fish penalties are no fun....so learn how to 'fizz' your fish.....

[eetz]

When targeting deep water largemouth (or smallmouth), is there a maximum depth that you consider? 

For instance, would you try to fish for bass in 20 ft of water in a lake with a max of 25 feet if there seemed to be interesting structure? 

Maybe this isnt a good question, it all depends on the lake. Just wondering if there are some general rules that everyone follows?  Fishing for bass deep just sounds like a lot of fun (maybe not the fizzing part) but I don't get the opportunity to fish many lakes with known deep bass.   

[rkillick]

I am definitely new to bass fishing and especially deep water but, I  have caught fish in deep water (12' to 20") with weighted wacky, deep crankers and drop shot.  Just getting out there and starting to fish  deeper is the key.

[fishstick]

I don't think there is any set depth on what to target. I think its all about how deep the food source goes in whatever fishery you are on. Having food around seems to be more important that depth, structure, or whatever. Its very important to be able to trust your electronics!

[gothooked]

Try Belleville Lk. and Kent Lk. both have deep water that holds fish.

[djkimmel]

Depends on the type of lake. Forage. Water clarity. How it is fed with water. Water exchange rate. Forage. Cover. Forage. Time of year. Does the lake stratify or not. Springs can sometimes give oxygen to water below the thermocline (or possibly even 'take' it away).

I'm not real fond of deep bass fishing but I've caught bass on lakes like Gull, Charlevoix and Torch 35 to 45 feet deep and I know they go deeper. There's probably always exceptions to any rule but I also believe I want to fish where I have the most fun fishing (not deep) and also where I think the most bass are living that I can find and catch. On some lakes that's shallow and on some lakes it's deep.

[mchesney]

Here's a good read from Frank Scalish I got from the bassmaster website...a lot of great info.
http://www.bassmaster.com/blog/ups-and-downs-structure-fishing