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DE-MYSTIFYING DEEP STRUCTURE
by Bruce Middleton, September 13, 2006
You can see shallow structure but deep structure is often misunderstood.
Structure is defined as an object that has been put together from many different parts; made up of parts forming as a whole; different parts of something that work together or are linked together. On a lake the word structure means all the pieces that make up the features of the shoreline and bottom of that lake. The term structure is a vague concept to many bass anglers and hard to grasp. Structure is often divided up into two categories to make it easier to understand, shallow structure and deep structure. Most bass anglers have a fair idea of what shallow structure is and what it looks like. Shallow structure to them refers to rock piles, fallen trees, rip-rap banks, weed beds holes, docks pilings, bridges, points, sunken logs or other visible changes in the shoreline bottom or something they can see just under the surface of the water or near shore. This is typical bank related structure we use as a target to throw our lures to.
We all know the advantages of fishing these types of structures. Bass hide in them and we throw every type of lure know and try to coax them into biting our offering. But it’s true to say that, we all to often can’t find the numbers of bass in these shallows and it’s hard to get those that do live there to strike. One of the main reasons we don’t find a lot of bass in these familiar haunts is that there is less of their favorite food there, the prey fish, whether that be, blue gills, perch or other small fish. In the southern states they have the advantage of having shad, shiners and other schooling bait fish that we here in the Pacific Northwest don’t have. But we all face the same problem. Bass move out of the shallows for several reasons. The two main reasons are comfort and food.
On chilly spring days when the water is still cold, the bass are in deep water waiting for the shallows to warm up so they can come in, first to feed and second to spawn. Likewise in the fall the bass move out of the shallows to deeper water where the temperature is more comfortable to them. Even in the Blue Bird days of mid summer the bass will move out into deeper water to find a cooler darker place to spend the day before returning to shallows to feed in the early morning and late after noon.
So what do you do when the bass have ventured out of the shallows and into deeper water? Well you could continue to beat the edges of the shallows in hopes that a few bass have stayed shallow and are willing to bite. But this is a very restrictive move on your part. This limits you to less than 10% of the lake that you can fish. No, the only real answer is you have move out with the bass, into deep water.
Now while this is not a scary thought, it is an unsettling one for many bass anglers. Its not because the water is deep, it’s because they can’t see what’s down there. They have no target to throw to. Deepwater fishing forces you to take on a whole new mindset. But you have a secret weapon on your side and its time you really used it for what it was intended for. And that weapon is your depth/fish finder electronic device.
Since you can’t directly see what the bottom looks like, you’re electronics must to do the job for you. And the first question you’re going to ask is what am I looking for? And the answer is actually two fold. It’s what you’re looking for and how you have to look for it that matters. Firstly what you are looking for is structure, and in deep water that means anything that varies from a flat bottom. What you are looking for is any discernable features such as drop-offs, ledges, reefs (both natural and man-made), creek channels, sunken logs, rock piles, and any feature that is irregular as opposed to the bottom. You are also looking for bass to show up on your electronics. In order to do this you have to run over the surface of the lake slowly and deliberately.
You must change you’re attitude to a more open one, where you can visualize what the electronics are showing you. You have to be able to draw a picture of the bottom in your minds eye and cast to those targets. This is a real change for some fishermen while other pick it up right away. It’s easier sometimes to fish a single spot directly underneath the boat than it is to try and visualize where that log pile was some 30 feet away that you are casting to. But one thing is imperative, after locating the structure you wish to fish, you must turn down the electronics as the noise can and will drive the bass out of the area.
In the Pacific Northwest the lakes in this area are usually old and the bottom of most lakes, are quite mucky and structure is quite sparse when you get away from the banks. But the bass will be found on almost anything that differs from that mucky flat bottom. Example, use your electronics to follow the bottom and look for any 2 to 4 foot drop-offs or rise, a pile of criss-crossed logs or an old stump sticking up that breaks up the smooth bottom. Bass will bunch up around such structures and if the structure is large enough, great numbers of bass will be found there. And let us not forget suspended bass in water column. Finding a school of bass holding at 20 feet in 35 feet of water can make for some fast paced action after you move off a few yards so you can cast a crank bait or spinner bait at them. Suspended bass are usually found a short distance away from some sort of structure, say a hump, and they will be at the same level as the top of that hump. While this may not always hold true, it is often the case.
If you find one of these structures, fish it immediately and don’t forget to mark your map or lock in the co-ordinates in your GPS if you have one. Also mark the area with a buoy so you know where to cast to.
Fishing these deep structures depends a lot on the size of the structure. Bass on a small piece of structure, say a stump, are best fished with jigs and plastics. There are several tactics that can be employed in such a case. You can use a drop shot rig and doodle right over the side of the boat. You can use a Texas or Carolina rig to slowly work you’re way in and around the structure. You can use jigs, or you can back off a ways and cast lures to the piece of structure using ones that slowly pass through the area or even bump the structure.
On large structure like a long ledge that extends for several hundred feet or a creek channel you have many options that can reward you with a large number of bass. A Texas rigged worm cast out to the shallow end of the ledge or channel and then hopped slowly down is an excellent way to draw strikes. Many bass anglers have adopted a split shot rig for such areas but both approaches work well. You can use a lead head jig and a grub to do the same thing. This is a proven year round tactic that really works. You must keep the bait near the bottom though and limit your hops to six inches or less at a time. The secret to this method is keeping absolute control of the lure at all times and staying in contact with the lure so you can detect the softest tap or strike. A Carolina rig works just as well here too. It is important that you understand the bottom composition though before you decide to use a sinking or floating bait. I would suggest using a floating rig unless you know that the bottom is hard. It’s also a good time to use a leader made of fluorocarbon and using light line in the 6 to 8 pound class. A bass’s eyes are very sharp and you need every advantage you can get. Besides, once hooked, the bass has little to hang you up in like he does near shore.
You also have the option of using deep diving crank baits and slow rolling spinner baits over structure. A lot of emphasis has been place on plastics over the past several years but you should never underestimate the power of a good spinner bait or deep diving crank bait.
After you have tried a few of these tactics and get used to them they will become another tool in your arsenal of tactics. But many hard-core bass fishermen resist the use of an anchor to hold themselves over a section of structure. They just have to stand up and cast all day long. Don’t be afraid to set in one spot and fish an area thoroughly. This way you don’t have to fight the wind to stay on top of the bass.
I think the one thing I see so much of when I go fishing for bass is other bass anglers working the shoreline. Now don’t get me wrong, I work the shallows and docks too sometimes, but in summer the majority of the bass in any given lake are in deep water. By deep water I mean 12 to 20 feet. If you have read any of my articles at all you know that I advocate fishing for bass where the majority of the bass are hanging out at that time of year and in the summer that is in deep water.
Bass are looking for comfort and to keep their eyes from being harmed by the intense suns rays. They do this by finding shade or going deep where the light is diffused. I know a lot of fishermen who just can’t break the habit of cruising around the lake shoreline, flogging the shallows for the few bass that do stay shallow and at the end of the day go home with just a few strikes to their credit.
My first choice of finding summer bass is the deep side of a grass bed or where any structure and/or cover exists below 12 feet. This means that you are fishing blind and are relying heavily on your electronics. Too many anglers just can’t make the transition from what they can see to what they can’t see when casting a lure. Really, it’s so simple. All you have to do is fan cast and cover the entire area. Once you find the grass line where it drops off into the deeper water and the vegetation thins out, this is where you want to fish.
Lake points are probably the best place to start searching the deep for any sign of drop offs, changes in elevation, clumps of vegetation (verses a solid area of weeds), humps and any other bit of structure like a channel or ditch where bass are likely to congregate.
Bass will patrol and sometimes just set along these weed lines, elevation changes and other deep structure and cover areas waiting for prey fish to come out of the middle of the lake to feed in the shallows. Schools of perch, blue gill and crappie will live suspended out in the open part of the lake until they feel its safe to enter the shallows to feed and the bass are there waiting for them. Now if a lake has a lot of sunfish and not a lot of other prey fish, this is not true. Sunfish are ALWAYS found in the shallows and if a bass wants a sunfish dinner, he has to go shallow to hunt them. But this is seldom the case as many different kinds of fish are found in most lakes.
Think about the time of year your fishing in and the migratory habits of bass. This will help you catch so many more bass just by changing the depth you cast your lures into. The great thing about summer time bassing is that you can use every lure and bait in the tackle box. That depends on the weather, mood of the bass, time of day and your own personal preference. Don’t be afraid to toss a Texas rigged worm into 17 feet of water or use a heavier than normal spinner bait at these depths. The best thing I like about fishing for summer time bass is that I can cast lures a country mile and not worry about hitting the shore. This is because I have a habit of hitting the brush on the shoreline and then having to go in and retrieve my lure or bait whenever I fish to near the shore.
Deep structure combined with cover is an ideal place to cast for bass. No matter if that structure and cover is at 8 feet of 22 feet, they draw bass. We all know this, it’s all but etched in stone. You, as a bass fisherman must be able to use your electronics and your minds eye to make the adjustment to move from 8 feet to 22 feet and back again, following the movements of the bass. If you can do this, you will catch more and larger bass than anyone else on the lake.
Enjoy!
Bruce Middleton
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