Starter Deep Bass Fishing Lesson

Fishing off the bank in deep water for bass can be very intimidating. It all looks the same. Where do you start? How do you know what to fish with? There are a ton of questions but with a few basics under your belt from this lesson, you can be ready to get started fishing deep water for the biggest bass.

Start With What You Can See

Points are the most obvious structure on any lake to fish off the bank so this makes them a great place to start in your deeper water bass fishing. Points are frequented by bass because they are an irregularity that bass can use to move between shallow feeding and deeper water safe locations. Points also provide the easy transition from super deep to the points where some bass like to feed. Either way, points are a place to fish when fishing for deep water bass.

Use Your Hand Eyes

I like the term hand eyes because you have to use your hands to feel what your lure is doing on the bottom. This is really the only thing you have to go on unlike much fishing in shallow cover. On the bank, you can see your jig is over a limb, under a dock, or in a bush. Off the bank, you have to feel through your line and rod. It is very important to use fluorocarbon line like Sunline because it is denser than monofilament so that makes it much more sensitive. A good rod like the Cashion Rods I use are also important to feeling your lure better. The more you fish good equipment with your lures off the bank, the better you will be able to tell what you are fishing. As a veteran pro bass angler, I can tell with most bottom bouncing baits whether I my lure is in rocks, clay, brush, stumps, or grass.

Don’t Rely On Your Electronics

To begin off shore fishing, I don’t think that an angler should go the electronics game fishing route. Electronics are a great way to find bass off shore or in deep water but it should be the second part of a deep water lesson. In part one, the focus on electronics should be on watching depth. Knowing what depth you are sitting in is important. Knowing the depth you threw into is also a HUGE deal that most anglers miss. Know the approximate sink rate of the bait you are using and the time how long it takes on every cast. This is important because you can have an idea of how deep it is during your whole cast. It makes bites easier to replicate if you know about how deep they came. This deal works great on bank fishing too.

Start With Dragging

Carolina rig, Texas rig, drop shot, Tokyo rig and shaky head are all good options to start with on dragging off shore for those bass. Using something to help you feel the bottom and know the depth is great for starting out. Using a straight type worm like the Missile Baits Quivers or a bait with action like the Baby D Stroyer is another decision. Both bait types work great. Let the bass tell you which one they want more each day. Don’t forget to vary the weight on which ever rig you are using because it can also increase or decrease your dragging bite rate.

Getting off the bank to fish for bass can mean you are going after bigger bass, bigger groups of bass, and untouched bass that can bite better than shallow bass. There are a bunch of reasons to start fishing more off the bank. You can do it. Remember the basic principals in this lesson and you will start catching more bass off the bank and that will lead to more confidence to continue to ply those off shore bass locations.