Bass Fishing Tip of the Week 12/17/07: Bass Fishing Shallow or Deep

This is a question that often puzzles even the best bass fishermen especially when fishing a new lake. There are many factors that can determine the answer to this question, so let's look at a few.

The first factor to influence the largemouth bass is the season or time of year. If it's in the spring, fish within 50 yards or closer to the shore. The bass are near the shore to perform their annual ritual to promote their species. The wider band from 50 yards on in is for pre spawn, post spawn or bedding fish. All bass do not spawn at the same time, therefore it is best to try the various depths until you find the most productive one. At times, in very clear water, you may want to venture even further off shore for bedding fish especially if cover such as submerged vegetation exists.

In the summer, the bass often goes deep in Florida. You can start shallow for early morning feeders, but from 9 AM and later move offshore for drops, submerged weed lines or timber lines.

In the fall, the bass are often on a feeding binge and can be caught at almost any depth. The key to finding fish during this season is to find the baitfish. Shad is a primary forage in many Florida lakes. Use you depth finder to locate these schools and fish the closest structure to them. The structure can be drop offs, humps, timber, weeds or even a nice flat with scattered cover.

The winter can be real tough for catching Florida largemouth and cold fronts make it that much worse. Try to find deep holes with cover, or flip heavy mats in the shallows.

The second factor is what type of structure or weeds exist in the lake. If the lake has only shallow grass or reeds in a foot or less of water, you need to search the deep water structure unless it's spawning time. The shallow cover will not hold many keeper largemouth and is often only used by them in the cover of darkness. Look for scattered offshore submerged weeds on your depth finder or for schools of baitfish. You can really load up on the fish when you find them.

If the lake has 3 feet or more water in the shoreline weeds, it can be an excellent place to fish. Wind action into that weed line can make for some great action. Flip, pitch or cast your favorite plastic into the weeds and be ready for some ferocious strikes! Don't give up on the offshore stuff in the other parts of the lake, but spend a decent amount of time shallow in this situation.

The last factor I'd like to mention is water clarity i.e. the amount of suspended particles in the water can play a key factor on where the fish reside. A murky lake can harbor fish in very shallow water. I've caught fish in as little as 8 inches of water when the clarity is very low. This is because the fish are not as easily spooked since predators have a harder time finding them. In very clear water, the opposite is true. You will need to venture to the deeper part of the lake or find good weed cover since the bass is not likely to venture into the shallow clear water where they are an easy catch for Mr. Heron and friends.

So next time you are on a strange lake, or even one you've fished without much success follow these tips and I'm sure you'll be doing more catching with less fishing!

Sincerely,

The Largemouth Herald