Inside Edge

Deep Fishing (part 3)

In the first two installments of this series we covered seasonal patterns for deep fishing as well as selecting, setting up and getting the maximum benefit from your electronics. In this article I will cover the specific tackle, lures and equipment for deep fishing. While choosing the correct electronics is crucial to your success as a deep fisherman, the selection of tackle is much less daunting.

Rod, Reels & Line:

When we discuss rods and reels for deep fishing we will look at both spinning and casting equipment. Spinning equipment will be used primarily for drop shotting, fishing grubs, tubes and other light weight baits. Casting equipment will be used for heavier tackle such as spoons, ice baits and football jigs.

When looking at spinning rods I prefer one with a medium light to medium action. I personally use a Falcon Low Rider LFS-3-166, which is a 3 power 6’6” rod with a very soft tip, a medium flex mid length handle. This rod allows the fish to play themselves out with less chance of pulling the bait out of their mouths. The reel I use is a Shimano 4000 series Stradic, it has a 5.7:1 gear ratio faster than most spinning reels, a large line capacity to help eliminate line memory and multiple and a very smooth multi disk drag system. All of these features make it easier to play and tire out a fish coming out of deep water.

Casting rods are going to be medium to medium heavy action, 6’ 6” to 7’ with a fast action and a light tip. I prefer a Falcon Low Rider LFC-5-166, a medium heavy action rod with a fast flex and a soft tip and a medium sized handle. As far as a reel is concerned I prefer a Shimano 6.1:1 Curado, it has a high speed retrieve, smooth drag and will free spool line quickly.

Choosing the right line is the next critical step when gearing up for deep fishing. Whenever I am drop shotting, fishing a grub or darter head on a spinning rod I will use fluorocarbon. Many deep fisherman prefer mono for it’s stretch and forgiveness when fighting a fish in a tree, but personally I like the sensitivity and response that fluorocarbon provides. I use 8 lb. Seaguar exclusively for deep applications on spinning rods, it is tough enough to bring even big smallmouth out of a tree and has a small diameter so it has less drag. A tip for drop shotting is to tie a swivel about 12” – 18” above your hook to help minimize line twist. While fluorocarbon is ideal for finesse applications I prefer to use monofilament when fishing a spoon, blade bait or ice bait. Mono has the shock absorption qualities needed when vertically jigging a spoon or tail spinner, most of the strikes you will receive on these baits are vicious and require a line that will take it. My line of choice is 12lb. suffix mono; it has good stretch, small diameter and is abrasion resistant.

Lures & Rigs:

There are a wide variety of baits, lures and rigs used for deep fishing. The easiest way I can think of is to break them down by technique and tackle used to fish them. With that in mind we will cover the finesse baits and rigs first then more of the power style baits.

Finesse Deep Fishing:

Grubs: single tailed grubs fished on a 1/4oz. head, they can be cast and retrieved or fished vertically and shaken in front of the fish. This is a great bait to use when the fish are in a transition phase, moving from deep to shallow and back again.

Drop Shot Rigs: Most anglers know how to tie a drop shot rig simply tie a polymar knot with a long tag end, feed the tag end back though the hook and tie a weight below. Unlike fishing a drop shot in shallow water, in deep water you will fish the bait up off the bottom and in the tops of trees. I prefer to fish a #4 circle hook and nose hook the bait. As far as which baits will work, 90% of the time I fish a finesse worm in a translucent color. Other baits that can be used are; grubs, senkos, flukes, creature baits and a host of “drop shot” lures. All of these are dropped to the fish and shaken. Primarily fished in trees and heavy cover this technique excels when the fish are holding tight to cover.

Darter Head Worm: Just as the name implies it is a finesse worm on a darter style jig head. Drop it down in front of the fish and shake it. Best colors are translucent, white or shad colors. This method is best used in open water away from cover when schools of shad are over open water.

Power Deep Fishing:

Spoons: More deep fish are caught on spoons than any other bait. Depending on light penetration spoons in silver or white will catch most of the fish. Bright sunny days, less than 50’ deep a silver spoon is my choice. If it is cloudy or partly cloudy and the fish are deeper than 50’ I will use a white spoon. The most popular sizes are ½ oz & ¾ oz depending on depth and the size of bait fish. Most jigging style spoons will work. Pop them up with a shark jerk and follow the line as it falls, you want the bait to fall on a controlled slack line. Spoons work everywhere and can be fished in cover or in open water, they are one f the best triggering baits you can use.

Tail spinners: These baits have been around for years but have really gained popularity with deep fisherman over the last couple of years. Little George was one of the first and is still one of the best examples of this bait. As you work this style of bait you will feel the blade vibrate, if the vibration stops you are getting bit. Allot like spoons these baits work well in cover or away from it.

Blade Baits: Originally designed to be fished horizontally, this heavy this baits will also work vertically. You will fish these baits with more of a sweeping lift than a hard pop like you would a spoon. With it’s two treble hooks the blade bait is best suited for open water in and around schools of shad.

Rapala Ice Baits: Another recent innovation to deep fishing, these baits have been used by ice fisherman for decades. When the bait is lifted and dropped it will swim in a small circle. Much like the blade bait the multiple hooks make this bait tough to fish around cover.

Football Jigs: Yet another bait that has worked its way into the deep fishing arena. A ¾ oz. Jewel football jig fished on the bottom in 30’ – 50’ has accounted for more money won on Table Rock the past three years than any other bait. Cast it out, let it fall to the bottom, and then pop it off the bottom all the way back to the boat. Most strikes will happen on the fall so pay close attention. Pea gravel deep flats and chunk rock flats are your best bet with a football jig deep, most of the fish will come off of an irregularity in the bottom.

In Conclusion

While not as important as selecting your electronics, choosing the right lure at the right time is critical to catching fish whether in 6” or water or 100’ of water. The list of baits and tackle in this article, while not totally inclusive, are a good representation of the tackle you will need to be a successful deep fisherman. In the next article in this series we will spend a day on the water from start to finish looking for deep fish on a variety of structure and cover. . If you have questions or comments as this series of articles progresses feel free to contact me at eric@focusedfishing.com. Or if you are interested in a one on one deep fishing lesson, contact me and we can set up a full or half day deep lesson guide trip.

Eric Prey is sponsored by: Ranger Boats, Bill’s Marine, Jewel Bait Co. and Anglers’ Tackle Box as well as the owner of Focused Fishing guide service.