Don't get me wrong I like to flip shallow bushes and docks as much as anyone but I have way more fun probing off shore structure and locating large schools of bass. Right now we are heading into prime time for fishing away from the bank. Most of the bass are finishing up spawning and are starting to head out to their summertimes haunts as they follow the baitfish. During the post spawn on into early summer you will often find bass at their deepest because the thermocline hasn't set up yet on most lakes and there is oxygen all the way down. As the water heats up and the thermocline starts to set up the fish will tend to move to shallower structure where oxygen is present in relation to deep water.
A lot of anglers struggle with having the confidence to fish sometimes three or four cast lengths out off the bank but with some practice they can become just as comfortable fishing a deep water hump as they are a shallow laydown. A lot of anglers that I've fished with say that they would like to learn how to be a better deep water fisherman yet they fail to spend time practicing it and they just keep throwing at the bank when it's not producing. You can't learn to fish deep structure unless you give it a try. Learning to fish deep water structure can take a different amount of time for everyone but with modern electronics it's a lot easier than most people think.
Before you get to the lake you can get a good idea of areas to search just by taking a look at a contours map or your gps. Your gps will be able to show you humps, long points, and where the creek channels bend as well as dropoffs. After you find some spots on your map that look promissing get out and spend some time graphing those areas. What you are looking for are rocks, brush, where the bottom changes from big rock to small, as well as slight depressions or rises. These irregularities on structure are often where you will find the hot spot. The only way you can locate the hot spot is to take the time to search with your depth finder and by fan casting the point with a variety of lures.
Once you hook into a fish out on structure you will want to kick a bouy over the side of the boat to mark your boats position. This can be very critical when you are fishing crankbaits because you need your bait to hit the zone pefectly a lot of times in order to get bit. Once you determine where the fish are located try and triangulate your position with something on the bank. This will help you locate the spot when you return during your tournament or future outing. Gps units are great and can get you within a couple of feet of your position but triangulating will put you right on target. If you use this method you can hit one rockpile 9 times out of 10 and spend a lot more time having your bait in the strike zone. When you catch your fish at a certain depth change take note. A lot of times you will be able to run around the lake and catch fish off similar structure. A depth change doesn't have to be great in order to hold fish. I found fish at Kentucky Lake two weeks ago relating to a 9 to 12 dropoff almost everywhere I went. Whenever I could find a similar dropoff I would get bit. Gps allows you to follow the break lines as easily as if you were going down the bank. I like to be able to use the split screen gps with the fish finder because it keeps me at the right depth and headed in the right direction all the time.
The type of baits I use on deep structure are a lot different than the ones I will throw to the bank. Having the right baits to fish off shore structure makes a big difference. One of the best baits to have in your box for locating and catching fish offshore is a deep diving crankbait. The great thing about a crankbait is that you can get fish that are not feeding to react to it. A lot of times the hardest fish to catch off structure will be the first one and once you catch one you can ignite a whole school into a feeding frenzy. A deep diving crankbait will allow you to cover a ton of water too so you will be able to locate that sweet spot on your cover. When it comes to line throw your deep divers on ten to twelve pound test line for the best results. Heavier lines just drag too much for the right presentation. Also use as long a rod as you feel comfortable with because it will allow you to make very long casts and cover more water.
Other productive baits for probing deep structure are heavy football jigs. OMEGA Custom Tackle makes a couple of jigs that excell on deep structure. The Pro-Mega was designed by Roger Fitzpatrick who is a well known Lake of the Ozarks structure fisherman for probing deep water brushpiles. The jig comes through brush really well and it has a great hook in it which keeps fish pinned all the way to the boat. Elite Series angler Derek Remitz designed OMEGA's football jig and it's great for when you are fishing rocky points and shell beds. I will typically use a 1/2 oz to 1oz jigs for probing deep structure. They make staying in contact with the bottom really easy and they get down fast. In the summer when there is a lot of boat traffic throwing a heavier jig will help you with feeling the bite. Start out crawling your jigs along the bottom or sweeping them and if that doesn't work you might have to hop them up off the bottom to trigger reaction strikes. For these big jigs make sure you have a 7 foot or longer heavy action AiRRUS rod for the best presentation. I will throw 20lb test fluoro on my structure jigs because of rocks and brush that will knick the line.
If the fish are still there but they are not biting you can't beat an old school worm on either a shakeyhead or a texas rig. OMEGA has a newer shakeyhead out called The Shakey Foot. It's a football style head with a flat side that makes your worm stand up. Rigging a 10 inch worm on the Shakey Foot can sometimes out produce your texas rig. A lot of the FLW Tour guys do this on the TVA lakes when they visit them. The trick is to not get in a hurry when you fish this bait. A lot of times you just want to have it sit and give it a couple of small shakes. It's a great set up for inactive bass or for fishing behind other boats. I like twelve pound line for this rig but you can throw a lot heavier line on it because it has a great hook.
The old school texas rig is just as good for catching inactive bass sometimes. The trick is to not get in to big of a hurry and move your worm a whole lot. You want to try and create as many falls on the retrieve as possible. If you are moving your rod more than 8 or 9 inches you can pull the bait from the strike zone too quick. When I work a texas rig worm on structure a lot of times I just give it a short hop and then let it fall back towards the bottom. A trick for the texas rig is to use a hook with a keeper like the new Honey Hole Hook. You won't have your worm sliding down and you will be able to spend your time fishing instead of rigging your worm. For throwing my worms ten to twelve pound test gets me the most bites. I just upsize my line with the cover.
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