Run Silent? Run Deep

By Ralph Muccilli (aka Chatman)

A little while back, I posted an article called "Skinny Water and Tradin Paint." In it we talked a little about my routinely scuffing up the skeg of my motor. This time I'd like to do the opposite. Suffice it to say, if you are scraping the paint off your skeg with this information, you really have problems! Let's talk about deeper water fish, or deep, open water suspended fish.

I am not necessarily just talking trolling, or walleyes either. The fact remains that there are some untouched fish out on some of the local systems we all fish. Mostly because we don't look for them or bother to fish for them!

It always amazes me. When I click on the tube (TV), and watch my favorite bass tournament shows, there is always some announcer guffawing about David Fritts and his magical ability with crank baits in deeper water.

Not to take anything away from Mr. Fritts, he is a very good fisherman that is very good targeting fish that most other anglers simply ignore. I give him all the credit for not only knowing where these fish are, but taking the time and having the skills to figure them out.

But this approach is not magic. It is the same as any other technique you already use. You need to locate these fish and figure out what it takes to make them go. The benefit is, once you develop an approach for these fish, the pickins can be as easy as any other favorite pattern. 

What can make this seem like magic is the quality of deep water fish. Most often, as I have mentioned, these fish are not pressured or pressured well. Many anglers simply don't take the time to get down to where these fish lay and wait.

The reason fish like those Mr. Fritts keys on, I believe, are such nice fish, is they have lead a relatively unpressured life. These bass do nothing more than eat and grow large. They may have seen fishing pressure, or felt the effects of the speed set tearin' up the lakes on the weekends, but for the most part they are left alone.

This does not only apply to southern reservoir bass either. It applies to many of the deeper clear water lakes in our own back yards. The reason many smaller fish are pulled from shallow cover on the lakes around here? Simple, the quality fish are much deeper, and greater in number than their shallow counterparts.

Deep water fish, most likely, never see shallow water other than while spawning. But that too may not be true. In the clear waters of the Great Lakes, bass, specifically smallmouth bass, spawn in much deeper water than you'd think. I know of several places on the lakes where I have seen bass on beds in water as deep as 8 feet!

Many of us would do well to learn how to locate and identify productive deep water structure. I have a couple of spots on a local lakes, that I know no one has fished in 3 years. No, I am not physic, but I have not fished these spots in 3 years and I can almost guaranty 2 things. The fish are still there, and they are untouched. The reason these areas are left alone? Read on and I'll tell you.

In one location, the fish are relating to weed beds, that are in 16 feet of water at their shallow end, and 25 feet on the deep side! And, the bass that haunt this territory are almost always quality fish. The size runs somewhere in the 2 to 4 lb. range. Not huge, but 5 of these in any tournament will do you well. And make for some fun fishing anytime. The same goes for deep weed walleyes!

Tell most anglers to fish that deep and they look at you like a dog looks at an answering machine! I know I did the first time I was told of a similar spot on Lake Geneva. I then went and started looking on my favorite lakes and, Bingo! There were fish to be had in my lakes too.

How to fish these deep bass? Well, a Carolina rig is a good way to get a bait down to them. So is a bigger jig n Pig. Deep diving crank baits can be lethal and so can 1 ounce spinner baits. But most anglers don't want to take the time or trouble. There are many more anglers willing to ply the depths for walleyes than there are for bass. I don't know why, but it is just as productive to search for either. 

Which brings me to the next topic in this theme. Deep water walleyes. As I have said, many more walleye anglers are now more willing to go after these deep water fish. I know the emergence of the Zebra Mussel and the really clear water they create have basically forced this to occur. But the average walleye angler is much more willing to go after the fish.

Trolling the deeper flats is a very popular technique, especially on the Great Lakes, is a very popular way to get your lure in front of many walleye that were previously under pressured. Many of the bodies of water that had tremendous suspended walleye fisheries, also have many walleyes right on the bottom as well.

There have been many articles written about getting your lures down to the fish, but there are still many anglers that are not effectively taking advantage of this bonanza. Lead core line, bottom bouncers, bead chain weights, snap on weights and divers to take the lures deep are now all gaining in popularity. I still prefer and old trusted favorite.

What is that you ask? A downrigger. The absolute king in controlled depth fishing. And one of the easiest to master. And, one of the most accurate. I have 2 Big Jon downriggers on my boat and I can tell you, there is no better way to lay a lure right in a fish's face. No matter if they are right on the bottom, or suspended very deep.

One of my favorite presentations is to run my spinner rigs back about 30 feet and lower the downrigger down to 2 feet above where the fish are. I stop about 2 feet above when I am going very slow. At these very slow speeds (.03 - .08 mph), the spinner rig will drop about a foot below the level of the release at this distance. Therefore, I am laying the spinner right on the fish's nose. And the ball is not spooking the fish. There are times where I have run spinner rigs back at distances of 80 to 100 feet, with great success.

Then there is the advantage of getting small lures down to the fish that would never make it there on their own. I regularly run shallow Thunderstick Jr's, small Rapalas, small Shad Raps and smaller spoons at depths that are thought impossible. This is especially true when trolling a tight contour or when lure placement is absolutely critical. By cris-crossing a deeper break line, I can keep my offering right there, on the break, in the strike zone, much more effectively than long line trolling. I can also turn right around and go right back through the area much faster than while long lining, or using in line planer boards

The last thing I wish to share with you, has to do with the, "Run Silent" part of the title. I want to discuss the importance of rattles in lures. If you do not use rattling lures, you are missing out on a very productive approach. These days there are dozens and dozens of lures available with rattles. There are even a few very good lures that have been on the market for ages that are coming out with versions of them with rattles in them. The new Shad Rap comes to mind.

For quite some time studies have shown that rattling baits attract fish. One of the first I remember reading was in the crank bait depth guide put out about 10 years ago by Wille. In their testing of crank bait running depths, Mike McClelland noted that by far, the crank baits that had rattles caught the lion's share of the fish.

One quick note. In dirty or clear water a rattle in a lure can make the difference between catching fish, or going home with an empty live well. There is one word of caution though. When you have really clear water, and really spooky fish, a more subtle approach is generally in order. Glass rattles slipped into plastics are much more subtle than a rattling crank bait.

More often than not, when finesse is required, a rattle bait can be about as subtle as a hand grenade in a bowl of oatmeal! I have seen fish move away from rattling baits, literally as if the bait was spooking fish. As with any lure or presentation, rattles will not be for every situation.

I was deliberately a little vague this time as it was my goal to give you a bit of a primer on depth zones that get largely ignored. I also wanted to give you a few ideas and get you to go out and find these things on your own. I love the line, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." 

I like to think a little more in broad terms with that saying. I feel if I can give you enough information and ideas, you will go out and discover for yourself how to make these techniques work for you. After all, the learning is half the fun.