New Kayak Fisherman But Dont Know How to Fish Deep Water

[steeperdrip]

Hi,

I am a novice bass fisherman and have recently devoted more time and effort to the sport. I typically bank fish at local ponds and lakes, but I recently got a fishing kayak. I have been on 10 or so fishing trips with it and have noticed one thing:  I do not know how to fish deep water.

According to what I've read online, bass will hang out along the bank in the early morning and then shift to deeper water as the day heats up (from SC so temps have been in the 90s, with water temps high 80s and low 90s). The exceptions to this rule are shade, structure, lily pads, grass lines, etc. I know that I could be more successful if I was able to capitalize on the fish in deeper water, but I don't know how.

I usually fish the banks with a Carolina or Texas rigged Zoom worm -- every fish that I've ever caught has came off that setup. I have several crank baits, spinner baits, swim baits, and jigs but I don't know when to use them!

I have a fish finder for my kayak and am able to spot the fish, but once I find them, I don't know how to approach them. What bait, techniques, and other tips do you have for transitioning from a purely bank fisherman to a more versatile fisherman, who's able to fish both shallow and deep water?

Thanks!

[rich12]

On or near the bottom, carolina rig will work from the bank to as deep as you care to get it, 20-30 or more feet.  Only diff on the Crig would be heavier weight in deeper water.   Say you want to fish 12 to 16 feet of water.  If you see the fish off the bottom (indicates feeding) use a jerk bait or crank bait that will get down to the depths you want to fish. Then switch to  drop shot or you Carolina rigs.   That is where to start.  The real trick for deep water is finding the deep water that fish want to use.  Creek channel bends that come close to the bank or right next to a point.  Early you can start up shallow, and if you on fish, you can fish them all the way back to the channel.  Get a good map for you graph or on your cell phone.  This will let you pinpoint the areas to start without haveing to search the lake.  Deep fishing is a different animal.  Slow down and focus.  It will come easy enuff.  As a rule of thumb, deeper I go, slower I go.

[hydrillagorillahunter]

I kayak fish as well in 30' water and it's not as bad as you would think...I've even thrown a 3/8oz football head jig and let it sink down to 30'.  Magnum worms work great too on texas or carolina rigs as mentioned.  I prefer carolina rigs for deep water.  I was lucky enough to snag the new 6thsense ridge worm before they sold out - see link below.  I set it up on a carolina rig on a 12" leader < since i'm in a kayak and caught six 4lbers back to back to back...fired up a school basically in about 20-25' of water. 

Other things I'll do is throw heavier chatterbaits...as light as a 1/2oz will get it done and just let it sink and work like a jig yoyo'ing on bottom.  Another is using a scrounger head...again 1/2oz will get it done and put your swimbait of choice on it like a castaic jerky j or jenko tremor shad...lately i've just been throwing on a yamamoto zako to great results.

Don't neglect the megabass darksleeper as well in 3/4 oz to an 1 oz - I prefer 3/4 oz as it's a little more versatile when throwing on lighter tackle.  It's also great in 10' of water, but good down to 20'.  Same thing with it...let hit bottom and yoyo it on retrieve. 

If you're able to stand up in your kayak and cast comfortably then deep cranking is an option as well - just be mindful of your gear behind you if on a proper cranking setup ie 7'4" and up rod.  I've done it with success and just use a quality line tie to swap out to the correct cranks at different depths instead of retying.  for example if you're in 14' of water then tie on a 17' plug....17' of water then 20' plug and so on...

Again, structure or football jigs depending on your bottom in 1/2 oz size are just deadly down to 20'.  Typically if you get one to bite that deep it's usually a good one...especially on a jig.  Jigs get big bites period!  It's funny a lot of people don't like jigging...turns out they don't have the patience for it.  Once you gain confidence with jigs...brother!!....let me tell you...quality fish will follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3nw4F21tbk&feature=emb_logo

[D.W. Verts]

Wow. Son, I could write a book... the advice above so far is good.

First off, where are you located?