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Summertime
Bass Think Deepwater Rocks
When you are
thinking summertime bass
it is like a coin with two
sides, one shallow and one
deep. In this article we
are going to cover the
deep side of the coin.
These are the bass that
hold deeper than the
outside weed line during
the summer months; we are
talking rocks located in
12ft to 25ft of water. I
call these rock areas;
thinking outside of the
box.
For
many years bass fishermen
have been told that bass
do not live past the
outside weed line, so for
most bass fishermen this
was our focus. We would
throw a jig worm or
jig-n-pig presentation on
the outside weed line, but
a few of the brave hearts
over time ventured farther
past the weed line and
found that bass do take up
residence on deepwater
rock areas that are
located past the outside
weed line. If there
is a food source, bass
were found to hold in
these areas for most of
the summer months. In my
part of the country this
food source is bluegills,
but in your part of the
country it may be shad.
Either way once the food
source is in place many
times some of the biggest
bass of the system will
make the deeper water
move. How long they stay
will all depend on the
food source if the food
leaves the bass will soon
follow.
The time table of this
deepwater bass pattern
will depend on where you
live. For the
Midwest it starts around
the 4th of July
and lasts till the end of
September for the southern
part of the country this
movement will start around
June and can last until
October.
Lets look at
some of the best deepwater
presentations that you can
use when bass make the
move towards the rocks.
Shaky Head
Lets
start with the Shaky Head
presentation. Big Bite Pro
Jeff Kriet has made a
living at fishing a Shaky
Head Jig all over the
country catching bass
along the way everywhere
he goes. This craze
started with the Big Bite
Squirrel Tail rigged on a
Shaky Head, this year add
a new bait called the
Flying Squirrel to the mix
(see photo). This is a new
hybrid bait from Big Bite
that will give you Shaky
Head fishermen another
option when it comes to
plastics.
The Flying Squirrel
has two floating tails and
additional flaps to add
more action than the
Squirrel Tail Worm.
Cast your shaky head
jig out, let it sink to
the bottom and slowly drag
your presentation along
the bottom. Do not fish
this jig in hops like you
would a traditional jig it
works better to just drag
your shaky head through
the rocks. When you feel
the bait pull up against a
rock or deepwater cover
give the bait a few shakes
with the rod tip. This
will allow the floating
tails to work its magic.
You do not need to move
this bait for it to have
action all you have to do
is let it sit in place and
the floating tails will be
moving creating its own
fish catching action.
Drop Shot
The
Drop Shot technique has
been coming on strong in
the US bass fishing
circles for a few years
now as it has made its way
across the big pond from
Japan. Mainly fished with
light spinning equipment
bass fishermen are seeing
the power of finesse
fishing at some of its
finest.
Equipment
for the drop shot
technique is a light
action 7 to 76
rod, teamed with a
matching spinning reel and
spooled with 4lb to 6lb
fluorocarbon line. On the
line about 18 up you
take a drop shot hook and
using a Palomar knot tie
the hook, hook point up.
At the end of the line
clip on a drop shot
weight.
On the hook I will
add one of Big Bites
newest baits a Sugar Cane
Worm. I can rig the Sugar
Cane worm in three
different ways wacky
style, Texas (weedless) or
nose hook the worm.
The
drop shot is one of the
best presentations to turn
to when the bite is off.
After you have eliminated
all your other tactics
with no bites or just a
few bites it is time to
reach for your drop shot
rig. I have had many days
that when the bite is
nonexistent with other
baits, the drop shot will
get you the few key bites
that you need to get bass
into the live well.
Football Jig
Football
jigs have made a presence
in bass fishing the last
few years in deepwater
rock tactics. I
generally match my
football jig color to the
forage that the bass are
feeding on. In my
case that food source
would be bluegills and
crawfish during the summer
months. These two colors
are the main colors that I
throw and for my trailer I
always tip my football jig
with a Big Bite Rojas
Fighting Frog. The
Fighting Frog is hands
down one of the best baits
to use for a flipping
tactic, but it is also a
great jig
trailer and this is the
capacity that I am using
it in for in this
application.
To fish a football jig
make your cast, let the
bait sink to the bottom
and drag the jig through
the rocks. When you feel
the jig sit up against a
bigger rock try to get
your football jig to rock
back and forth in place.
This will make the
Football Jig stand up and
look like a craw taking
the attack stance against
the bass. This little
tactic will not only get
you more bites but many
times bigger bites from
bass when fishing a
Football jig presentation.
When the time comes and
you get a bite, use a
sweep set to set the hook
instead of trying to use a
traditional hook set where
you would lift the jig up
off of the bottom. With
the 1oz jig it is hard to
generate enough power to
get a good enough hook set
when trying to lift the
jig up off of the bottom,
but you will get a solid
hook set when you use a
sweep set.
Carolina Rig
Of
all the deep water tactics
this is probably the one
that is closes to my
heart. I have won many
tournaments using this
tactic along side of a
deepwater crank bait. I
would make my first pass
with the crank bait to
take the active bass and
then go back through and
fish the Carolina rig.
In the past few months I
have been using the new
Big Bite 8 Kriet Tail
Lizard. This bait has a
bigger profile and tail
for added action.
I will rig this on
a 5/0 EWG worm hook and
use a 1oz sinker.
The 1oz sinker is the tell
all, this weight will
telegraph back to you the
content of the bottom. One
key I have learned over
the years when fishing a
Carolina rig is when you
encounter rocks that is
harder to get your sinker
through, slow down and
fish these areas good as
these were many times
where my bigger bass would
hold and come from.
10 Kriet Tail Worm
Big
Bites Russ Lane used the
10 Kriet Tail Worm to
power his way into the
Elite post season. Russ
knows there is something
about a big worm and
deepwater rocks that just
seem to go together.
Rigged
with either a 3/8oz or
1/2oz sinker rig your
10 worm on a EWG 5/0 to
6/0 worm hook. I fish this
rig on a 76 flipping
stick, teamed with a
matching reel and spooled
with 15lb to 20lb
fluorocarbon line.
Make
your cast and let the bait
settle to the bottom, when
the bait hits the bottom
you will see your line go
slack. Start your
retrieve, in my time with
this tactic I use a drag
retrieve, fish the 10
worm like you are fishing
a Carolina rig. I
have not had the best of
luck with using a
traditional lift and drop
retrieve on the rocks, but
try both retrieves and see
what results you get in
your area.
So do not be fooled into
thinking that bass are not
any deeper than the
outside weed line. Bass
will live deeper than the
outside weed line and will
stay on these deeper water
rocks as long as there is
a food source to eat. It
is this simple; if there
is not food there will be
no bass, but if you have a
food source that the bass
can feed on you will have
some of the biggest bass
in the lake system calling
these rocks home for the
summer months. Do
not miss out on this
opportunity and remember
sometimes you have to
think outside of the box.
Scott
Petersen
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