While some largemouth bass can always be caught shallow from spring through fall, the summer months provide some excellent deep water fishing for largemouth bass if you have the patience to stay deep. Some of the best deep water areas to fish are the drop-offs. If you can find a good shallow water spot that has some quick access to deep water, there is a pretty good chance that you can find some largemouth bass on the drop-off. While you may be able catch largemouth bass in water as deep as 50 feet deep in some reservoirs, most lakes have plenty of good largemouth bass fishing on the drop-offs from 8 to 20 feet deep. The weed lines on most lakes can be found in 12 to 16 feet of water. Unless there are some submerged trees or deep rock to lure bass into deeper water, there is a good chance that most of the deep water largemouth bass will be found on the deep weed line.
Some lakes do offer some deep water rock, submerged trees and brush piles. These areas will all hold some bass during the early spring, summer and late fall. Some of more popular ways to fish for largemouth bass on the drop-offs are with drop-shot rigs, carolina rigs and deep diving crankbaits.
Fishing Tips
The Drop is the Spot
Fish right on the drop-off and you’ll usually catch a lot more fish when the bass are in deeper water.
Suspended Bass Near the Drop-offs
Often times, bass will move off the drop-off and they will suspend over open water. For example, if you were catching bass 14 feet down, there is a good chance that there are some bass at the same depth but just a little farther out from where the drop-off occurs. You may have 30 feet of water just 20 to 50 feet away and some of these bass just move out and suspend 14 feet down over this deeper water.
Get Down There
There are many different ways to fish deep water. Just make sure your bait is at the appropriate depth or you’re going to have a tough day on the water.
Deep Weedlines Are Tough To Beat
Find the deepest part of the weedline and fish this area. When you combine the drop-off, the deeper water and the weed edge, it’s just a perfect combination for holding all types of fish, especially largemouth bass.
