article on using spinnerbaits in deep water from JP DeRose, host of WFN's "Getting School'd with JP DeRose"
http://www.wfn.tv/jpgear/tips.php?blog=401999
When it comes to catching fish on pressured waters the biggest trick often involves doing something different, something that no one else or very few anglers are willing to do. Giving the fish something they are not used to seeing will generate more interest in your offerings and if the conditions are right, put more fish in your boat.
Spinnerbaits are a fantastic shallow water bait but when the smallmouth go deep in the fall, people seem to forget about them all together.***(I think this would be great in the hot summertime, especially with as crowded as our lakes here in MA can get! ~ Tony) Thankfully there are a few companies out there that have begun to build heavy baits that are designed to fish ledges, deep timber and other structure. Two that come to mind are Strike King, with the Bottom Dweller and SOB Lures with the Boss Mini-Me. The SOB Boss Mini Me was a bait that I had the chance to film with on Lake Erie this past November while filming a session for Getting School'd and it did not disappoint!
The challenges of fishing a spinnerbait in water that is deeper than 15 or 20 feet comes with the stretch and feel since normally I use and recommend fluorocarbon lines with this technique. To get past these challenges I switched to 40 lb braid and ran a 6-8 foot leader of 20 pound fluorocarbon. The 40 pound braid has a very thin diameter, as thin as 10 pound test which will allow the bait to run deeper which is vital when fishing from 30-38 feet of water. The near zero stretch will also increase your feel for what the blades are doing and allow you to get that big hook into the fish with ease.
Since the water temperatures were in the 40's I also made sure to run the bait as slowly as possible, just enough to keep the blades spinning. For me that was anywhere from 1.1-1.4 mph and by using a 6.2:1 gear ratio reel I was able to get that speed with ease. Bumping bottom every so often will really trigger more strikes so the last thing you want to do is reel too quickly. The bait I was using was 1 1/4 oz and had no problems keeping that thing bumping the occasional boulder.
Rod choice was a 7'2" Medium Heavy, Extra Fast spinnerbait rod and the real key to the technique was fishing isolated rock piles. Boat position was critical as I looked to cast the bait over the rock pile, out onto the sand flat, allow the bait to hit bottom on a free line and then slowly work the bait to and over the structure. The fish were stacked on the edges of the piles and when the bait crested, that's when they would eat it. In order to keep your bait in the strike zone for the longest time possible I would highly recommend firing it out as far as you can, let out a bunch of line as you stroll away from the bait and then begin your retrieve, much like cranking the deep on the Southern impoundments, this technique is very unique and can reward you with some big fish that are just tired of looking at tubes and drop shot presentations.
Tight lines and long weekends
JP DeRose
http://www.wfn.tv/jpgear/tips.php?blog=401999
When it comes to catching fish on pressured waters the biggest trick often involves doing something different, something that no one else or very few anglers are willing to do. Giving the fish something they are not used to seeing will generate more interest in your offerings and if the conditions are right, put more fish in your boat.
Spinnerbaits are a fantastic shallow water bait but when the smallmouth go deep in the fall, people seem to forget about them all together.***(I think this would be great in the hot summertime, especially with as crowded as our lakes here in MA can get! ~ Tony) Thankfully there are a few companies out there that have begun to build heavy baits that are designed to fish ledges, deep timber and other structure. Two that come to mind are Strike King, with the Bottom Dweller and SOB Lures with the Boss Mini-Me. The SOB Boss Mini Me was a bait that I had the chance to film with on Lake Erie this past November while filming a session for Getting School'd and it did not disappoint!
The challenges of fishing a spinnerbait in water that is deeper than 15 or 20 feet comes with the stretch and feel since normally I use and recommend fluorocarbon lines with this technique. To get past these challenges I switched to 40 lb braid and ran a 6-8 foot leader of 20 pound fluorocarbon. The 40 pound braid has a very thin diameter, as thin as 10 pound test which will allow the bait to run deeper which is vital when fishing from 30-38 feet of water. The near zero stretch will also increase your feel for what the blades are doing and allow you to get that big hook into the fish with ease.
Since the water temperatures were in the 40's I also made sure to run the bait as slowly as possible, just enough to keep the blades spinning. For me that was anywhere from 1.1-1.4 mph and by using a 6.2:1 gear ratio reel I was able to get that speed with ease. Bumping bottom every so often will really trigger more strikes so the last thing you want to do is reel too quickly. The bait I was using was 1 1/4 oz and had no problems keeping that thing bumping the occasional boulder.
Rod choice was a 7'2" Medium Heavy, Extra Fast spinnerbait rod and the real key to the technique was fishing isolated rock piles. Boat position was critical as I looked to cast the bait over the rock pile, out onto the sand flat, allow the bait to hit bottom on a free line and then slowly work the bait to and over the structure. The fish were stacked on the edges of the piles and when the bait crested, that's when they would eat it. In order to keep your bait in the strike zone for the longest time possible I would highly recommend firing it out as far as you can, let out a bunch of line as you stroll away from the bait and then begin your retrieve, much like cranking the deep on the Southern impoundments, this technique is very unique and can reward you with some big fish that are just tired of looking at tubes and drop shot presentations.
Tight lines and long weekends
JP DeRose