MinnesotaAngler

Well the best way I can think of finding those dropoffs is to take a shallow/mid diving crankbait and drag it up to the shore. If it doesn't hit then all of sudden (say its diving at 6 feet) it starts nailing a bank that continues to rise or fall then you know you've found some structure. You could throw in a deep diver to find fallen trees, submerged rocks, etc. Hey, maybe you'll get lucky and catch one of them lunkers while its banging around down there . Thats how I find depth in ponds if no one knows it.

I live on the Mississippi. I wake up every morning (well not now because I just moved in to college) and look at the Mississippi out my bedroom window. I don't like it because I'm on the worst pool of the Mississippi--Quad Cities- IA/IL. I don't always fish the same bait, I just tried the Senko for 8 hours straight through places I always catch fish and then some places other people catch fish and I didn't get as much as a nibble. I used Nitro Gravy as well as PowerBait Scent for as scents. I always use the texas rig and I've used 6lb line and I've used as much as 20lb line. It's only with the Senkos that I am not able to catch fish. It's not the first time I've had trouble with it on the river either. I just tried to use some techniques I learned on here in the river.

My conclusion-- That small, furry animal that sits on your shoulder.

The Mississippi is reallly weird where I'm at...Off my dock it's pretty muddy, but if you go under the bridge and next to the "wall" (it's like a sea wall and its a pretty good fishing spot) on the side opposite the channel the water is clear-stained. Somewhere inbetween there.

Read Roadwarriors post in that thread. His technique seems to work pretty well for him. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1155945291

Alright. I know the great success of the Senko because obviously just about everyone has tried one and had success. I have had success with these in lakes and ponds as well, but I throw one of these guys (5") in the Mississippi and fish don't even take a second look at them. Has anyone had success in fast-flowing currents with Senkos? I hate fishing in the Mississippi, but I live on it, soooooo, yea....Any tips and different than normal Senko techniques would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for those links fluke. Thats great stuff in there. About that "stop and go"...thanks for correcting me Volpster. I'm not totally familiar with the DT series, I just know that Rapala usually numbers there crankbaits based on diving depths. 8-). Yea definitly read those threads. Chris' posts are like articles in Bassmaster magazine.

The easiest and best way to pick lure colors is to take the color of the baitfish in that reservior and use that color and/or similar colors for your cranks, spinners, etc. Smaller profile baits and natural fish colors/native baitfish colors are going to do it for you. I don't like the idea of white or chartreuse in ultra-clear lakes. Also, vegetation is always better than timber..easier to work with, generally holds more fish, and so on. You make those fish bite man! Good luck and Happy fishing!

Crankbaits are pretty straightforward. Think like a baitfish around predators. It has to act spooked. You can work them fast, slow, and anywhere in between. The most popular method is stop and go. You crank em then you let it sit for a couple seconds, then you crank it again, etc...DT-4 dives around 4 feet I think, so it shouldn't get hung up too much. The nice thing about a shallow diver is that you can run it over shallow weedbeds and get some minor snags. The minor snags are good because when you pull it free, it often triggers a reactionary strike from bass. Most bass are caught on that technique for crankbaits. The only thing cranks usually get realll snagged on that you have to cut off are on trees. Weedbeds are generally easy to get out of. You just need to find your comfort zone and what seems to catch the most fish for the retrieve. The whole goal is simulate a baitfish. Hope this helps. Happy Fishing!

Craw makes a great point. The only thing I would add to it is that since the water is so clear use smaller lures rather than larger ones so the bass can't get a good look at them.

Since you live in the south I would guess it is still very hot 8-). On many southern lakes there is less and less oxygen the deeper down you go. Keep around the weedbeds as bass love to follow weedbeds all the way around the lake during the summer time. Bass don't go deep just because it's hot. Run a crankbait on the edge/top of the weeds and continually rip the crank from the weeds as this often triggers strikes. Also, use larger lures/baits. They don't have to be natural colors since the water is probably not clear. If that strategy doesn't work look for areas where bottom composition changes and/or areas where there is a quick dropoff. Bass will cling to dropoffs and breaklines. Run cranks down there, or as it is preferred here, drop a Senko down there and hop it around for a while. A dropshot would probably be very effective as well. Hope this helps. Happy Fishing.

For ponds, my favorite thing to do is throw on a topwater lure, usually a frog. The other lure I usually throw in ponds is a T-rigged Berkley PowerTube. Scent always seems to catch more fish for me than anything in ponds.

My personal opinion is that the water temperature shouldn't play a huge factor in where the bass are, but it my play a factor in how active they are. Since you are fishing in ultra-clear water horizontal presentation and reactionary baits/lures will most likely prove more effective than drop shotting or jig 'n pigin. The cold water may make the bass less active for a few days, maybe more, meaning you are going to have to have to make the bass strike. Running crankbaits, jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits over and around those weedbeds and docks are going to be your best bet. I'd give that a try first. If it doesn't you can always toss in a Senko and play with it, but I think the horizontal baits should be effective. Happy Fishing.

Where are you from or even better where will you be fishing? That might help us all.

I'll go ahead and say the exact same thing I said in the last post since it seemed to be pretty helpful. 8-) The thing I love about summertime night fishing in shallower water is a lot of the time, but not all the time, I've found that the bass that normally hang on deep structure come into the shallower weedbeds. I was reading the June Bassmaster when I came across the same kind of statement- "Deeper bass maybe drawn to them (weedbeds) during low-light hours." Also, Kevin VanDam stated in his book, "I prefer night fishing during the hottest weather on the clearest lakes. Fish are more agressive than they are during the day. They tend to roam farther from cover, which means my casts don't have to be as precise." He goes on to say that his favorite technique is slow-rolling a spinnerbait on slow tapering points that drop into deep water. Hope that helps.

Very similar to that are rip, puncture, and tear marks from snapping turtles.

The thing I love about summertime night fishing in shallower water is a lot of the time, but not all the time, I've found that the bass that normally hang on deep structure come into the shallower weedbeds. I was reading the June Bassmaster when I came across the same kind of statement- "Deeper bass maybe drawn to them (weedbeds) during low-light hours." Also, Kevin VanDam stated in his book, "I prefer night fishing during the hottest weather on the clearest lakes. Fish are more agressive than they are during the day. They tend to roam farther from cover, which means my casts don't have to be as precise." He goes on to say that his favorite technique is slow-rolling a spinnerbait on slow tapering points that drop into deep water. Hope that helps.