I have always picked my cranks to run close to a foot deeper than what the water depth is. I have 12lb,15, and 17lb to help with this, but my question is If you drive over a spot and the bass are at let's say 10ft and the water is 16ft deep. Do you cast one to run 10ft so it stays in their face. I hear all the time you won't catch many if your not going deep enough to make contact with the bottom.

Interesting question.

 

Traditional thinking is that a fish may be more inclined to come up to take a bait, so keeping your presentation above the fish can yield results. 

 

The effectiveness of crankbait deflection off structure is often associated with the bass being located close to or on the bottom.  

 

Another question may be how close is close ?  When considering your question, there may be several factors that determine the answer.   List could include but may not be limited to the season, the water temp, water clarity, recent past & present weather,  the presence of current & / or cover and lastly the mood of the bass at the time.

 

I'll be honest and say that I routinely disregard all of that and when that situation presents itself - I try it.

 

Sometimes it works, some times it doesn't.

 

That was a big help I'm sure.

 

 

A-Jay

Something I neglected to mention above, I have had decent success in that situation fishing a Lipless bait right there.

 

 Some of the factors previously mentioned usually determine how.

 

A-Jay

First and foremost suspended bass not relating to baitfish are inactive bass.

Why select a lure that works a high percentage on active bass to catch inactive bass?

Back to your question, look at bass as a predator; where are their eyes located....the are physically a fish that looks up, not down. Your lure should be above the bass or fall slowly past their visual envelope so they can see it and decide to strike.

Fishing below where bass are located makes for a long day.

Tom

I'll echo that if there are bass suspended but no baitfish around, they are notoriously the hardest to catch. I would throw a few at them and if nothing in about 3 minutes would move on. As far as contact when cranking, this is the only way I ever get bit is by keeping constant bottom contact with my bait (except a lipless crank). I reel down until I touch bottom, then just slowly crawl it along the bottom with a sweeping motion, pause to reel up slack, then sweep again. Most hits come on the pause.

3x on that echo. If I see fish that are suspended but aren't relating to baitfish, I'll usually go with a vertical presentation. Something like a jig, spoon, drop shot, etc. 

 

If I'm certain that my casts are accurate and my depth is correct, I'll give it a few casts and move on if I don't get bit fairly quickly.

Might wanna try a spinbait. (just an idea)

This is the reason I carry suspending cranks. Regardless, you can trigger a response from those inactive fish and the best way to do it is with a fast, erratic presentation.  If you choose to stick with a crank, pick one that will run true at that depth (or just above it) on a fast retrieve and then pop your rod tip multiple times during the cast.  I like a suspending bait because I'll stop it dead at least once during every cast.  Just like a lipless crank, you can fire up a school this way and limit out quickly.  More often than not, however, you'll just be practicing your casting.

3x on that echo. If I see fish that are suspended but aren't relating to baitfish, I'll usually go with a vertical presentation. Something like a jig, spoon, drop shot, etc. 

 

If I'm certain that my casts are accurate and my depth is correct, I'll give it a few casts and move on if I don't get bit fairly quickly.

 

I understand the concept of a vertical presentation however the OP mentioned water that was 16ft deep with fish in 10 ft.

The water is so clear here - often 20 ft plus of vis - there is no way I would ever be able to position "Over" these bass.  They be long gone before I ever got close.  The shadow of the boat alone will spook them off.   

 

  This scenario would be more likely for me at 30 feet with the fish at 25 ft.

 

A-Jay

I understand the concept of a vertical presentation however the OP mentioned water that was 16ft deep with fish in 10 ft.

The water is so clear here - often 20 ft plus of vis - there is no way I would ever be able to position "Over" these bass.  They be long gone before I ever got close.  The shadow of the boat alone will spook them off.   

 

  This scenario would be more likely for me at 30 feet with the fish at 25 ft.

 

A-Jay

I wish that were the case down here. I love fishing clear water like you describe, but it's very seldom that we see it on the tidal Potomac. Usually I can position directly above fish in 10-15FOW without spooking them. I fish right near a busy airport, train, and large city with a decent amount of boat traffic; fish aren't that spooky here. Even when I move to clear water the visibility is maybe 3'.

I wish that were the case down here. I love fishing clear water like you describe, but it's very seldom that we see it on the tidal Potomac. Usually I can position directly above fish in 10-15FOW without spooking them. I fish right near a busy airport, train, and large city with a decent amount of boat traffic; fish aren't that spooky here. Even when I move to clear water the visibility is maybe 3'.

 

Don't want to hi-jack the thread but  Be Careful what you ask for - super clear water looks cool and may offer a feeling of a pristine eco system - but it makes the bass fishing a bit more challenging.  

And that may be an understatement of sorts.

 

A-Jay

Don't want to hi-jack the thread but  Be Careful what you ask for - super clear water looks cool and may offer a feeling of a pristine eco system - but it makes the bass fishing a bit more challenging.  

And that may be an understatement of sorts.

 

A-Jay

Much agreed! I prefer water I can track a small animal across.

Sometimes I catch bass that are suspended off points by throwing a crankbait that goes to the depth  the bass are at. Most recently I used a rebel Double Depp Wee R that   dives about 10 foot to catch bass in 15 to 20 foot of water .