What would you use for strong current that is deep with bass staged around 20-40' of water? I can pound the banks and shallows but deep is a loss to me.

I've never heard anyone fishing those conditions . I would think a jigging spoon would be about the most effective lure to use .

That does sound strange but like he said jigging spoon or a really heavy football jig if they're on the bottom.

Side note: from NC but your favorite lake is the Chippewa flowage? I have a cabin on the minong flowage just south of there.

I was at a power plant lake that had a hot water discharge and my graph went crazy with fish. I didn't have much luck anywhere else on the water so I figured I would try and learn some more about current and deep water.

Largemouth bass do not like swift current over 6 mph and will avoid it and use current breaks or current seams.

What this means is you concentrate where you see faster moving water next to slower moving water creating a seam. Current breaks are created by structure like wing dam or larger boulders.

Jigs, swimbaits using heavy fish head jigs are your best choices. Structure spoons aren't as good because they spin in swift current creating too much slack line.

Tom

That does sound strange but like he said jigging spoon or a really heavy football jig if they're on the bottom.

Side note: from NC but your favorite lake is the Chippewa flowage? I have a cabin on the minong flowage just south of there.

Just moved from IL to NC in July. Family has property on the Chip.

Dropshot with a 1+oz weight.

40' of water and swift current.... EASY! I'd stay home. Lol

The surface water will be moving faster than the bottom but still if it's really fast there's a good chance those aren't bass. You're probably looking at a really heavy jigging spoon/slab spoon or a really heavy Jika rig. Not many options in that situation. 

How close are you to the outflow? I have fished dams where the surface water was flowing fast, but the water nearest to the bottom had almost like an undertow to it. If I recall right the water would drag my bottom baits up to the dam, and then push them back out in almost like a circle pattern. Now I think if the bass were suspended closer to the bottom, they were probably where these two areas meet therefor in slower moving water. I think if you would be able to run like a spinnerbait or crankbait in that zone you would have no problem. Also it might be time to break out the 4lb braid to try and manage light lures better. Just a thought.

How close are you to the outflow? I have fished dams where the surface water was flowing fast, but the water nearest to the bottom had almost like an undertow to it. If I recall right the water would drag my bottom baits up to the dam, and then push them back out in almost like a circle pattern. Now I think if the bass were suspended closer to the bottom, they were probably where these two areas meet therefor in slower moving water. I think if you would be able to run like a spinnerbait or crankbait in that zone you would have no problem. Also it might be time to break out the 4lb braid to try and manage light lures better. Just a thought.

I think that is what is happening as the bottom is 50'. My problem is trying to crank down to 20' or drop shotting/jigging and losing control of the bait in the current. It never had time to get to the "zone" between the two moving waters. Just curious as I like trying new things and this is frustrating because I can't figure it out on my own.

Drop shot, light flouro, big sinker.

Big power generation dam outflow is different dynamic than a nuclear power generation plant outflow. The big dam pulls water off the bottom of the lake and run occasionally, the nuclear plant outflow pumps water into the upper water column and runs continuously. The power dam outflows into a river when generating power at a higher rate of outflow than the nuclear plant outflow.

You need to learn how to read moving water and that takes practice.

Tom

They're probably tough to find these days, but a depth-charge might do the trick...

Everyone's opinion on current can be so different, but we fish a lot of deep water here in the Inland NW, and those who fish the Columbia River do exactly that with pretty challenging conditions. If they're locating on bottom, I'd throw a 3/4oz or 1oz Football head jig. A dropshot with a heavy weight would work too if they're hovering above the bottom.

For smallmouth that deep, a blank football head jig on spinning gear can be great for adjusting depths or dragging with current. A lot of people here use hula grubs, and I mixed in the Baby Rodent with good success.

If they're largies, a swimbait with a heavy head should get a couple in the boat. It just really depends, but with basic info, these three or four should get bit! Good luck!

They're probably tough to find these days, but a depth-charge might do the trick...

LOL....They are hard to come by for sure.

The only places that deep I can think of with swift current would be the Columbia, outflows and inflows of the Great Lakes, and areas of the Lower Colorado River. You might run into that directly below dams on the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio though.

This is on Belews Lake in North Carolina. It is a power plant lake and the discharge is very deep.

Would this be a good opportunity for me to start throwing an a-rig?