Hi, Im a fisherman and I hear a lot of people talk about the depth but what does that have to do with catching fish or which lure you should you use?

Think of a lake as a three dimensional body of water instead of just surface area.  Bass will position themselves according to seasonal patterns horizontally, and vertically.   Sometimes their shallow and buried in the weeds, downed wood, and docks.  Sometimes they move off shore and chase baitfish gathering in baitballs.  During prolonged hot weather they will also hang at the Thermocline depth, enjoying the comfortable temps, good O2 levels, as well as baitfish hanging at this level.  Sometimes they move to the first deep drop-off and position against the drop-off walls.  Sometimes they move deeper and position around any structure they can find deep.  As long as the O2 levels are good deep, they will be quite happy deep hugging structure.  In lakes, you can't just beat the banks for fish all year long, knowing how deep they are is a key factor in catching fish.  

There are lures that will maximize your chances at each of these depths.  You could write a book on what to use at each depth.  You need to do research on line to figure that out for yourself.  Good luck my friend, the more time on the water the better you will get at catching bass, all year long.

 

What geo said.  

Every bass water being a reservoir, pond, natural lake or river has a life zone where largemouth, smallmouth or Spotted bass are active or inactive.

Depth is important, it’s the 1st piece of the puzzle to to determine. If you know the depth you can eliminate areas to fish and what lures to use that are effective at the depth where active bass are at.

Tom

I heard Bill Dance say one time, if you can ask one question at the dock/ramp..ask what depth you caught em at?  Speed, lures, colors would all come after that. That advice has served me well more than a few times.

 

Like mentioned above, thermoclines will setup in warm weather on lakes without much current. The clearer the water, the deeper the thermocline. My main lake is fairly stained so the thermocline is rarely more than about 12 feet. So without anything else to go on, I focus on that depth first in the summer. Turning your sensitivity up on high for a few seconds should show the actual layer. (Depth)

 

how deep could  a thermocline be? i got a lake with little shallow water cover, its deep and very  clear.  50 feet deep Theres very little shallow water fishery. i have caught them at night up shallow and when they are spawning.

2 hours ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

how deep could  a thermocline be? i got a lake with little shallow water cover, its deep and very  clear.  50 feet deep Theres very little shallow water fishery. i have caught them at night up shallow and when they are spawning.

Thermoclines develop as the surface water warms being lighter weight then the colder deeper water creating a thermo layer where the water temps change quickly within a few feet.

Not all lakes develop a thermocline depending on currents, wind and climate.

You can see a thermocline with good sonar. Some lakes a thermocline could be 10’ where I fish it’s usually around 35’.

Tom

hmmmm, never targeted  the thermocline  fishing before. so if its 10 feet the fish should be around 10 feet right? will they ever be found bellow the thermo like if its 10 feet could they be in 35 

As a general rule bass stay near or above a thermocline because the dissolved oxygen (DO) levels drop below a thermo layer. It depends on good DO levels and if a prey source is deeper for bass to venture below a thermocline.

it’s a little early in the year for thermoclines to be developing unless surface water is warming quickly or above 80 degrees for most lakes.

Tom