Where do you find it best to fish for the MONSTERS? what kind of stuctures, dept and all that. Also what lures do you use to fish these areas?

DEEP. As deep as they can find dissolved oxygen, around ledges, channel bends, humps, far out of sight of anglers. Some come up shallow briefly to feed if that's where they have to find baitfish, but the big boys also hand out around schools of crappie that hold deep most of the year. Most of the winter and summer they will hang out in deep water, the more immature bass visiting shallow water more often. Winter is the best time to hang some monster bass, often suspended 30-50 feet deep and deeper. Come summer they seek cool deep water, limited only by depth of a thermocline if there is one. That's often around 20 feet. Most anglers believe most bass are shallow to 15 feet most months, but shock surveys don't support that notion. Catches don't support it either. If most were shallow we'd all be doing a lot better, but average catch rates per hour are very low on most lakes, anglers fishing shallow because it's easier to detect bass shallow around predictable cover & structure. So most of us are shore pounders with most of the biomass of bass behind us in deeper water where fishing is much more difficult. it's more difficult because most of our baits and techniques are aimed at shallow water bassing.

I use spinnerbaits running 3/4-1.25 oz there, blade baits, big jigs, deep diving crankbaits trolled, C-rigged soft plastics, heavy swim baits & inline spinners, drop shot, etc. But I fish to keep bass 1-4 pounds and intend to get my limit shallow, then go for fun in the deep if I have time for it.

Jim

I agree with ouachitabassangler. Monsters dont become monsters by doing what the smaller bass do. You will find them mostly deep, except maybe during the spawn and at night when they feed in the shallows. Monsters will be caught on a subtle change on a major piece of structure. This piece of structure will have everything the bass needs, food, cover, etc. Monsters will hit large lures since they will take an easy meal any day. However they can be caught on the small stuff too. Basically if you want to catcha Monster you really need to do your homework.

I strongly agree with "nb1226"  and looking at the posts I'll add this > I don't fish alot anymore becuase I now map lakes as a business and inturn learned a great deal about how fish relate with everyday pressure of fishermen/women  ect.    If it was so easy > no big fish would be left.  I disagree about depth. Using underwater camera's and other electronics > I see big bass that don't budge till after the sun goes down and they are in water (weedy) less than 4 ft. deep.  I watch fish back off into cover as a boat tip toes in under electric power yet making enough nosie that the big boys know so well and just fade into the weeds only to return after they pass. Structure fishing is the way to go but it must be in the correct area ?  Thats right. If its in the water with a D.O  of 4ppm or more > your good.  If its less your wasting your time. Just because you locate thermocline does not gaurentee fish!  The D.O. must fit and either you need structure or your going for suspended fish.  Now this works for lakes and in rivers and streams your going to have to hunt PH levels.  LM Bass traditionaly go for depths no grader than 15Ft.

Sm bass go deeper. The Pike family goes deep especialy pre caught pike. Hybrid stripers like open water assco. to bait.  So you got to do your homework. Remember this > The bass (sml / lm) are of the sunfish family. Thats the kind of water you want to start hunting in for LGM bass.  They truely like the sunset hours!

California and other western deep clear lake trophy bassing doesn't support the notion big bass typically remain in less than 15 feet of depth. David Fritts and many others would strongly disagree, disproving that time and again. 4 ppm oxygen isn't enough for bass, requiring 5 ppm for sustained survival. Generally speaking the thermocline marks the beginning of oxygenated water which usually has 5 ppm near the low to mid portion of the zone. Some big bass spend their entire lives shallow if not overly pressured, so I agree some will be found in 4 feet of water, but in pressured lakes that will be the exception rather than the rule. Bowfishers here regularly report seeing monster bass in water often too cardk to see them well, way deeper than 15 feet, but rarely see them shallow. That fits the monster catch ratio of shallow versus deep anglers.

Jim

Diffrent parts of the country will differ and the type of bass (strain). I don't however  see any info on the subject "Thermocline" being the edge of oxygenated water of 5ppb +... I do know it points out a temp. drop in the water over so many feet like 3 degrees per ft. drop in temp. I'd have to look it up but thats what I find by biologists. This drop will be projected by sonar onto your depthfinder becuase  of its density. That part is explained at the Lowrance site. The thermocline I can gather from the fisheries biologist.     I think we all agree on one fact  and that is the bass may be right under the boat but they are no dummies when it gets to the "MONSTERS SIZE " and you will need to do some experimenting  to find these fish  from shallow to deep.

Bass are rarely if ever seen below a thermocline. Wonder why? Even catfish won't go there more than an hour or so, except when finding deep current following a river or creek channel, new water carrying oxygen in a shallow band of water well below the thermocline. Usually river system lakes with that one condition don't develop or retain a thermocline like a closed system lake with little or no significant current. Obviously the thermocline can't only be about temperature. A thermocline usually develops in summer, with say 85 degree water on top of it, and 65 degree water below it, a gradient of temperature in between. But bass like 65 degree water in summer, disliking 85 degree water. But they don't go there when the lake heats up, having to find other ways to cool down. The temperature exchange is more of a sign of a thermocline, a zone separating different density water layers. Dense water can't retain oxygen, and won't have enough of it until surface water cools colder than deeper dense water, taking the upper oxygenated water down to mix with dead water. That's the "turn-over", ofen happening in late Fall.

The lighter warmer water above a thermocline gets that way because it's closer to air and retains oxygen due to mixing from waves and other forces. Dissolved oxygen tends to stay fairly constant right down to the thermocline, then drops off rapidly, disappearing totally below the zone. The larger (broader)the lake, typically the thicker the thermocline layer and deeper due to more extreme wave action from wind, and some from heavy boat traffic, aerating the upper layers of the lake more efficiently than in narrow or small lakes not affected as much by wind. On Toledo Bend you might often see 4 foot waves, while on Lake Greeson you rarely see waves over 1 foot. The thermocline on Toledo would likely be 20 feet deeper or more than on Greeson.

Jim

I like that reply and thanks for looking it up or whatever you did. Makes perfect sense since fish are just above thermoclines when they are present. I fish maily stained waters and under 50 ft. depth so the time is right on about the summer days. A thin layer is or found about 20 25 ft of 35. No structure at that level so the bass are either suspended or in the shore line structure and weeds in my area that can host springs. I like that right up thow and will copy it.!

That's the same old stuff I've been posting for several years, not finding much new information anywhere except maybe in the Fisheries Journal. The main thing that's been known a long time is when you identify the depth to the top of the thermocline, fish the edge of it where it intersects bottom near cover or structure. That would be near shore or out in the middle of a lake at a hump or ridge between islands, etc. There's no point in fishing juicy looking structure any deeper. Any depth above the thermocline near cover is where bass will be in summer. Come winter, after turn-over, all depths of a lake are about equally oxygenated, so they can be anywhere from 1 to 70 feet down. In spring and fall the thermocline usually isn't present, so bass are scattered more at various depths holding at least 5 ppm oxygen. Baitfish are as limited as bass, needing the same oxygen requirements, so wherever you find them you will find bass. Large baitfish schools help identify the thermocline, holding in flat groups as deep into it as allowable, usually always at the same depth any given day. If bunched up in a round school they are being threatened by predators, but still holding at a particular depth wherever you find schools.

Also keep in mind the depth of the thermocline can easily vary across a lake, deeper downwind because lighter warm oxygenated water is pushed downwind and piled up over cool water. Upwind it might be 20 feet shallower, the warm water blown away. That's one reason bass fishing is usually better downwind against shorelines that trap the warm water, which carries plankton, which attracts following baitfish, which attract feeding bass.

Jim

As usual, I found the posts by ouachitabassangler very insightful and very informative.

When it comes to angling, I put "location" on top of the heap, and "depth" on top of the heap

of by-factors determining "location". When it comes to bass depth however, we are sharply divided,

but that's what makes bass fishing the great sport it is.

The largemouth bass is the most sought and most studied gamefish in the United States,

where "secrets" are few-and-far between. A hundred years ago the fishing fraternity already knew

that walleyes, lake trout and northern pike occupy deepwater. A hundred years ago it was common

knowledge that chain pickerel occupy the shallowest niche of any freshwater gamefish,

rivaled only by the largemouth bass. Smallmouth bass fall somewhere between largemouth bass

and walleyes. This explains the reason why largemouth bass make the perfect tournament fish,

unlike northern pike and unlike lake trout.

The anatomy of the largemouth bass is clearly a fish designed to live in shallow water,

and Mother Nature's voice has more weight than any man. The bigmouth bass is a non-streamlined,

non-pelagic fish that possesses a swim bladder. Swim bladders only occur in species of fish

that maintain a relatively constant depth. By affording neutral buoyancy at their current depth,

a swim bladder actually makes it difficult to change depth. Therefore, fish species with swim bladders

are not given to significant depth change between deep and shallow water. Indeed, telemetry studies

conducted by the In-Fisherman staff confirmed as suspected that bass are sedentary fish.

The small minority of bass that were mobile would cruise parallel to the shoreline

without any significant change in depth.

The disposition of bass in shallow water and deep water are rarely the same.

The depth of "catchable" bass is constantly changing with meteorological and limnological conditions,

but the depth of the bass itself remains the same. This creates the illusion notwithstanding that bass

themselves are changing depth, but the only thing changing is the depth of 'catchable' bass.

If the bass aren't biting, they might as well be gone. During the fall turnover, dead weeds emit

carbon dioxide rather than oxygen and this forces bass to abandon their beloved weedbeds.

Any depth change however is gradual rather than sudden and only occurs in lakes that turnover.

Many lakes do not turnover and no lakes turnover in the deep south.

            Any bass that chooses to live its life in deep water has chosen to live in a hostile environment.

In the lower temperate, subtropical and tropical zones, deep water has a lower mean temperature

than shallow water. This means that bass residing in shallow water will have a faster growth rate

than bass living in deep water. Moreover, any large bass found in deep water must compete

with smaller school bass who are far better equipped for chasing pelagic shad. On the other hand,

large bass that reside in the nutritionally-rich shallows (littoral zone) are ensconced in algae, vegetation,

nursery grounds, fish fry, amphibians, reptiles and cover. Big bass that reside in shallow water

are able to lie in ambush amid a smorgasbord of forage with a minimum of expended energy.

Yes, next to deep water, but deep water they never actually enter.

Doug Hannon, the so-called "Bass Professor" is not my favorite authority, but he was involved

in impartial research regarding world-class bass. He personally communicated with as many anglers

as possible who caught bass weighing over 15 pounds. He found that the vast majority of world-class

bass were taken in water less than 5 deep. Now then, bass stocked in artificial impoundments

are a whole other ballgame. Many if not most of these reservoirs are sadly wanton in vegetation.

Rising to the occasion, largemouth bass in impoundments typically gravitate to "creek channels"

which become their substitute for vegetation. Yes, next to deep water, but deep water that they never

actually enter.

Just to cite the latest example, Wednesday of last week my wife and I went fishing.

We weren't counting, but we boated about a dozen bass between us ranging from 14 and 21.5" in length.

The smallest bass were taken on a paddletail worm in 4 to 6 feet of water, while the two largest bass

were taken in less than 2 feet of water on a sizmic pop-n toad.

To me, fishing deep water is much easier than fishing a broad sprawling shallow flat.

Drop-offs and holes create very confined areas that greatly simplify the "locational factor".

At the risk of sounding boastful, my wife and I have set several lodge records for northern pike.

The reason was simple, I targeted drop-offs in cabbage beds that plunged directly into water

between 15 and 25 feet deep. The other anglers including the locals were concentrating on the

hammer-handles in the shallow weedbeds. The upshot is this: I have applied all those same

deepwater tactics on largemouth bass, and they have failed miserably every time.

The deepest largemouth I've ever caught in a natural lake (bar manmade reservoirs) was 15 feet.

I was pike fishing and the bass was a by-catch (i.e. an insult).

Let's get real, 9-pound bass are scarce, VERY SCARCE!

We shouldn't confuse scarcity with some deep dark secret to a truckload of lunker bass.

If I were smart, I'd also get on the "Deepwater Bandwagon" and try to get all the anglers to face away

from the shoreline. Then I'd have those few rare Big Boys that ply the shallows all to myself 8-)

I've been reading about these lunker bass in deep water for many years, but just like Big Foot,

the proof has been locked in the waiting room for decades. How come we never see ONE photograph

of a stringer of nine pound bass taken in 25 feet of water?? We have in fact seen a stringer

of 9 pound bass, but it was taken by Dean Rojas in 2 to 5 of water (All-time record B.A.S.S stringer).

Roger

So then my original conclusion was right ?  that Blackbass, or Lm Bass  live in the same water along with the sunfish  as its the same family and the Sm bass also of the sunfish family  lives and is found in slightly deeper waters .  The preferd depths of a Lm or black bass is from 0-say 15 ft. depth ranges and Sm bass range can be  0-30 ft or so.

We have mostly manmade lakes but one lake that is 30 miles long and 0-150+ ft in depths > you find the lake divided with bass . The deeper end holds more Sm bass and reverse for Lm bass and the middle is diverts  with Lm bass 0- 12 ft range and sm bass below them down to 30 ft .  Of course it has a mix bag of bass with land locked Stripers running the whole lake and some over 50Lbs but these are not true bass.

( sm= small mouth bass / lm = large mouth bass).   Thanks again for them write-ups  you guys. Intresting !

I think the usually saltwater term "pelagic" sometimes gets in the way of discussing largemouth bass habitat. Largemouths feed in the upper layer of freshwater pelgic depths as well as being littoral feeders (shallow), and are diurnal feeders, feeding deeper in high sunlight penetration, then feeding extremely shallow at night. For inland water purposes I think of that zone being either below a thermocline if there is one, the rest of the year in layers having less than 5ppm oxygen, which can be much deeper than imagined as proved in Western canyon lakes. Here's just one of probably hundreds of studies of bass activity in inland pelagic conditions. This one indicates bass weights are heavier among those feeding deep. http://www.benthos.org/database/allnabstracts.cfm/db/Anchorage2006abstracts/id/607

There are too many pros specializing in deep water bassing to dismiss the possibilities of catching large bass deep. Iovino, Fritts (to 20 feet), Mark Davis and many others prove over and over drop shotting, jigging, spooning, deep diving crankbaits, C-rigging, trolling, and other methods do produce large bass from much deeper than 20 feet. I've caught my share from 30-70 feet down in river channels, bringing up nearly albino colored bass myself. I don't spend a lot of time doing that since I focus on bass under 4 pounds for dining purposes. But come winter I don't have much choice but to resume deep water spooning if I'm to bring home a decent mess.

Roger and I had some PM discussion on this, which maybe ought to be shared here to add details, but one of my points about the seeming superior catch rate of large bass shallow is because by far the majority of anglers, both pro and amateur, prefer fishing shallow, especially of course during the spawn period. But there are misconceptions about pre-spawn, many assuming the bass are shallow but not in the shallowest depths. In fact, the better catch rates happen in deep channels leading off main channels, in water at least 12 feet deep in the general staging areas, to around 35 feet where bass are migrating slowly to their staging areas. It typically stops around 35 feet because of the difficulty of fishing deeper. I know lots of anglers that don't carry lures capable of fishing that deep, not ever intending to try it, so we won't be seeing stringers of large deep water bass from them. But some also focus on deep walleye fishing here, and in doing that have connected with a larger share of lunkers few local anglers ever see caught. Another group that regularly removes monster bass are the live bait meat hunters, bith with rod & reel and trotlining. Spear fishers have harvested some really nice wall hangers from water so deep they had to use spot lights, typically near the dam.

Jim