I am getting tired of pounding the banks in search of big largemouth.  Some day's it's a sure ticket for success but others not.   I know those fish drop (live) deeper most of the time and I have read lots about deep structure fishing in the south.  What about in the north?  Do you guys have proven strategies for catching big bass in deep water (10-20 ft) in the north country?

I am getting tired of pounding the banks in search of big largemouth.  Some day's it's a sure ticket for success but others not.   I know those fish drop (live) deeper most of the time and I have read lots about deep structure fishing in the south.  What about in the north?  Do you guys have proven strategies for catching big bass in deep water (10-20 ft) in the north country?

Lake of the Woods, thats a beautiful lake.  I would throw a deep diving crankbait, I did that over Memorial weekend, did pretty good, except I caught mostly pike, and Im sure you will have the same issue.  Would a swimbait work also?  Ive never really used one before.  Thats the next thing to add to the tacklebox.

Drop-shot

jig

drop-shot using jig as weight

Jig, drop shot, deep cranks, carolina rigs.  Get on humps, outside edges of weedlines, channel swings.

There's alot of great techniques for taking deep water bass. Drop shotting, bouncing or sliding a grub, tubes, deep running cranks you name it. They're all fun and they all work. It's a little different feeling when you're keeping in touch with your baits when they're 20-40 feet down. Things become a little more subtle and taps a bit more vague but you adapt as you do it more.

The true key to the whole equation is being able to locate quality deep water structure. All the great gear and skill isn't going to help much if you aren't fishing over fish. Lakes within a certain region share similar qualities. As you spend more time out away from the shore these similarities become more obvious and it helps you in determining at least a good starting point. Sometimes looking for good deep structure can seem like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Use your electronics and your marker buoys. Start out working 200 yards in either direction of a major point or work point to point looking for the sweetness in the middle.

When it all comes together you are going to be amazed at the numbers of fish you are catching. Smallmouth bass like to school up. Often times they group together by size. I've dropshotted over a massive pack of 2-4 lb bronzebacks that were feasting on a large school of baitfish. The scene on my fishfinder can only be described as something seen on National Geographic and the fishing was nothing short of absolute mayhem. It takes some time to gain confidence but as the mystery unfolds you may just find it's better than anything you've experienced throwing at the shore.

Drop-shot

jig

drop-shot using jig as weight

I seen this rig in the latest BassPro catalog, in tourney situations is this legal?

Sometimes looking for good deep structure can seem like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Use your electronics and your marker buoys. Start out working 200 yards in either direction of a major point or work point to point looking for the sweetness in the middle.  

I am also a shore line structure fisherman and Im very new to fishing deepwater structure.  What are you looking for when you are fishing deep?  How do you know where a good spot is?  Where do you start and doesn't searching for structure waste time?  

The actual searching process can take some time. Like I posted before I like to work off both sides of a point. Often times there are some nice pieces of deepwater structure that kind of spider web off a major point. Another thing I'll do is put my boat in 25-30 feet of water. I'll be throwing toward the shallower water but watching my electronics with marker buoy ready. This way I am kind of searching but also fishing at the same time. On a lake I fish alot I try to take a slightly different route to my favorite spots while under big motor power. That way I can learn a little more of the deeper bottom contours each trip out. If you are in a tournament situation on a lake you don't know then unfortunately you need to kind of abandon the deep water game because you can simply end up spending too much time searching and not  enough time catching. I have a handful of favorite lakes that over the years I have unlocked some of their deep water honey holes. Some discoveries were made my mistake, others were from just putting around watching the finder at the end of the day or during a breather. Of course a good depth map of the lake will certainly help if you can find one that is fairly accurate. Not only do I feel the big fish potential is greater when working the deeper stuff, I feel that the fish are less pressured. Even in clear water the visibility is reduced down deep which I think is an advantage to the fisherman.

i couldnt agree more with thre response to this post . when fishing deep water on big water in north country u can never go wrong with a tube jig find the structure and rocks on the floor of the lake and look for flats and elevation in depth this is a sure hangout for the bigger smallmouth bass and we all know that smallmouth bass spawn in deep water and in tournament fishing this is my stategy the whole way fish the deep water get the limit in big smallies then concentrate on the hogs

Thats all I hear about up here(north) is people useing watermelon tube jigs and killing them, I have never had much luck with this.  How do you fish them, on the bottom or lift and fall?  When your watching your graph, looking for structure would you consider any type of bump off the bottom structure?  I mean if there is a realitivly flat sloping point with say a baskets ball size rock, is that enough structure for them to relate to?  Or would you look for something with larger rocks?  Deep water is very new to me, I did a little last year with some success.  Pitching a craw imitation shallow and hoping it down into deeper water or into weeds spots/lines on the point.  Didn't have much luck casting cranks though...