Besides the all important TOTW and learning how to read graphs, what are the important factors in gaining confidence fishing deep (20+fow). I have graphed schools deep tons of times and spent lots of good time sifting through them, but can't seem to buy many bites.

Any thoughts?

Fishing 20+ is no different then 2ft. The only difference is they have more room to suspend and those are the hardest to catch. What you need to understand is the way they are positioned and relating to the bottom if they are feeding fish or suspended fish. Fishing for them is the same techniques as shallow.

Agree with brandon, when you find them feeding they can be easy to catch. If they are not active you can waste alot of time fishing for fish that are not going to bite.

I am not saying I do everything right fishing deep, but I always start with moving baits to try and fire up the school, crankbait or swimbait. After I catch 1 or 2 I usually swith to something that I can really work the area I'm catching the fish in. Crig, magnum shakyhead, fb jig, or trig. Try and line up you cast if you get a bite or catch a fish and keep making the same exact cast. You will be surprised how many fish you can catch after you get them fired up.

I posted this on the other thread about being frustrated with the deeper bite during the summer and fall months. Maybe it will help you get a grip on the feeding fish.

As I approach a point or hump looking for fish lets say in 40 ft. of water and I am seeing a lot of suspended fish at 20 ft. When I get to that point or hump I can count on the feeding fish to also be on the side connected to that point and or on top of it at 20ft. This is your magic depth that I call it. This is where you will find the feeding fish. All those suspended at that depth hard to get to bite until they connect to land.

I use a C-Rig with as light of a weight as I can get by with. I start with a Baby Brush hog first then the big brush hog when I catch something. I am after the bigger Bass so I want the slightly larger bait at that depth. If they are up shallower as I may be seeing fish suspended around the hump or point at 10 ft. before I get there then that will be the magic depth and I will stay with the smaller baits that will make long cast, like the Lake Fork Fry, Fluke and Senko. You cannot drag over the shallow water fish; so stay back and cast to that 10 ft. depth. The Bass attached to the hump or point at 20 ft. can be passed over as you drift with the wind staying on that 20 ft. contour all the way around it. Use your TM to slow and control the boat speed on your drift. Keep moving until you get bit. Some times I will throw out a buoy every time I catch a fish as I drift around the contour and then come back and pick those places apart with my custom Baby Doll Jig.

Agree with the suspending problem. Sometimes those fish will just not eat. You can try different angles but sometimes you just have to wait for them to move up on the flat or whatever structure is close. That can be a long wait. If they are along the bottom, that is entirely different. If you can find them on a flat off of a creek, then you should be able to catch them on the bottom or suspended. Good luck! It's tough learning to fish a different way but you will be better off in the long run.

It has been my experience, if I am seeing lots of fish suspended at say 20 ft. then I am going to fish those points and humps at 20 ft.. They will be connected to structure if there are suspended fish in the deep water near by. If they are suspended at 10 ft. then fish the slopes at that depth. That is the quickest way I have found to catch them.

Be cognizant of the thermocline also; 99% of the time, bass do not live in or below the thermocline due to lack of oxygen. If you can identify where the thermocline is, then usually right above it is the magic depth in which fish will be at on structure.

After fishing Pickwick the last two years for our big tournament, I have realized that suspended fish are almost impossible to catch. I won't even stop to fish if all the fish are suspended. It's all about the boat position and the cast to make the fish bite. I always throw moving baits until i start getting bites and then will throw the fb jig or drop shot once i figure out the right position

Don't pass up suspending fish I have been out with a guide on fork many times and targeting suspended fish

I had the same problem and the biggest mindset I have is that if I'm fishing 20-30 ft my bait is only 1 to 1 1/2 times the length of my boat and that helps me think it's not that bad, that's works most of the time but doesn't when drop shotting 40 plus