Howdy,

I just got my first boat this year. I've spent my last 8 or so trips trying to figure out the deep water game. 3 days on Fork and 5 back home on Lewisville. I know there are fish to be had shallow, but I am enjoying the challenge of learning something new. I am also just a tiny bit frustrated. When I am doing my homework the night before I will find something like this:


Main lake point/hump. Looks perfect. And then I get out there and realize that that feature is nearly a half-mile long. It would take all day to graph. So the next day I say okay Im going to focus on that one point with the green fish at the top of the photo because it has more dramatic topography and deep water close by. So I go out there and even that area is the size of 3 football fields.

I drive around. Not much of anything living on top in 12-16FOW. When I drop off the side I see bait in 22-30FOW. I drive and drive as long as my patience allows. Im looking at my structure scan for a nice line of big white dots right on the bottom. I figure if I see five or more in a row that will be worth my time. The most I see is maybe 3 or 4. Are those fish? I cant really tell. I see some white dashes on my side scan 30 ft to the left but when I circle back to look I don't see anything. My back is soaked with sweat.


I throw out a buoy. My hand burns as I pick up my scorched Concept A. Can my gear even survive this weather? I see some bait in the water. Some kind 6-8 inch fish are busting minnows on the surface. Occasionally a 4ft gar rolls on the surface. It's 105 degrees and the sunscreen has melted into my eyes. I wonder if that wind that tormented me all spring is ever going to blow again, or if perhaps this is the end of times and the Mayans were just off a few years. Something ticks my ten inch worm and I reel down to it. But it's gone. Maybe it was a rock.

On my 45th cast something hits my spoon but doesn't connect. I repeat another 20 times and nothing. Another wake boat passes within a hundred feet and I half hope they hit a tree on their way to the party cove.

The only salvation is my over-priced cooler in which I keep the essentials: ice, water, Coors Light, Copenhagen, and my cell phone. Pictured below on a previous trip.


Eventually the sun sets and I spend the rest of my evening sitting in construction traffic on I35. At home I watch videos about offshore fishing on YouTube. LakeForkGuy Justin Rackley has some great ones. They make it look so easy. I look at new graphs. Perhaps the definition is better on the new ones. Onix, Helix. I don't know. $3000?! Maybe if I had a touch screen I would catch more fish? Maybe if I had two console units? If 2 is good maybe 3 is better? Maybe I should get SCUBA gear? Maybe I should get some sleep before work.

I appreciate the last pic.

I appreciate everything you have said and have been there myself. I've diagnosed your problem though--a couple of distractions.

I will tell you I graphed that whole area you are showing today and the only thing I found was hybrids and shad. I would focus on smaller areas closer to shore try and pick a smaller area of the lake and get you 5-10 spots that look good from home then go graph them. Deep bite wasn't to good for me today, so don't let the slow bite get you down. Fishing deep is more of a timing thing you need to be there when the fish you have located are ready to eat.

Where is the pic of the over priced cooler you are talking about?

That is funny. Feel ur pain. Maybe I need to get a cooler like that to help my day go by better.

I'd definetly be focused on the humps....

4:11 p.m. Is not the right time to be out. Early and late in the day is always going to be your best time to catch fish. The position of the fish on humps or points is key once you find them. Start with the bow into the wind. Drag a football jig through the area. Try all angles. Then try a c-rig (3-4' leader). Again try all angles. Next I would throw a 10" worm. Then back to the FB jig. Vary your retrieve...bounce, stroke and drag. Try different colors or patterns. The bottom line is sometimes they just won't bite. The most expensive piece of electronics isn't in control of the rod/reel. You still have to fish and you still have to catch.

If possible try to get out on the lake during the week when there is less recreation boaters out. That too can effect catching fish.

Good luck. Hope this helps you out

Well, nice "Yetti"!

Lewisville is your issue its not much of an offshore lake. My only luck out there fishing deep has been max 15ft and usually rock or road beds.

Also August is supper tough out deep for allot of people. June-July is best time to learn your deep stuff. October is also an awesome time to fish deep especially points leading into major creeks 10-20fow the fish just follow the bait and then gang up on structure to feed on them.

Love this post. We went to Pines today and tried some deep water. Figured we could catch something on a main lake point. NOPE. It was slow for us. We stayed on the water until 1:30 and gave up when the temp hit 99 with very little wind.

I'm determined to figure out how to catch them deep, but I'm not very good at it yet. I think I need two 12s on the console and two 12s on the bow. That must be the problem.

I think I would have to give up fishing.

All you need on Lewisville to catch fish deep is a drop shot with a watermelon/red soft plastic lure, Strike king has some good choices. You may not catch a lot of big fish but it will get you started in the right direction then you can try to adjust to what the big fish might be doing (it is a timing thing). you will catch a lot of small fish. I fished with Brad today we caught a lot of small fish on one of our deep spots. That main lake hump can be good but boat traffic is hell. there is a lot of scattered junk on it and the fish don't usually school together.