Water Depth Philosophy. REVISED!!

Well that was a little embarrassing for my 3rd post ever. Sorry for the voice recognition post that made no sense at all. Here is the correct version.

After a 10+ year break from bass fishing last summer, I return to Lake Fork and hired a Guide for the first day of fishing. I was stunned that in July we were up beating the bank. I assumed that we hired a sorry Guide that didn’t understand deep water bass in the summer, until we started catching fish in three to four feet of water.

I asked the guide " where did all of the Hydrilla go?". The lake was not as clear as it used to be. When we did go deep in the afternoon, deep was 17 feet of water. I would have started fishing from 20 to 28 feet, had I not hired a guide, and based on my previous experience at fork.

I live and fish in the West Texas area where we fish some small, some shallow, some muddy, some clear deep lakes, I wonder what theory that some of the more experienced tournament anglers have developed on what depth the fish will be at during the summer and winter seasons when they go to a new or unfamiliar lake. There are lake around me that I would never fish deeper than 6 foot of water, summer or winter. There are some I wouldn't fish shallower than 20 ft summer or winter. I assume that the total depth of the lake is one of the determining factors, and water clarity.

Compare Fork to Tawakoni, I have never caught fish (bass) in 20+ft of water Carolina rigging at Tawakoni but obviously Fork is another story. What's The difference between these two sister lakes that are really not that dissimilar in terms of structure, timber and soil type? I'm sure this conversation can open up a big can of worms, but I appreciate in advance all of your experience and knowledge sharing, thank you!

I have heard Bill Wilcox say on Honey Hole, that lakes that have stripers or hybrids, the largemouth will stay shallow. As white bass populations grow on Fork, I think it's reducing their off shore presence. They are still there but not like before the white bass.

I haven't fished all these lakes, but PK, Texoma, Whiteney and Twak. They all have stripers so the largemouth are shallow, at least that's what I think.

Good post. You can and always will be able to catch bass deep on Fork. They ain't skeered of no sand bass in fact they eat them. Not all those guys you see fishing off shore are fishing for crappie.

Water clarity has a lot to do with it in addition to competition from stripes and hybrids out deep. In general, the dirtier the water, the shallower the fish.

Gig'em, your new sig caused me to dang near spit my dip out from laughing so hard!

Glad you got a kick out of it. It's pretty much the way things are and life is very good. Hope yours is too.

I think a number of factors come into play. First water quality. The dirtier the shallower they go. Second level of oxygen and temp. The thermocline. Third the other fish in the lake. Fourth type of bait fish in the lake and where the bait will go. Fifth what kind of structure there is both deep and shallow.