Making it a goal to fish where others don't on my local lake. Actually use my electronics like it was meant to be used. Get out of my comfort zone. Sort of shocked myself this weekend. Was getting skunked and fed up. Missed a big jig bite that nearly ripped the rod out of my hands. Had been targeting 10-20 FOW as was everyone else and I didn't see them doing any good either(small lake so you can see every boat on the water). So I decide to find shad deep and shoot for some sandies. Found shad in 50 FOW with fish feeding on them. Hit anchor on the Xi5 and drop a CC Slab down to the bottom. Low and behold, not sandies, but the fattest 12-14" largemouth bass I've ever seen. That there boosted my deep water confidence quite a bit. Plus found some good rock piles in that area and depth to the side of the creek channel I'm going to pick apart. Pretty good way to start the year.

That will work! Props.

If you can find something deep you will be surprised how well you can do. Most guys I know get uncomfortable fishing deeper than 10 feet. So the same stuff gets hit over and over.

Well I am of the opinion other than spring most of the fish, esp the bigger ones are not shallow.

Good find! It will work most the year.

That�s pretty good. I�ve been doing the same and so far have done nothing but struggled. I may not be fishing deep enough fishing 18 to 22 feet. Seems the deeper I fish the more limited I am on bait options.

Must be the time for see water confidence! We found a school of fish I figured were striper so I dropped a slab down and thump reeled up a fish. Was a 2 or so pound bass. Thought we finally found that elusive school of keeper large mouth bass in winter. Then proceeded to catch 5 large striper before the shad must have swam off. So I found the one lazy bass chilling under the striper school.

Yeah this a weird little lake. Not much less than 10'. Most areas you can be a cast from the bank and be in 30' of water. There is some awesome looking structure in 15' 20' and 25' but every boat makes a visit to those spots. I have had some luck in those areas, just not on the structure itself. I have caught them pushing shad into the structure and pushing them to the surface like sandies. I "hate" fishing this lake at times, but it always makes me try something new. And definitely look at bass differently than what I used to. Every time I fail at least I learn what not to do and usually pick up one new thing. I always had that feeling they were deep. Just was hard to believe myself that they were.

I find myself fishing deep 95% of the time.

Did someone just say weird little lake with good depth? I am very interested.

Lakes like this, if there isn't any good shallow cover, a lot of the LMB will relate to the creek channel(s) and isolated deeper cover/structure year round except for the spawn.

Look for creek channel swings and where they intersect with points, humps, and cover. These lakes can really shine in the summer, staying just above the thermocline in these areas

Even the spawn out there stinks. At least for me. I am starting to think they spawn in the tree tops. It's slap full of massive trees just under the surface. Only time shallow fishing comes into play for me is the shad spawn. Then it's lights out. I always thought it being a rocky lake they would primarily target crawfish, but as time has gone by I think shad is the driving force. And the more I think about it the more I think they run in large schools like white bass. I can't tell you how many big wolf packs I've witnessed tearing up the surface.

But then the question arises do the big ones act like the big hybrids and hang out low in the ambush spots waiting for the little ones to do all the work and pick up a free meal? I can catch 5 unders to each keeper out of these packs. That might be my strategy going forward...

Lakes like this, the LMB will tend to be just below the depth of the shad and other bait fish in ambush positions.

sent you a pm

Well its starting off like this may not be the year for deep guys.

If these big

You are exactly right on the spawning in the big trees part. Somewhere on that lake you will find humps right next to the river channel. This is usually in or close to S-Shaped bends. The Farmers with the help of neighbors dredged these sections of the creeks and rivers to relieve flooding of the farm lands. This rubble will be pilled on the banks to provide that ridge along the channel for a few yards. Find them and you have struck GOLD. When I am searching a lake that has the big trees along the channel I will idle through in and back out to the channel covering the whole lake. Any rises on the lip of the channel will be your spawning areas for deep water fishing using the forks of the trees sitting on these rises.

I like my Wag Tale Ring Worm in 7" on a 1/2 oz pegged Trig for this application. On a calm day; so you can get up close to these tree tops and fishing vertical as possible, will produce the best fish. The trees are covered in slime and there is no need for Big Bass to go shallow to spawn.

This lake sounds like Bridgeport and of so I catch them 20-40� there mostly year round

You're close. Next lake down the road to the west. Lost creek.

The one in jacksborro? That�s your problem, small lakes like that the fish don�t relate as much to deep structure. Not saying you can catch them deep, but if you want to work on your deep techniques you need be on a large lake with active shad/baitfish population and structure off deep. Lost lake is basically a farm pond. And it�s good fishing I know