For years I used light jigs - 1/32, 1/24 and 1/16 oz. Lures were usually on the small side. Depth fished was rarely over 6'. But a few days ago and then again yesterday that all changed.

I wasn't having much luck on this one lake that averages 7' or more in the north end and the shallow water, weed pattern was hit or miss. So for the heck of it I figured why not cast into the deeper water - 7' of more around weed bed islands in many areas and in open water. Being a structure fisherman I wasn't used to not having humps, points or shoreline dropoffs to target fish so this was a new experience. The fishfinder tipped me off to the baitfish in deeper water.


I cast my usual light jigs and soft plastics and dang if I didn't start catching panfish and bass! I caught 3 perch in this size in the same area and smaller perch in other areas:

Sunfish hit the same lure - a segment of a Fr. Fry stick and a Slugo tail melted to it.


A cone tail added to a grub body also did well:


But get this. Last time I fished this lake I used larger lures because I figured bigger fish strike larger lures and found that even small fish bit them.

Black Claw:

(Note: I hadn't used black soft plastics in years and a few weeks ago that color proved deadly!)

On top of that, I started fool'n around with a heavier jig - 3/32oz. I figured line buoyancy would keep the lure from sinking too fast on long casts and wouldn't affect lure speed. Besides, fishing deeper requires a heavier lure that can be worked deeper using my best retrieves. What a pleasure to feel the light strikes no matter how far from the boat, making good hook sets!

This other lake close to home has never been good to me post-spawn. But the lake is similar in that it has islands of weeds in deep water around 8'. So I figured why not cast to the same type areas. Same thing happened: more bass and panfish than I ever caught on this lake in summer! The 3/32oz jig was all I needed and I worked the lures mid-depth in 8-10'.

This nice size crappie and two others of the same size hit this larger-than-normal cone tail:


...as did this small bass:


So what did this ol' fool discover?: find deeper water patterns post-spawn and in the heat of summer; bigger jigheads and larger lures will still catch all size fish; black or bright white plastics get bit. I forgot to mention that surface glass is usually harder to fish mid-afternoon on a hot day (note the weed beds in deep water due to long stems):
...three days ago:


...yesterday on a different lake closer to home (same weed beds surrounded by deep water and glass):


I caught as many fish in the afternoon as I did in the morning where the wind was blowing 12mph under a bright sun!

Awesome post and some nice fish. Learning patterns, making adjustments, and having fun. Nicely done.



Side Note:

Thanks Banker. Wish I knew what I know now back in the 70's when I lived and fished in northernTexas.

Nice fish and post. Thanks for sharing.

Discovering patterns pays off. Awesome post.