Well, first of all I should note that this water in particular is extremely clear. In light of that, I determined that whatever bait I used should give fish that were a distance away from the bait an opportunity to see the offering. Basically, I want to be able to "call in" fish.

There hasn't really been one particular bait that has been the best. I am using a selection of oversized, weightless soft plastics (fluke and senko style baits). You can cast them a mile, and they fall slowly through the water column, giving any fish in the general area an opportunity to pursue the lure. As I mentioned, the trick here is patience. It takes quite a while for a weightless fluke to sink 20 or 30 feet, and watching your line is a must. You don't feel the typical "tap tap" when doing this, probably because the line is so far out and down.

Now, the other trick is to locate fish. I look for any irregular structure or cover that may attract fish. In this case, they have been coming from (and around) a small creek channel in 20 to 30 feet of water.

Interestingly, some of these fish are actually coming up and taking the bait in the 2 to 10 foot zone. Again, the slow falling lures and clear water give any fish in the general area an opportunity to "lock in" to the bait.

Very Nicely done my friend... Those are some healthy bass!
Way to go!

Thanks Dean for you post. great information and great picture...I'm starting to think your using the same fish over and over..

You know, that reminds me, I need to get into the habit of bringing my hog trough with me. I am always so focused on getting quality pics that the hog trough shots are usually the last thing on my mind.

Also, I don't have any idea how big any of the fish I catch are. Measuring them would at least give me some kind of reference.

Awesome!

i have a question,

you say it takes quite a while for a weightless fluke to get 20 30 feet down, how long would you say you were waiting for it to drop?

Very nice and congratulations on a great stringer. Thanks for sharing.

It depends.

I have been setting up all of my rigs for weightless soft plastics, and I use different size hooks to achieve different fall rates. I have also been experimenting with the Sisson Dangle Berry (funny name) which dramatically changes the action and fall rate.

Your fall rate will also depend heavily on your line choices. A weightless magnum fluke on a 5/0 hook will take about a minute to sink 20 feet, for me. I use 30 pound braid with fluoro leaders.

Here is a cool trick: take your baits to a swimming pool, take note of the depth, chunk them in, and count down. This will give you a decent idea of your fall rates.

Nice Fish with a super report. Thanks for sharing.