There are still shallow bass to be caught, but the majority have moved deeper to forage on suspended shad and bottom prowling crawfish.
Using my sonar to locate these bass and then using a vertical presentation to catch them is a real pleasure for my aging muscles. Most of my clients also prefer this more relaxed method where casting is not required.
A variety of artificial lures and live bait will produce well most days from now through the winter in this deep zone.
Heavy jigging spoons have been a popular choice for decades. Use short hops off the bottom and allow the spoon to flutter downward on a semi-slack line.
A light tick or thump on the fall is your signal to set the hook on a hungry bass that mistook the spoon for a dying shad. This method will often result in a mixed bag of black bass, white bass, stripers and even catfish.
There is no guesswork when vertical fishing. We don’t drop a bait until I see the fish on my sonar screen.
Drop-shot plastics will often perform better than spoons. Rig a soft plastic lure about 2 feet or less above the weight. Use a subtle twitch and pause cadence to mimic a wounded baitfish. Pros have learned not to overwork this lure.
Live minnows or crawfish can also be productive when hovered just off the bottom. Use a small split shot weight a foot above the bait.
My super bait over 20 years ago was live crawfish hooked in the tail and vertically fished with a small split shot. Bait shops used to carry them, but that ended many moons ago. Shiner minnows work almost as well.
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