FISH DEEP IN THE FALL
By Bob Jensen

At any time of the year, fish can be found almost anywhere in a body of water. Some fish will be in shallow water, some will be in deep water, others will be suspended somewhere between the surface and the bottom. The key is to determine where most of the catchable fish are. Although there could be lots of fish suspended, they might not be biters. A fewer number of fish could be in the shallow water, but they might be more willing to bite. In the fall, in many bodies of water throughout the Midwest, there will be good numbers of a wide variety of fish in deep water, and much of the time they will be biters.

Walleyes, bass, perch, crappies, even muskies and pike can be found in deeper water in the fall. In fact, when they move to the depths they will often do so in large numbers. It is possible to find lots of fish in a relatively small but deep area. When you find them, there are times when the action will be very fast. The key will be to put a bait near them.

Don’t start fishing until you have found a concentration of fish. Cruise an area with a close eye on your sonar. If you can find a location that has a group of fish, drop a jig on them. Jigs are perhaps the best way to catch fish in deep water. 

In most situations it is possible to sit right on top of the fish and vertical jig them. Use a jig heavy enough to get to the bottom quickly. A Fire-Ball jig is the choice of many anglers, as it allows a minnow to be hooked so the minnow’s mouth is right against the jighead. Hooking percentages go up a lot with this jig.

There are times when it works better to cast the jig, even in deep water. I don’t know why, but some fish, usually walleyes, respond better if you don’t sit right on top of them. I have seen a few situations where the walleyes wouldn’t bite a jig that was worked vertically, but if we moved off a ways and cast to them, they snapped the jig right up.

If crappies are suspended over deep water, it works best to cast to them also. Let the jig sink to the level where the fish are suspended and begin retrieving.

A strike is often soft when the fish are deep. A sensitive rod like a Fenwick HMG or a Pro Series Lightning Rod will do a great job of telegraphing strikes.

Choose six-pound test Trilene XL or XT for deep water. The thin diameter will allow you to fish light baits in deeper water, as the thin line slices through the water better than thicker line.

In many bodies of water throughout the Midwest, the fish action right now is in deeper water, or it will be in a few weeks. Check the shallows for biters, but if you want to increase your odds of getting bit, spend some time searching the depths for large schools of fish. Once you find an active school, the action will be hot even if the weather isn’t.