Fishing Deep....What would you use?

[mybentrod]

OK....now back from a recent blank out down at Dale Hollow I am curious of some good methods to get baits down to 30-60 ft deep without trolling using a downrigger. I was so frustrated on the water to be marking fish, and I mean a bunch of fish, and can't get down to em. When I used a jig, I was unsure about the depth the bait was sinking to count down 50 ft deep. Using a Silver Buddy I was practically vertically jigging it. None of which was, in my opinion, was the right technigue.

Will jigs work 50ft off the bottom? Keep in mind they were 50 ft deep, in 100 ft of water.

When faced with the same situation, WHAT WOULD YOU USE?

[Grumpy]

Drop shot with 10 inch worms.

Grumpy

[mhall]

I am very surprised the smallmouth were still that deep. 25 to 30 foot yea I can see but 50 feet, hmmm. I'm no Dale expert but if they really were that deep I would vertical fished a 3/4 to 1 ounce spoon on'em. One ounce jigs will work that deep to but man it's hard to stay in touch with the jig bite that far off the end of the rod, or at least it is for me. Spoon would have probably been your best bet, you may have been marking Walleye??

[mybentrod]

Hell, ya know after a while....anything would have worked. I have a larger spoon....I should have tried that.

[tglass]

Best way to do it is to try with a spoon or even a jig but the real best way is to drop a shiner down on them. Measure out the line and get a rod holder and set the bait right above where the fish are holding and then fish like you normally would and then catch the smallies that slam the rod in the holder. I know some guys don't like using live bait but when you just want to put some fish in the boat this is sometimes all that work this time of year when the fish suspend in the schools of bait.

[elnutsmalljaws]

Good luck catching suspended fish 50 feet deep in 100 feet of water with any technique that doesn't keep a consistent depth. Vertical jigging a spoon would be my only option, but I would still need a line depth counter on my rod to see how deep, and I would not even try that, just me. Just me and what I know of Dale Hollow but I don't think these were Smallies this time of year. My guess is the bulk of the Smallmouth are found in less than 20 feet of water now moving towards the shallows looking to feed up on shad for the soon to be here winter. Just my opinion.

[redtail]

Those were lake trout.

[MagikSmallie]

Dale Hollow has lakers?....Ive never heard of anyone catching Lake Trout in KY....maybe Rainbow Trout?

[CTFSHWHISKER]

Those were lake trout.

i would bet this as well..big jigging spoon will work..was down there with guy one time and saw them schooled like that about 35-45 ft deep..in 70-100...we caught a few of them on big jigging spoon..a big buck tail jig will work too...
don't know what kind they were..but diddn't really look like the canadien lakers i caught up there.

[Redskeeter]

Just give me the lacation you were at and I will gocheck em out for you and post back on here. lol
I did not know DH had lake trout. Rainbows yes as I have caught them.

I would also try a jigging spoon with a line counter reel as Elwood said. I keep a linecounter reel in my boat for when I encounter waleye suspending at Green and it works great getting down to exact depths.

[mybentrod]

Just give me the lacation you were at and I will gocheck em out for you and post back on here. lol
I did not know DH had lake trout. Rainbows yes as I have caught them.

I would also try a jigging spoon with a line counter reel as Elwood said. I keep a linecounter reel in my boat for when I encounter waleye suspending at Green and it works great getting down to exact depths.

PM me Skeeter and I'll putcha on em.

[MagikSmallie]

I just did a little researched and Dale does have Lake Trout...thats wild!...learn something new all the time! I'd like to catch one just to see whats it like...I've been on lake Erie alot and i know they have big ones up there but I never would have thought KY had e'm...pretty cool!