Summer bass are a sucker for hard-charging deep-diving crankbaits grinding and ricocheting over the bottom. Wired2Fish’s Ryan DeChaine explains how to put these baits to work on deep schools of bass concentrated over isolated hard bottom areas.
The challenge is finding spots that haven’t been heavily pressured. DeChaine relies on side imaging to find offshore ‘rough patches’ overlooked by other anglers – high-frequency side imaging is a powerful tool for locating these areas while waypoints serve as a bullseye for long casts worked methodically over the bottom.
While you’ll trigger fish with finesse presentations, DeChaine targets the biggest and most aggressive bass first with a large-profile crankbait like the Rapala DT-16. The trick is to quickly repeat productive casts while the fish are fired up. Consider switching up to a finesse presentation like a Neko or drop shot rig once the crankbait bite slows.
