Summer fish depth?

[eddiebhome]

Since the water has warmed up we catch most of the fish in areas with deeper water (30-75 feet). But no matter the actual bottom depth, most of the fish are caught between 15 and 20 feet. Now, maybe it only seems that way because that's where we have our hooks most of the time, but we do try deeper and shallower, but without much luck. Shad often darken my fish finder from 25 feet to the surface, and the crappie are often shown in the lower third of that area. Is this catch depth zone in the summer common to all lakes that have deeper water? Or is it a southern phenomenon?

Just trying to figure out those crappie!

[BUCKMARK]

I live in Southern Pa. and it's pretty much the same thing here.

My favorite cove is full of heavy cover. Weeds and lilly pads from the bank all the way out to 40' from the bank. At that point the water is about 12-16' deep and the weeds thin out due to a lack of light. The crappie are holding along those weeds in about 15' of water. I throw small 1/16 oz jigs with grub tails into the weeds and let them fall down to the crappie. Works just perfect.

Funny thing is... there is much better "crappie cover" at this lake, but the fish don't seem to like it. Lot's of deep water with a bridge over it for shade. A few docks...things like that. I spent much time fishing these areas thinking the crappie would be there.

Turns out these fish like the sun light and are not as deep as I thought they would be. I guess finding them is half the fun? :D

[TampaJim]

There is a thermocline at 15'-20' in most deeper waters. Below that thermocline the oxygen supply is not as "comfortable" for the fish as above it - that is why they are just above that layer.

Now you know the rest of the story ...

[jimeisaac]

I fish resevoirs in San Diego County, southern Arizona and the lower Colorado River. I catch most of the crappie in 25-30 feet of water. Like you, I get most of them in the 15-20ft band.

[REDBOAT]

Seems like the 12' range has been the depth at a number of lakes in NC...
-REDBOAT

[eddiebhome]

Seems like the 12' range has been the depth at a number of lakes in NC...
-REDBOAT

How deep was the water where you were catching them at 12 feet?

[NCSUfan]

We were catching them at 12 feet, the water depth was about 16 feet. The water was pretty warm that night, surface temps around 86-87

[REDBOAT]

We have been fishing at night under and around a bridge. The depth there is around 25'. I say "around" because for us, we have been doing well just drifting very slowly, and using trolling motor just to give the boat some movement. We use one floating white light.

We were going out last night but some lightning moved through so....We are going to take another stab at it tonight. The last couple of trips we have been having some problems with small white bass tangling the lines and swallowing hooks, so tonight we are planning on heading to a different part of the lake. The depth is quite a bit deeper, but my feeling is that if the Crappie are there, they will be about the same depth because 12' or so must be where the temperature change is???

Something interesting about the floating light. I noticed last time we were out the bait fish would swim in circles around the light and move with us as the boat moved. The smaller fish would be in the center and closest to the light then in further out from the light the bait fish increased in size..

[REDBOAT]

Well last night were over about 40' of water and still caught fish at the 12' depth. Actually we caught them anywhere from 5-12'.
-REDBOAT

[captkev]

I used to do some diveing when I lived in Florida, another thing to factor in is depth pressure, it changes 1 atmosphere every 33ft, (33,66,99) and the change is something like 14.7 PSI. So most ACTIVE fish will be found above the first atmosphere, and that is also why fish must slow down a bit, its harder for their gills to produce O2 at a faster rate the deeper they get.