A Deep Secret
by Capt. Gus Gustafson

Fish, like people, live in different places. While some folks set up housekeeping in the mountains, others live in the country or at the beach. Regardless, the biggest populations are in the cities and towns that dot our land. Anglers know that fish also find shelter in a variety of habitats.

Since the advent of modestly priced marine electronics, specifically sonar and GPS, fishermen are venturing farther and farther from the shoreline to locate and catch fish. There was a time when the expression, “the fish are deep” meant they were hovering in water depths to fifteen feet. Today, deep can be anywhere from fifteen feet to any depth of water.

While many anglers cast the shorelines for their favorite species, a growing number seldom fish in water less than twenty feet. They believe their chances of catching a lot of fish are greater in deeper haunts.

Striper fishermen have been catching their quarry in the deep river and creek channels of the Piedmont lakes for decades. Now, bass, perch and cat fishermen have joined them. Anglers in brightly colored bass boats are deep jigging, drop shooting and casting big lipped crank baits on deep humps, edges, ledges and drops offs.

The key to locating underwater sanctuaries is easier than it appears¸ particularly if your boat is equipped with a fish finder/GPS. The topo map loaded into the GPS shows underwater terrain features, and the fish finder confirms the presence of fish. When a likely spot is located, it only takes a push of the waypoint button to save the spot on the map to return at a later date.

Winter is a great time to fish for deep water bass, stripers and perch. Expect to find your favorite species in creek runs to ninety feet of water. When suspended fish are located, they are usually hungry and easier to catch than those resting on the bottom.

Tip from Capt. Gus!
Water-proof topographic maps show lake-bottom contours and mirror the GPS map loaded in your boats electronics. Maps are a great tool for an angler to locate potential fishing areas before actually going on a fishing trip.

Captain Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and is a full time Professional Fishing Guide. Visit www.fishingwithgus.com or call 704-617-6812 for additional information. Email Capt. Gus at Gus@lakenorman.com.