One of the lakes that I’ve fished for years has recently been opened up to allow motor trolling. This has caused me to search more open water than I ever have there before. In doing so, I have discovered that there are massive schools of ciscos and suckers which roam the open basins during summer. In addition, I believe that some of the largest fish in the system chase these schools and never really come up onto the structure, which we are so accustomed to pulling fish off of. I can catch plenty of fish up on the structure and some suspended off, but they’re not the monsters that I know live in this lake.
So, how would you approach trying to catch large predatory fish in an open basin environment, up to 50-60ft down? I’ve tried flatlining big cranks on braid up to 200ft back, but still only pull eater fish which seem to be feeding on YOY clouds more int that 20-40down range. Is running a magnum sized crank on a few colors of lead a bad idea? How bout riggers? Also, is fishing that deep ethical, in regards to barotrauma? I have had no issues what soever so far, but wonder what the limits are….. Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is largely unexplored territory for me, and most other people IM guessing.
