Dive Deep with VanDam: Targeting Elusive Smallmouth Bass : Remastered

Do you want to learn to catch smallmouth in deep water? Catching smallies can often be challenging enough, but targeting these finicky fish in deeper water presents an entirely different set of challenges. In this seminar, Jonathon VanDam discusses how to target and reach those tough-to-catch fish. Deepwater smallmouth fishing can really limit your options as an angler. While sometimes ‘deep’ may mean 20’ – it may also mean 90’, which makes bottom-contact baits some of the more popular options.

For VanDam, the drop shot and tube fit perfectly into his arsenal, regardless of the depth, but deep diving crankbaits also play a role until the bass are positioned more than 20’ deep or so. In areas where cranking is an effective way to cover water, VanDam will use the bait – typically a Strike King 6XD – to help locate and target aggressive fish in an area. Meanwhile, the drop shot is used to target fish vertically VanDam has located using his electronics. VanDam says knowing how to fish a drop shot is crucial for targeting smallmouth, but especially when they’re positioned in water so deep that it becomes difficult to use other techniques.

While the drop shot can imitate a variety of forage depending on the bait used, VanDam relies on a tube for one major job – its similarities to a goby. On the Great Lakes, smallmouth feed heavily on gobies. Tubes are often similar in size, and when fished on the bottom can mimic the prey that’s the focus of many large smallmouth. VanDam dives deep into all three techniques, shares his tips for how to catch more smallmouth, the best jig heads for tube fishing, and just how to prepare to fish a new body of water.