Gerald Swindle's Masterclass on Summer Ledge Bass Fishing : Remastered

As bass across the country migrate out of their spawning areas to deep water structure, many anglers are searching for fish offshore. Offshore fishing can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

“When it comes to deep fishing, I have a number of baits,” said Gerald Swindle. “I can't just say there's going to be one bait everywhere I go and I'm only going to fish one bait. I've got a lineup.” In this on the water class, Swindle goes in-depth on his offshore fishing lineup and shares his best tips and tricks for catching more bass offshore.

One of Swindle’s go-to techniques, especially in the early summer, is deep cranking. Deep diving crankbaits give you the ability to target fish at almost all depths, and they allow you to cover water quickly. When searching for fish offshore, they serve as an incredible efficient way to locate fish – or to get the school active once you have located them.

The other baits in Swindle’s arsenal are for slowing down once you’ve located fish. He relies heavily on bottom-contact techniques like the Tokyo rig, drop shot, and a jig. While all of these can also be used to cover water, Swindle uses them as cleanup baits to pickup fish that deep diving crankbaits couldn’t catch. When fish are heavily pressured, they may not respond to crankbaits at all, which is another scenario these techniques may shine.

Swindle covers all of these techniques and more, such as how to find fish offshore, how to find fish a new offshore area, and how to locate and follow baitfish when fishing offshore.