Wired2fish caught up with John Murray for a detailed lesson in offshore bass fishing on his home lake! With Murray’s years of expertise and suite of electronics, he shows us how to find prime offshore cover at multiple depths.
FEATURED TACKLE (retail links)
- FISH FINDER – Garmin EchoMAP Ultra Chartplotter: Buy at Tackle Warehouse, Buy at Bass Pro Shops
- FORWARD-FACING SONAR (FFS) – Garmin LVS34 LiveScope Plus Live Scanning Sonar Transducer: Buy at Tackle Warehouse, Buy at Bass Pro Shops
- TROLLING MOTOR – Garmin Force Trolling Motor: Buy at Tackle Warehouse, Buy at Bass Pro Shops
- PLASTIC – Berkley PowerBait Speed Boss: Buy at Tackle Warehouse, Buy at Bass Pro Shops
- ROD – SixGill Siren Series Casting Rod, 7’6″ MH: Buy at SixGill
- REEL – SixGill Hamarr Series Casting Reel, 7.0:1: Buy at SixGill
- LINE – Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, 15-pound: Buy at Tackle Warehouse, Buy at Bass Pro Shops
Murray’s mission is to locate the perfect depth, commonly overlooked in offshore bass fishing. Offshore bass can be positioned shallow, mid-depth, or deep on any given day. It’s the angler’s job to locate isolated cover and structure at a range of depths, then check each location. Electronics are an essential tool in the process, with Murray leveraging a combination of mapping, side imaging, and forward-acing sonar.
A tough bite called for a special tactic. Murray discusses how to rig and fish the “free rig.” Well known on the West Coast, The free rig delivers a unique worm action that bass can’t resist. He effectively uses the free rig, offering viewers an in-depth look at this setup’s unique action and versatility.
After fishing a range of depth, Murray finally unlocks the offshore code around a deep municipal pipe. Unknown to many, pipes like this can be a source of fresh water inflow, delivering both current and oxygen. Structure coupled with the right depth produced a few solid bites at the end of the day.
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