Techniques that rely on fast moving Kelp Bass will fail in deep water fishing. Regardless of the time of year, Kelp Bass are slow moving when they are in deep water and must be fished accordingly.

As the water cools off in the late fall and winter months, the Kelp Bass hover around the bottom to a depth of around 150 feet/45.7 metres from late fall until early spring where they begin to feed more, are more active and spawn as the water temperature warms.

The heaviest population of Kelp Bass is found in the southern most part of its distribution from southern California down through most of the Mexican Peninsula in the coastal waters.

Kelp bass can be found around kelp beds, seaweed flats, in shore rocky areas or around reefs. Use of a sonar and GPS combo unit to locate them around seaweed flats and rocky areas. Like their freshwater counterparts, they will go where the prey are.

They can be enticed with anchovies, sardines surf perch, little blacksmiths, shrimps, squid and crabs. If any of these food move out, they will then go after the next best food or move altogether. In fact, they will only change their location if the food stocks run low. Kelp Bass are nonmigratory fish, preferring to hunker down in the colder water in the winter rather than search out warmer fishing grounds.

Rubber Swim Baits

Rubber swim baits are excellent for fishing in colder water, especially in winter and late fall. Cast out your line, letting it sink. If you have not gotten a strike by the time the line hits the bottom, jerk the line up and down slowly until you do. While an excellent technique for deep water fishing, it also works well in the shallow waters of habours, estuaries and bays where they are plenty of bass cover with their natural habitat.

Techniques that rely on fast moving Kelp Bass will fail in deep water fishing. Regardless of the time of year, Kelp Bass are slow moving when they are in deep water and must be fished accordingly.

We first talked about this technique in our autumn techniques section under nibble, nibble, strike. This technique is a slow moving technique where the line simply drops using only the weight of the line and bait.

Free Spooling

In order to practice this technique, you will be required to have a free spooling saltwater reel, as indicated below. Cast out your line and letting the line free spool to the bottom. Free spooling lets the line spool off the reel freely, pulling as much line as it takes until you get a strike. After about eight feet, you will start to feel a few nibbles on the line. Let the line continue to free spool.

The nibbles are coming from smaller bait fish like surf perch. What you are waiting for is a heavy strike from a Kelp Bass. You might receive several nibbles before getting a solid strike.