Suspended bass are some of the toughest fish to catch. They’re not locked to the bottom where you can drag a jig, and they’re not chasing shallow bait where a spinnerbait or topwater shines. Instead, they hang three to five feet off the bottom in 15 to 20 feet of water, feeding upward, and ignoring most bottom-contact techniques. That’s precisely where deep diving crankbaits like the Megabass Deep-Six come into play.
Finding Suspended Bass
Electronics will tell the story. When you mark fish hovering several feet off bottom in 20-plus feet of water, it’s a sign they’re keyed in on bait above them. Drop shots, tubes, and Carolina rigs get ignored. In these situations, you need a moving bait that runs right through their strike zone. The Deep-Six is designed for this, diving quickly and holding in that 15- to 18-foot band where suspended fish live.
Why the Deep-Six Works
The Deep-Six features a thin, precision-cut bill that slices through water cleanly, allowing the bait to dive steeply and reach maximum depth quickly. Unlike bulkier deep diving crankbaits, it maintains a buoyant body, so when you pause, it doesn’t bury. It floats naturally and stays in the zone longer. That combination of quick dive, tight action, and buoyancy is deadly when bass are feeding up.
Smallmouth especially respond to this. Traditional crankbait wisdom says you need bottom contact and deflection to trigger bites. That’s true for largemouth most of the time. But smallmouth will absolutely crush a crankbait running mid-column, often chasing it down in open water. The Deep-Six gives you that option.
Casting Strategy and Angles
The key to making the most of deep diving crankbaits is casting angle and distance. Position the boat in 20 to 22 feet, target a sloping point or drop, and make the longest cast you can. The bait will dive down, level out, and hold depth before climbing back toward the boat. By fishing uphill or across a point, you can match the crankbait’s diving arc to the structure’s contour and keep it in the strike zone as long as possible.
Long casts are non-negotiable. The farther you can throw, the longer the Deep-Six stays in that 15- to 18-foot sweet spot where suspended bass feed.
Color Adjustments and Customization
Color choice matters when fishing pressured waters. Out of the box, the AYU pattern is a versatile shad imitator, but in perch-heavy fisheries, you can tweak it. A simple brown Sharpie, stippled in dots instead of solid lines, creates subtle perch stripes that help match the hatch.
General rules still apply:
- Clear water calls for translucent, natural finishes.
- Stained water allows you to create more opaque effects, adding chartreuse, orange, or red accents.
Gear Setup
Throwing a bait that reaches nearly 20 feet requires the right balance of power and finesse. The Destroyer P5 USA F5-75X Javelin is an ideal rod for the job. At 7’5”, it provides the casting distance needed for the Deep-Six to reach full depth, while its graphite construction and moderate action keep trebles pinned without pulling hooks.
Pair it with a 6.3:1 reel and 12-pound fluorocarbon. Fluoro sinks and helps the bait dig, while the slower reel ensures a steady retrieve that maximizes the lure’s tail kick and head wobble.
Seasonal Windows
Two times of year stand out for suspended bass: immediately after the spawn and in the fall. Post-spawn fish push out to main-lake points and feed aggressively on shad and perch moving through. In the fall, schools of bass corral bait in open water, suspending off structure and feeding upward. In both cases, a Deep-Six running mid-column will outproduce bottom baits.
Start Using Deep Crankbaits for Suspended Bass
When bass suspend, most anglers get frustrated. They drop on them with finesse rigs and leave them scratching their heads. Deep diving crankbaits like the Megabass Deep-Six are built for this exact situation. By understanding casting angles, long-bomb mechanics, and matching your setup with the Destroyer P5 Javelin, you can keep your bait exactly where those suspended fish are feeding and turn tough conditions into some of the best crankbait bites of the season.
