At the other end of the scale, we have deep water fishing which ranges from thirty meters going well over one hundred meters of depth, offering new challenges for the soft bait angler.

the gear

The first issue to consider is gear selection which differs from the light spin set we usually associate with this style of fishing. Using a rod with a stiffer than usual action has benefits when deep water fishing and again graphites allow better detection of enquiries by fish.

Read more about Rods

Smaller overhead or bait casting type reels are a better choice than spin reels because they have a greater line capacity and faster retrieval rates. Coupled with a much more powerful drag (with the exception of a few spin reels) allowing the use of heavier line.

Read more about Reels

Again braid line is the way to go as far as line choice, the finer diameter plays a major role in getting to the bottom as well as aiding you to detect, strike, and hook the fish much easier than mono.

I find braid line around fifteen kilos to be an ideal weight to fish the deeper water. It may be of advantage to use braid line that is heavier than this because the target species could be large like hapuka and matching up the rod/reel weight capability according to the line strength is also a good idea.

Choose the smallest lightest equipment you can get away with as you will be fishing with this all day long. When choosing line weight, remember that the heavier the line is the thicker the diameter which will affect the amount of drag in the water. Having heavier line and more powerful drags allow you to pull bigger fish up off the bottom and away from any foul ground in which they can bust your line on.
The downside to this is the need for a heavier weight on the end of your line to get your soft bait down there.

Trace will often need to be slightly heavier than normal also and using fluorocarbon leader from thirty to fifty pounds depending on the depth and target species. Using braids with little or no stretch enables the angler to keep in touch and strike sooner enabling better hook-ups with more chance of hooking fish in the lip allowing a more successful release if possible after being pulled from the depths.

Read more about Braid and Trace

Next we have the main part of the rig which is the business end and this will not only hold your soft bait of choice on the hook but also sink it down there in the most natural possible way. Before looking at the rig it is wise to understand some of the basic techniques employed for fishing in deeper water. More often it is desirable to drift beside and over areas covering ground much like shallow water.This can involve bottom terrain such as patches of sand, foul ground and within these holes, drop-offs you can find all manner of creatures living here.

Read more about Drift Fishing

terrain and species

Having an understanding of the expected species will also be of benefit to your success. If you are drifting along in an area that has a sandy bottom, then allowing the soft bait to sink to the bottom and placing the rod in the holder so the rig just drags along is one way of fishing this situation.
Using a purpose made deep water rig is ideal for this and they usually consist of a teardrop sinker with swivel attached to a split ring which also connects the worm hook and solid ring which is tied to the trace or leader.
One of the crucial parts of this rig is the hook developed with a lead flute or keeper that effectively holds the soft bait on the hook. This rig works in two ways; one, by using a tear drop sinker you have the weight hitting the sand stirring up the bottom as it moves along attracting interest; two, it allows the bait to swim along naturally behind all this commotion sending further signals and visual presentation as it swims along attracting even more interest from predators.

drop and drag technique

Another method that can be deployed in deep water is the drop and drag technique which involves allowing the soft bait to drag along behind the boat on the bottom while holding on to the rod and occasionally giving the rod a few lifts in a way to jerk the bait up off the bottom in an erratic manner creating movement.
This method can be used in not only deep water but also shallow situations. Try alternating your technique while doing the drop and drag method giving the soft bait a small amount of action and then lots of movement alternating between the two. Doing this will make the soft bait more erratic which will generate more interest.
This technique can often out fish the cast and retrieve technique on certain days.

It is also possible to cast out in front of the boat drift direction as well, much in the same manner we do when in shallow water areas. There is a limit to fishing this way effectively and more often this is dictated by the amount of depth you are fishing.
Even using heavier weighted jig heads won''t get you down to the bottom quick enough to allow you to work the soft bait back towards yourself if fishing one hundred meters for example. In this situation it is almost impossible to achieve this effectively.
Fishing the cast and retrieve style in forty meters is possible as long as your casts are over sixty meters and then it can further be affected by rig weight, bait size, current and drift speed. Using the good old ledger type rig with worm hook for the soft bait and bait on the other will also work at depth with the soft bait often taking most of the fish in certain situations.