During a trip to Falcon lake a few weeks ago, fellow outdoor scribe Pete Robbins and I were plumbing the depths of the famed lake with longtime guide Speedy Collett.

By depths, I don't mean 5 feet near flooded shoreline brush. I'm talking about offshore, middle of the lake - and it's a big damn lake - watching the sonar and lining up for "that" cast to a target about 43 feet deep. Maybe 48 feet. I think that's the deepest that Robbins caught one that day.

Robbins, by the way, lives near Crazyville, which is Washington, D.C., and fishes the Potomac River. Deep to him was, oh, maybe a foot or so. He, like me, believes if the trolling motor ain't kicking up mud then it's too deep. But Collett figured there might be a few big Falcon lunkers hanging around the deep areas.

There were, and Robbins nailed several in the 5-8 pound range dragging a football jig. When that bite is on, it's hard to beat. Collett said he disliked the spring transition period when bass were moving from deep haunts to shallow spawning flats, which was occurring during and immediately after our visit to the lake.

A few weeks later I was talking with Kurt Dove, a guide on Lake Amistad and former Bassmaster Elite Series pro. Dove lives in Del Rio, Texas, and guides on the lake, along with some occasional trips to Falcon and Choke Canyon. If you're going to have a big-bass playground, southwest Texas is the place to be.

I mentioned the trip to Falcon and Dove knew exactly what Collett was talking about when it came to the deep bite.

"Sight-fishing is cool and fun for guys to cruise around and see big fish locked up or moving around in shallow water," Dove said. "One thing about Amistad is you can see them in deeper water, too. Sometimes all you'll see is a big white spot, which is their bed, and then see the female off to the side or swimming around it.

"But it's tough in spring before that period, and even after, because the fish are in transition. They've moved in from deeper water to spawn and it can be tough to pinpoint that migration when it's going on. It's similar after the spawn when they're moving out. They're just more difficult to locate and stay on during those times."

Ah, but those can be those days when you know they're shallow or close to it, and it is pretty incredible to troll along and see big fish. Now I know some folks don't like to catch spawning bass when Mama is on the bed. I know some don't mind a lick and will catch them and release them. It's a debate that will linger due to differences, and as long as we can discuss 'em in a civil manner it's good for thought-provoking conversation.

But Dove, and Collett, agreed that in summer when the spawn and post-spawn activity is finished, locating fish in deeper water also can be pretty hard to beat.

"When they're back home in deeper water, that's when you can find them in specific areas and lock in on them," Dove said. "I like to drag a football jig, a big 11-inch worm or a giant Senko on those deeper fish at that time.

"April through June is a really good time due to the stable weather and fish moving back out following the spawn and post-spawn periods," he added. "We still may get a little cold front occasionally, but typically they're only two days or so and not really too bad."

Collett does the same, adding a big tilapia-colored spinnerbait to his arsenal. There's something about throwing a 1-ounce spinnerbait with big blades, letting it sink 30- or 40-feet deep and then slowly retrieving it before getting a heart-stopping "thump" that knocks slack in your line.

Of course, deep-diving crankbaits and even swimbaits will do the job, too. For us shallow-water, targeted-oriented anglers it's a little discomforting to get used to open water fishing over a ledge 38-feet deep.

But knowing there's a chance for Big Mama to crush a bait and come to your hand after a few tail-walking jumps makes the learning curve a lot shorter.

For information on fishing with Kurt Dove at Lake Amistad or Falcon Lake, visit www.swtexasbassguide.com. For information about fishing with Speedy Collett at Falcon Lake, call 956-236-9717.

- Alan Clemons
The Fishing Wire