Redears and deep water?

[Jeff Soto]

So while walking my dog yesterday, I ran into my friend and BBG member LedHed walking his two dogs at our nearby park.  While talking about fishing (what else?) he mentioned during our conversation that Redears are not a deepwater fish like Bluegill can be.  I did not realize this.  But when I think about it, I have never caught a RE in water deeper than 20-25 feet..

[Jason Preslar]

The redears i've caught seem to come from under thick cover (roots,bushes).

[Troy Dorman]

That's a good point Jeff, I've always had my best luck between 8-13ft of water, always on bottom with lively redworms. In the late summer and throughout the fall, we've knocked the fire out of them in 11-13 ft of water. I have heard people say that redear go into very deep water in some lakes during the winter, I'm talking 30-40 feet of water but I've never caught any at those depths. If you're fishing flats, creek channels in the mouths of bays, or slight variations on the bottom, you'll catch them at those depths. Redear fishing is very difficult and it's a major challenge to catch a large amount to take home and clean...I guess it's why I always fish for them, the challenge is unique and the payoff is intoxicating.

[chris kowaleski]

I feel like the biggest red ears that i've caught have been in relatively shallow water, they were about nine inches long and were in anywhere between 2-4 feet of water, and they were caught out of a couple ponds.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Depends on how you define "deep." 20 to 25 feet is not unheard of for redear. I catch them at many depths, 10-20' is normal here in SC. The biggest ones come out of 10 to 15 feet. Depends on the season and where the forage is, as much as anything.