LEVEL 2 · LESSON 03 Reading time · 5 min
Finding the Right Depth
Learn how to search the water column and identify the feeding layer in Ajing & LRF.
What Does 'Finding the Right Depth' Mean?
Finding the right depth means identifying the part of the water column where the fish are actively feeding, travelling or holding, and then keeping your lure there long enough to be noticed.
In Ajing and LRF, depth is not simply a measurement from the surface to the bottom. A fish may be suspended halfway down, close to structure, moving with the current, or changing position as light, tide and feeding activity change.
The objective is not to guess one depth and stay there forever. The objective is to search the water column in a controlled way until you start receiving information from the fish.
Depth is something you discover through observation, sink time, line control, bite signals and repeated casts, not something you decide before the cast.
Personal Field Rule
I start with a light presentation and use the lure's fall to learn what the water is doing. The first casts give information about sink rate, current and line contact.
The depth is something I discover on the water, not something I decide before the first cast.
Depth, Structure and Current
Look for harbour walls, rocks, lights, current seams, drop-offs and bait movement. Ask not only 'How deep is this spot?' but 'Where can the fish comfortably hold and feed?'
When I Change Depth
• No contact after a controlled search — search higher or lower.
• Bites disappear after light or tide changes — repeat the search.
• Fish or bait activity appears at another level — investigate it.
• The lure is swept away or reaches bottom too quickly — reassess the presentation.
The right depth is not a number. It is the part of the water column where your presentation meets active fish.
Think in Layers, Not Just Metres
A useful way to think about depth is as a series of fishing layers rather than a single number.
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Surface and near-surface, the lure is kept high in the water column.
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Upper-middle water, useful when fish are suspended below the surface.
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Middle water, often a good search layer when you do not yet know where the fish are.
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Lower water, useful when fish are holding deeper or when the current is moving the food lower.
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Near-bottom, important when fish are relating to structure or feeding close to the seabed.
The fish do not have to be at the deepest point. The key is to identify the feeding layer, not simply the bottom depth.
Start With a Search Pattern
When the fish cannot be seen, you can search systematically instead of changing lures at random.
Cast, allow the lure to sink for a repeatable amount of time, then retrieve it. On the next cast, increase the sink time slightly. Continue until you begin to find contact, follows or bites.
The important part is consistency. If the first cast sinks for one second and the second cast sinks for five seconds, you are changing several variables at once.
A simple depth search can be more informative than changing the lure after every cast.
Count the Fall
Many anglers use a simple count-down method to estimate how long the lure has been falling. You do not need to know the exact depth in metres for this to be useful.
For example, you may start with a short count, fish the upper layer, then progressively increase the count on subsequent casts. When you get a bite at a particular point in the fall, repeat the same count on the next cast.
This creates a repeatable presentation and helps you build a reference for the spot.
The count is only a guide. Wind, current, line type, lure buoyancy and jighead weight all change the actual sink rate.
The First Bite Is Information
A bite does more than tell you that fish are present. It can tell you where in the water column the fish are willing to feed.
If you consistently get contact during the early part of the fall, keep your lure higher.
If contact only happens after a longer sink, search deeper.
Do not assume the same depth will remain correct for the whole session.
Light, tide, current and fish activity can change the feeding layer. Treat every bite as a clue.
Your job is to turn that clue into a repeatable presentation.
Depth and the Lure
The lure itself affects how easy it is to fish a particular depth.
A buoyant soft bait, a sinking soft bait and a neutral or nearly suspending bait will not behave the same way on the same jighead.
A lure with more water resistance may slow the fall.
A more compact or denser lure may reach depth more quickly.
This is one reason why changing only the jighead does not always produce the result you expect.
When you find a productive depth, try to preserve the same overall fall behaviour when possible.
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Depth, Structure and Current
Fish do not always choose depth independently of structure. Aji and other light-game species may relate to harbour walls, rocks, lights, current seams, drop-offs or bait movement.
Current can also create different feeding layers.
A lure may stay in one area longer at one depth while moving quickly at another.
Instead of asking only 'How deep is this spot?', ask 'Where can the fish comfortably hold and feed?'
That shift in thinking is particularly useful when moving between calm harbours, open rock, breakwaters and areas with stronger tidal movement.
When to Change Depth
Change depth when the information you are receiving changes.
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No contact after a controlled search of one layer - move higher or lower.
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Bites disappear after a change in light or tide - repeat the search.
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You see bait or fish activity at another level - investigate that layer.
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The lure is being swept away or reaching bottom too quickly - reassess the presentation.
Avoid changing depth and lure colour at the same time whenever possible.
Keeping one variable stable makes the feedback easier to understand.
A Simple Depth Routine
For a beginner, a simple routine is often enough:
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Start with a manageable, shallow presentation.
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Repeat the same cast and sink count. • Increase the sink count gradually.
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When you get contact, repeat that depth.
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If the bite disappears, restart the search rather than assuming the fish have left.
With experience, you will begin to estimate productive layers from water movement, structure, tide, light and previous sessions.
Final Thoughts
Finding the right depth is a process of elimination and confirmation.
You do not need to know the exact depth before the first cast.
You need a method for discovering it. Search systematically, keep your sink times repeatable, pay attention to the first bite and use the information from one cast to improve the next.
The right depth is not a number. It is the part of the water column where your presentation meets active fish.
✓ LESSON COMPLETE
You now understand that finding the right depth is just as important as choosing the right lure. You’ve learned how to read the conditions, control your sink and keep your lure in the zone where the fish are feeding.
Learn how small movements, pauses and controlled vibrations can completely change your presentation.