Fishing tip of the week

Fishing Tip of the Week

Monday, 13 May 2024 12:35

Summertime Bass Fishing
by Mike Gerry

The summer on any lake can be tedious and different for the bass fisherman. It’s a time of year when you have to be creative and work tirelessly to find feeding fish.
Many times, color matters more than any time of year as you are dealing with mainly clear water and thick vegetation. Navigating all the changes as the water warms is a challenge. The good news is bass are generally active in the summer. The time-of-day matters and if you miss the peak timing it can be tough.

During their active period which generally occurs early or late in the day top-water fishing is generally the best option. Bass generally feed upward but early in the day this is always the case making baits like pop-r’s frogs, spooks and buzz baits good early day choices.
There’s definitely no more fun than a bass exploding up on a top water bait, especially for a young person and it’s generally an easy bait to use.

Covering water is always a key ingredient to finding fish in the summer. Your trolling motor can be a big piece of the puzzle to locating feeding fish, keep moving until you get some action and then slow to thoroughly cover the area. Use your eyes to look for activity, there is nothing more telling in the summer than bait being chased in an area, or schooling fish feeding in large groups. Schooling fish is always fun especially for young folks as its easy fishing with lots of activity. The good news is just about any moving bait is a good choice when you find an activity like schooling bass. Spinner baits, top-water baits, worms, rattle baits all will catch fish when they are chasing like that. Work the movement, look for the bait popping and keep throwing at the chasing and feeding bass until it ends and then go find more.

Lastly be on the water at first light, it’s always the best bite, the activity is strong they like the low light and cooler temperatures of the early part of the day. Early morning is definitely easier on your body and more enjoyable than the heat of the summertime day.
Captain Mike