For the majority of the anglers on the water this month, it’s all about the numbers. Considering that the water temperatures have risen quickly this year, the bass’s metabolism should be in overdrive. Smaller fish tend to eat smaller meals, and will be constantly on the lookout for food. That is the cause and effect of higher catch rates for most anglers.
If your interests lean more toward a larger fish this month, I can certainly try to point you in the right direction. During low light conditions your odds will always increase when targeting the biggest fish in the area. Dusk and dawn are vital times to be on the water going forward. Despite being a top predator, big bass are skittish in my opinion. Other than to spawn, the only time they feel comfortable in the shallows is under low light conditions unless the water is extremely dingy. That being said I try to launch an all out attack when the time is right because there never seems to be enough time during peak conditions. I will generally try to adhere to what some anglers refer to as a “Milk Run”.
A milk run consists of several key or high probability spots on any given body of water.
Timing is crucial when you are trying to reap the benefits of a “golden hour”. That’s why I try to use baits that will allow me to cover water in somewhat quick fashion.
High probability areas for me consist of points, feeding flats that are close to a drop off, grass lines in close proximity to deeper water, and of course any good looking wood.
If I can map out three to five spots that meet the criteria, I can usually work them effectively in an hour or two. For me, the lure selection may look something like this:
A buzz Bait, a swimming jig with an obese trailer, a large walk the dog style bait, and a wake style swimbaits as well as a swimbait to cover sub surface fish. I will also always have a jig or Texas rigged soft plastic on the deck to hit target specific spots like wood.
When addressing any spot I will kill the gas motor a safe distance away to prevent spooking fish. Again that is just my paranoia speaking. For points I will sit off to one side and make a couple of casts to the shallow end. I will then pull my boat up onto the shallow end of the point and make several casts to the deeper sections and draw fish shallow in the hopes of making one commit to my lure. When fishing the edge of feeding flats and grass lines it is imperative that you make casts that parallel the edge of the cover and or structure we are speaking about. The reason is because your lure will remain in the highest percentage area for the length of the cast. If you have someone in the back of the boat this is certainly going to irritate that person, but just tell them you are marking a lot of fish behind the boat or blame it on the wind.
If your schedule does not allow you to be on the water during dusk and dawn, there are certainly other opportunities during the course of the day to catch fish. I usually find offshore structure with my Hummingbird Depth finder and look for fish. It is pointless to wet a line if there are no fish present. I scour areas like underwater humps, creek channels, and deepest section of points. If you can find a point that extends out to a creek channel, you have found a sweet spot that has the potential to hold not only lots of fish, but some really big fish as well. Planting brush piles is certainly a good idea too.
When fishing deeper water during the summer months, I like to use a bait with a big silhouette and one that puts off some vibration. I have always been a big fan of Berkley’s Power Bait lures. The ten inch worm has accounted for a lot of big fish for me, even at night. Now Berkley has introduced a twelve inch version that is a must have for any angler that wants to increase his or her odds of blasting the fish of a life time. Unlike jelly, spray, or dipping type scents that ware off quickly, Power bait is actually cooked into the material of the soft plastic. Thousands of hours of research have gone into creating Powerbait. Bass do not eat garlic, or anise licorice. And let me enlighten you on something else: all that table salt that is poured onto soft plastics is designed to catch the angler …not the fish. The chemo receptors in a bass’s mouth are too small to even detect that type of salt. Actual prey salt that is derived from the likes of baitfish, worms and crayfish is the only type of salt that can be fit into their receptors. If you are going to build confidence in something…build it using something that actually works.
If you find that your Powerbait lure has lost some of its pungent punch, take a nail file and scratch up its surface to release a wave of.. dare I say “fresh new scent”. It’s cooked in and keeps working. Anyways, I like to hop and drag big worms when I am fishing the aforementioned structural spots. I also on occasion toss out the biggest lipless crankbait
(Rattletrap) I can find and let it sink to the bottom. Then I just rip it off the bottom and let it flutter back down. Bear with me here, but you can apply the same technique using a five inch spoon. I know it sounds absurd, but when there is a school of fish present they will fight over what appears to be a wounded baitfish. If you prefer to crank, try the Sebile D&S Crank. This thing runs to depths of 20 feet. Plus you will not get it snagged thanks to the unique hook system.
These are just some things to think about and I hope one of my recommendations will help someone land the fish of a lifetime. Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions. Respect and enjoy our waters. Chris Jenkins – sowbelly.hunter@yahoo.com