Jordan Lake bass stuck in deep-water summer pattern

Submerged roadbeds and bridge trestles have been key areas

Jordan Lake’s largemouth bass are in a typical summertime pattern during steamy August. They’re deep, for the most part, and not easy to catch.

“Roadbeds and the railroad trestle are typical spots,” said guide Jeff Thomas of Broadway. “Flat points with a little deeper water off the end also are holding a few fish.”

Best water depths have been 12 to 13 feet and bass are oriented on wood structure, he said.

Thomas (919-770-4654) is fishing deep-diving crankbaits or bouncing black/blue football jigs off the bottom.

“As long as a crankbait has some chartreuse on it, that’s what you need,” Thomas said. “Black or blue back, it doesn’t matter, as long as it has a chartreuse belly.”

He’s also taken advantage of an early-morning topwater bite by casting and retrieving a buzzbait at grass pockets.

“This has been an unusual summer with the high water,” he said. “Normally in August, the lake level is down, but with all the rain, the water’s up. So I’ve been throwing a buzzbait in the grass.”

Thomas also will crank a buzzbait parallel to riprap banks.

Another Jordan anomaly this summer has been water clarity. Two- or three-day rains usually mean darker water, but that hasn’t happened this summer.

“You can see three feet (below the surface) out in the middle of the lake, and that’s never happened before,” he said. “Jordan’s clearer than it’s ever been.”