Summer brings on unique fishing challenges — increased boat traffic, oxygen-level problems and just plain hot temperatures. It can be uncomfortable to be out there, but we are bass fishermen, so we take it, trying to catch just one more. The thrill of the bite and the anticipation keeps us casting. There are many ways to catch bass in the summer, and three of the best are topwater baits, big worms and flipping.
Early, late and sometimes all day, bass can be caught effectively on topwater baits when it’s hot. Not all bass go deep, and often, some of the biggest ones in the lake are shallow.
Bass will stay around bluegill beds for a never-ending supply of snacks. Many fishermen like to throw prop baits painted like bluegill over these beds for a natural look. Depending on the lake and cover, hollow-body frogs, fished in a walk-the-dog fashion, can be deadly all summer.
Sometimes, big bass in the shallows have not seen a lure in a long time and are easier to trick. There may be fewer bass in the shallows, but the ones there are more likely to bite. Topwater walkers and poppers also work for schoolers and fishing around rip-rap and points early in the morning.
Year-in and year-out, 10- and 12-inch Culprit worms are my best mid-summer lures. Bass want big meals in hot weather because their metabolism is so high. The easy-meal opportunity of big worms keeps them biting. I really like to fish these around creek-channel drops and points — ones with current. Also use them to mop up an area after you cranked it. I normally start with a ½-ounce weight and go up, depending on the depth. I always peg it so the worm and weight stay together when falling or contacting cover such as a brushpile. My mainstay is 15-pound fluorocarbon. I like a 7-foot-1 heavy-action Daiwa Steez rod and matching 7.1-to-1 reel.
Flipping heavy cover is always an option, and in the summer, if you don’t like boat traffic, heading up the river or a major creek to flip may be your best option. The good thing about it is that it’s often overlooked and many times wins tournaments. You’ll get fewer bites than in the spring, but it’s still fun to pull out the old broomstick and lay into some real pigs.
Water with stain and current is ideal. Key on cover on outside bends and look for backflow. Backflow is where the water flows upstream for several feet around current breaks. If there is cover in that spot, hang on, you’re going to catch some bass! Even if there is no current on a particular day, you can still catch them flipping — you just need to get even tighter and thicker into the cover.
Jigs, tubes, creatures, and worms all work well. I have been experimenting with a new worm from Culprit call the Fat Max. It is seven inches, but much thicker. The tail has just enough hook to have good action, yet not enough to get tangled on small limbs and weeds.
For pressured bass, consider this option: if I notice several other fishermen in an area flipping jigs, then I’ll fish the Fat Max for sure, but always rotate through your best baits and colors until the fish tell you what they want. The rate of fall may be the most important factor, so experiment with that too. I often find a heavier weight when flipping in the summer to be better.
Be the first to comment