When the water temps start raising
during the summer months bass can be difficult to locate and catch.
For many years I always struggled in the
hotter months here in Texas.
Just like
when the water gets cold the bass become less active when it gets hot.
Night fishing can be great during these
warmer months but there really aren’t any tournaments held at night, well few if
any.
So if you are going to compete you
have to locate these summer bass and get them to bite.
Sure in the early hours of the morning you
might be able to put a few good fish in the boat.
However once that sun comes out and the temps
start to rise those fish disappear, but where do they go?
I can tell you this they don’t go very far from
their morning feeding locations.
The
fish you are catching the first hour or so of the morning do not swim all the
way across the lake once the sun comes up.
No those fish are in that location feeding because it is near where they
spend the rest of the day.
They are
going to move off into deeper water of some kind that is near their feeding
grounds.
So where do you start looking for
the summer bass?
First off you need to
look close to where they are feeding in the morning.
If the bass are feeding on a point with structure close to shore in the
morning the first place I’d look is any deeper area long that point further
from shore, but look for an irregularity. It is very unlikely there will be
bass everywhere on the point as they will associate to something that is a
little different from the rest of the point.
There may be a cut where the
drop off is steeper, or a rock field along a drop off.
This difference doesn’t have to be huge, it
could be as small as a lone tree stump in deeper water.
Take
a look at
the picture to the right is one for an example of a place that I'd try to fish. If that is where they are holding then they might be stacked up ready to be caught.
Other places you might want to look for them is any old pond dams, old road beds, creeks or river channels that might be near where they are feeding in the morning. Like I said they won't swim all the way across the lake but the might travel some distance to a spot they feel comfortable spending the rest of the day.
There is always a chance that that spot is 100-300 yards away from their morning feeding grounds. If it has some type of structure in deeper water then it might just be holding some bass. I like using maps like the ones you can find on the
Fishidy App. I use these maps to find these spots a day or two before as I'm planning my trip so I have a game plan before you hit the lake.
Now I know that most of you have heard of mid lake humps, but what exactly are these humps? They are a spot that is surrounded by deeper water that raise up in some cases to only 5-10 feet. They really don't have to be in the middle of the lake, but in some cases that is where they are located. The picture to the left is an example of what a hump would look like on a map or your GPS. If it is associated to a morning feeding area then you have to give it a try. That doesn't mean forget about those humps out in the middle of nowhere. Those mid lake hump can hold bass all day long. The fact is that these bass aren't likely to travel to a shoreline to feed in the morning then head all the way back out to the middle of the lake to a hump. A lot of times these humps can hold large groups of bass. I'm sure some if not all of you have see the bass pop up in the middle of the lake attacking a school of shad. Did you ever question where they came from? It is very unlikely that a school of them were just roaming around out in the middle of the lake. It is much more likely that they came from one of those mid lake hump. The school of shad passed by the hump and those bass jumped on them. Once they finish their attack they will return to the hump and can still be caught.
Now that you know where to look for these summer bass, lets talk about some of the ways you can catch them in their mid day holding areas. For many years about the only two effective methods for catching these bass were Deep Diving Crankbaits or Caroline Rigged Worms. Now let me tell you both of these methods still work and work great. Give me a
Bandit Lures 300 Series or Flat Maxx-Deep crankbait and I'll catch some bass. Also let me take a
Creme
Lures 8 inch Scoundrel Worm or 10 inch Same Thing Ribbon Tail Worm Carolina Rigged and I'm going to catch some bass too. So if you love your crank baits or love fishing your worms do not fear you will be able to catch these summer bass, but hey don't forget to use some
Liquid
Mayhem Fish Attractants.
The title of this this article is "Hottest Summer Bass Technique" and so there is something else that I consider even hotter. Will it catch bass every day, well maybe not but that is why I have my Bandit Lures crankbaits and Creme Lures worms in my boat all the time. However when you get on the bass this technique tends to catch a lot more quality fish and we are talking some big girls. I know, I know you are saying come on tell us what this new technique is already. The technique is fishing football jigs. Yes just when you thought jig fishing season was over, I'm telling you it is not over it is just getting as hot as the weather. Though football jigs are technically a jig, you don't want to fish them anywhere in the same manner or same type of places you would a standard jig. If you try and fish a football jig in heavy cover you are going to get really frustrated really fast. A football jig will get hung up in heavy cover 99.99% of the time. So are we going to fish these jigs, you are actually going to fish a football jig out in the open water locations I pointed out in the beginning of this article. However before we get into how they are rigged and fished, lets talk some about your rod, reel and line setup to fish these jigs:
Line - I use 10-16lb Fluorocarbon line when fishing a football jig. 10-12lb if the water is clear and also for when I'm fishing water deeper 20 feet. I go to the 16lb if the water stained and water depth is less than 20 feet or if there are a lot of structure on the bottom. There are two reasons I use Fluorocarbon; First it sinks and if I'm fishing deep water it gets my bait down fast and second it has very limited stretch so even on longer casts I still have good hook setting power. There are some that will swear that braid line is the only way to go and
I'm not saying they are wrong, but if you choose to use braid
then go with nothing over 20lb test. This bait is going to be worked slowly
giving the fish a chance to get a good look. The heavier braids may stand out for the fish to see before picking it up. Heavy
braids might keep some bigger bass from picking up your bait up all together and that is especially true on clearer water.
Rod - I want a 7'3" Medium Heavy rod that has a parabolic action, meaning that the bend in the rod is throughout the top 60-70% of the blank. This does a couple things for you, first it enables you to make very long casts and second when the fish hits it isn't so stiff that it spooks them but it still has the backbone to set the hook on long casts. Rod length and action is another point folks tend to disagree. Really
any rod that is 7' to 7'6" and Medium Heavy to Heavy can work. However
with a stiffer rod you risk the chance of the fish feeling you and
spiting the bait. These football jigs are heavy so which ever rod you go with it needs to be able to handle a bait up to 3/4 of an ounce.
Reel - I want a reel that is around 6.5:1 so I can pick up slack fast. Some folks like a faster reel but the reason I use a 6.5:1 is this rod can double as be my Swim Jig rod. Your reel should also be able to hold at least 150 yards of 16lb Fluorocarbon.
I realize that the rod, reel and line I talk about above may not be what some prefer but it is what I have used very effectively. My current setup is an
Ardent Outdoors Apex Magnum Reel 6.5:1 on a Custom Dunamis Rod. The fluorocarbon I use is K9 Fishing as I have found it out lasts all the other fluorocarbons. I should also mention that this setup makes a very good Carolina Rig setup as well.
Now that we have discussed the rod, reel and line I think is best for fishing football jigs it is time to talk about the jigs and trailers themselves. There is no end to the supply of different brand jigs and trailers out on the market today. However though they may look good in their package or in that on-line pictures not all of these jigs and trailers measure up to my expectations. That is why all the jigs I fish come from
Santone Lures and all of my jig trailers come from
Creme
Lures. Why is this you might ask, well it is because of the quality of their products and customer service of both these companies extremely excellent! Santone Lures produces over and above the highest quality jigs I've ever fished and their selection of colors and weight is unreal. Creme Lures has been in business since 1949 and it was this company that invented and gave the bassing world the original plastic worm. They are still in business today because they know how to make the highest quality soft plastic baits on the market. Creme's Same Thing line of plastics not only catch bass but they also save the fisherman money.
Santone Lures has two types of football jigs available and I use both of them depending on where I'm fishing. My favorite is the Pro Series that are built around super sharp, heavy-wire Gamakatsu hooks for
lightning-fast penetration and rock-solid hook-sets. The heads are
finished with a durable powder-coating, and they come with premium silicone skirts in more colors than I can count. You can order these with or without rattles, but I always want rattles on mine and I'll explain why later when we get into the technique I use to fish them. I use the Pro Series the most because of the type of lakes and bayous I fish where the water isn't very clear and there is a lot of structure. The stained water allows me to fish these on heavier line so if the fish are in structure I can get them out fast. Their other football jig is the M Series
that were designed with the help Elite Series Pro, Matt Herren. These have a 5/0
medium-wire Gamakatsu hook that allows them to be used on lighter line as the medium-wire hook will penetrate faster with less force. The heads on the M Series are also
finished with a durable powder-coating, and they still come with premium silicone skirts. They are a great choice if you are fishing clear water lakes where lighter line is required to get the bass to hit. The colors I fish mostly on both of these jigs are the more natural greens and browns. However when the water is really stained or even muddy then I'll fall back on darker colors. That doesn't mean the darker colors don't work in clear water. Really it depend on the bass themselves and also the color of the crawfish in the waters you are fishing. These jigs are meant to look like crawfish when they are fished and you should try and match the color of the crawfish in the body of water you are fishing. I know that can be difficult at times unless you are lucky to actually see one. However if you research the body of water before you go fishing you might be able to determine which colors might work best. If you can't find any information then go with your gut, then switch up as needed to find what they want. I fish both the 1/2 ounce and 3/4 ounce versions of these jigs. I like the 1/2 ounce when fish clearer water or when the depths are less then 20 feet. I use the 3/4 ounce when I have stained water or when the depths are over 20 feet.
The Creme Lures Same Thing Craw is my preferred trailer when fishing football jigs. Really I can' t think of a better trailer out on the market today. The ST Craw resembles a crawfish extremely well, they offer enough colors for you to match your jig well and most importantly they don't hurt your wallet! The ST Craw also gives you great action even when it is not being worked fast. They are the right size for this type of fishing and they stand up to multiple catches most of the time. I use them from clear to moderately stained waters very effectively. Now if the water is heavily stained or even muddy then I go to a little bigger trailer to give the bass a little more to see. That is also a Creme Lures
Same Thing bait but this time it is their Beaver, also know as the "Badd Bugg". The Badd Bugg has a bigger profile than the Craw which gives you a little added size to your overall bait. This can make a big difference when your water conditions are less than the best. Just like with the Craw, the Beavers are offered in colors that will allow you to match your jigs and they also will not hurt your wallet!! The Badd Bugg also give you good action and some added vibration for the poor water conditions.
Now we have discussed where to look for these summer bass as well as the tackle needed to catch them. It is time we discuss how you actually fish or work these jigs to get the bass to bite. Really it is very simple and anyone can fish a football jig effectively. In other words there isn't anything really special to this technique. Basically once you locate a spot that may be holding bass and then position yourself in the deeper water. You will want to cast into the shallower water and work your bait down the slope. I prefer locations where I am casting into the wind. Now I know a lot of you may not like casting into the wind, but bait fish even crawfish will work with the currents even if the currents are very subtle. Believe it or not even a light wind will create water currents and you want your bait moving with and not against this current. Besides you are fishing very heavy 1/2 or 3/4 ounce jigs that will fly well even if the winds are blowing pretty strong. You want to position yourself so you can make as long of a cast as possible to put your jig at the top of the drop off. Then allow your jig sink all the way to the bottom. Be ready though as it falls because I can't tell you how many bass have hit my jigs on the initial fall. Once your jig is on the bottom you can start working it down the slope. This is done by simply dragging the jig on the bottom. Yes you want to drag it and not hope or stroke your jig you want it in contact with the bottom 98% of the time. The football head is doing the work for you as you drag it along. Picture a football rolling along the ground, it is wobbling back and forth very erratically. It will move even more erratically as it hits objects on the bottom. The jig is also making noise on the bottom as it hits things and those rattles I mentioned above really come into play as well. With a good trailer like the ST Craw you even more action from the setup. As your jig is being dragged on the bottom it is stirring up silt and other small debris just like a crawfish would as it moves along. Now I said you want your jig in contact with the bottom 98% of the time, but what about the other 2%? When your jig comes to a bigger rock or other structure on the bottom I like to stop moving it for a moment or two and just shake my rod very subtle to make the jig and trailer twitch. If a bass had been following it then they will likely inhale it when it starts to twitch. If a bass doesn't hit after a few seconds of twitching then I'll raise my rod tip and pop the jig up over the structure and let it fall while maintaining contact and ready to set the hook. A lot of times there will be a bass stationed on the down slope side of this structure and your jig falling over the top will trigger a strike, so be ready. Speed of your drag varies from day to day depending on the conditions. If the bass are active then a fast drag may be the ticket, but if you are fishing very high pressure and the bass are not really active then you want to move your bait slower. The longer you keep your bait in front of an inactive bass the better the chance they will eat it. As far as how I drag my jig, I like to move it with my rod. I will hold my rod tip just under my waist height and use a swiping motion to the side when dragging. I never drag my jig the same distance with each movement. I may move it a foot to foot an a half overall but I tend to break that up some like 3 inches then 6 then back to 3 then 10 inches. Something that is never the same so the jig doesn't look like some robot, but more like a real crawfish. Also if you want your jig to be more realistic then you will need to put some Liquid Mayhem Crawfish or my favorite Garlic Crawfish attractant on them. Just apply it to the trailer and when the bass pickup your jig they will taste crawfish!!
In closing I sure hope this article will help you catch more and bigger summer bass. I know there is a lot of information here, but it can be really easy after you have spent some time to refine this type of fishing. In fact it can be so easy that you will be fishing football jigs like a pro in no time!!
Until next time Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing!!!
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help make my fishing adventures possible and the tackle I use and trust.
Now I do have to admit that it had been a number of years since I'd fished any baits from Bandit. I threw them a lot in the 80s but then I started to focus on jig fishing. Recently I had been carrying a few different brands in the boat just in case the jigs or worms didn't work. Those were what ever cranks were available at one of the local shops and none of those shops carried Bandit. Now what changed recently was I found out that Bandit was looking for Pro Staff. Memories quickly returned to me of the days when Bandit Crankbaits had been my Go-To for filling out my limits early. That gave me the time I needed to focus on getting that one or two big bites during the rest of the day to anchor my limit. So when the chance to be a part of their Pro Staff came I jumped at the opportunity. I am not only pleased but very proud they excepted me on their team. There were two main reasons why back in the day I felt Bandit Cranks were so much better than others on the market. First off their baits had the right movement in the water to trigger strikes. That movement combined with perfect sound from the rattle chamber seemed to draw strikes time and time again. I was really hoping they hadn't changed their designs much over the years as I waited for my new Bandits to arrive.
Now it wouldn't be a good product review if there wasn't some testing involved. So this past weekend I headed out to Lake Fayette County to give them a test. I had a pattern on Fayette that had been working awesome. I had been fishing swim baits on under spins in the morning on the main lake points up near the grass. I had caught a bunch of good fish doing this over the past couple of months. My son and his friend were joining me and so I rigged them both with the swim bait/under spin combo, while I was going to be throwing a 100 series Bandit in Chartreuse Shad. We pulled up on the point and went to work. It didn't take long for the Bandit 100 to strike and it was a beauty of a first fish too, ss you can see in the picture on the left. This wasn't the 100's only victim either as I had 3 fish in the boat while the boys hadn't gotten their first hit. It didn't take long for me to switch them to 100s of their own. Over the next hour we boated more bass that we could count. None of them were as good as that first one but we did put some 3 and 4 pounders onboard. Had this been a tournament, I would have been limited out before 8:00 in the morning. Even better I would have had a bag that pushed 20 pounds and a great kicker already with 7 hours to improve.
