In the summer, catching bass can be challenging due to the heat and gnats. To ignite a school of fish, use a heavy jigging spoon or a deep crank bait like the SPRO Little John DD series. These presentations can help active bass locate shallow water and deep water, causing them to compete for the bait and catch multiple fish at a time.
Summer Bass Fishing Tips
The heat of the summer can be discouraging and tough on most of today's bass fisherman, but have no fear if you can ignite a group of fish you can really have a blast in the summer. The bites can be slow in the summertime and fishing can be tough; not only is it hot but it seems the gnats drive you crazy and there are big gaps of time between bites! When it is hot, and the sun is raining down on you the only thing that takes your mind from this is catching fish! Yes, catching fish does fix what ails you without a doubt. You forget its hot, forget the gnats biting you and you quickly become involved in some great bass fishing fun.
One of the best ways to do this is to ignite a school of bass, and this can be done in many ways and is generally accomplished in the heat of the summer. There are certain presentations that I believe ignite the bite like this; a heavy jigging spoon in the 1 oz. range dropped over schools of fish is one bait that accomplishes this. Active bass are generally located where the most shallow water meets the deepest water, and this is always a way to fire up a school that is hunting food. Once you have found the fish your jigging spoon is a great technique to fire up a bite. Cast it out drop it erratically and let the spoon do the rest. I let it drop fast and when I feel the bottom I start snapping and making long driving upward pulls to get the bass chasing. Another presentation is a deep crank bait like the SPRO Little John DD series; deep crank baits put the bass in a competitive position when found feeding in deep water, crank baits cause them to ignite and compete for the bait. The key with a crank bait is to get your bait down to the fish and be erratic with the movement, pull it quickly, rip it up, slow it down and stop it so it gets noticed and once one of them finds it you will see that many will follow it back to the boat. It’s very easy to catch 2 fish at a time when rolling a crank bait over deep schools of bass.
The key to doing this is recognizing where the active bass are on your Lowrance electronics and getting in position to make long casts to the school of the bass. Knowing where the fish are in respect to your boat position as it relates to the bottom is a key to catching and hence motivating the bass to bite. Understanding your electronics is a key factor because the bait has to be where the school is located to be effective. You have to quickly determine how to approach them and many times you have to put your electronics on stand bye to stop the bottom pinging so the bass don’t run from the sounder bouncing off the bottom. The quicker you can recognize where the active fish are located the faster chance you have of getting the summertime heat off your mind and move on to the task at hand. Keep your bait working don’t let up until the bass react and you will have fun, it takes your mind off the elements and can really put some big fish in the boat in a short period of time!
It’s a known fact that the big bass school up in the summer deep to get to the cooler water temperatures so be prepared as you might just catch the personal best catch of your fishing career and bring home some bragging rights with your personal best to prove it!
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
Email: bassguide@comcast.net
www.facebook.com/FishGunterville
Phone: 256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry
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Mike Gerry In The Spread, Instructor