Tips for Catching Summer Bass
Most fishermen tend to follow the season by water temperature and what fish are season, not by what the calendar says. Summer is in full bloom here and this means bass have retreated from their rocky shallow nesting ground to find cover and a place to hunker down for the hot summer months. Although less aggressive and harder to find, bass can still be caught. Although Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass have slightly different feeding habits—for example, Smallies like moving water and Largemouth prefer still waters—these tips will help for both species.
1. Fish Weed Beds
This is easier said than done, even with weed guards. Not to mention flies usually have minimal weight and have a hard time punching through thick weed mats. Stripping streamers along …show more content…
Save your time on the water for dusk or dawn
Water is cooler and shade is plentiful on most rivers around this time. Usually you can see bass feeding on the surface, much like a trout eating bugs on the surface, but instead of sipping a fly they bass will smash it like a Mack truck. Ever since I was young and would drag jitterbugs across the surface on a spinning rod, top water fishing has always been my favorite method.
7. Find moving water
Bass—mainly smallies—will hang out on the edge of moving water. Areas around culvert inlets and outlets are a good place to start. Much like trout, Bass will sit on the edge of the current or even in the current and ambush their prey as it drift by. Moving water is more oxygen enriched and tends to be slightly cooler which may be a contributing factor to the attraction.
8. Go deep
Use a weighted fly around ledges and drop offs to get your fly in the feeding area. Slowly retrieving your fly along a shelf will usually draw out any bass hiding in the darkness.
Although Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass have slightly different feeding habits—for example, Smallies like moving water and Largemouth prefer still waters—these tips will help for both
Most fishermen tend to follow the season by water temperature and what fish are season, not by what the calendar says. Summer is in full bloom here and this means bass have retreated from their rocky shallow nesting ground to find cover and a place to hunker down for the hot summer months. Although less aggressive and harder to find, bass can still be caught. Although Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass have slightly different feeding habits—for example, Smallies like moving water and Largemouth prefer still waters—these tips will help for both species.
1. Fish Weed Beds
This is easier said than done, even with weed guards. Not to mention flies usually have minimal weight and have a hard time punching through thick weed mats. Stripping streamers along …show more content…
Save your time on the water for dusk or dawn
Water is cooler and shade is plentiful on most rivers around this time. Usually you can see bass feeding on the surface, much like a trout eating bugs on the surface, but instead of sipping a fly they bass will smash it like a Mack truck. Ever since I was young and would drag jitterbugs across the surface on a spinning rod, top water fishing has always been my favorite method.
7. Find moving water
Bass—mainly smallies—will hang out on the edge of moving water. Areas around culvert inlets and outlets are a good place to start. Much like trout, Bass will sit on the edge of the current or even in the current and ambush their prey as it drift by. Moving water is more oxygen enriched and tends to be slightly cooler which may be a contributing factor to the attraction.
8. Go deep
Use a weighted fly around ledges and drop offs to get your fly in the feeding area. Slowly retrieving your fly along a shelf will usually draw out any bass hiding in the darkness.
Although Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass have slightly different feeding habits—for example, Smallies like moving water and Largemouth prefer still waters—these tips will help for both