It really is a shame how many guys have told me they won’t go fishing during the summer heat. You probably won’t get the same number of bites as during the spring spawn, but summer fishing doesn’t have to be a let down. You just need to know where to look. To catch summer bass you might need to work deeper water.
Bass Fishing in The Summer
So you’ve had a lot of success during the spring spawn with perfect 50-60 degree temperatures. Transitioning to the summer heat doesn’t mean fishing has to slow down. As temperatures quickly rise, you’ll have to respond just as fast if you want to have any luck during the summer. With a few slight adjustments you should be reeling in a ton of bass all summer long.
Why Does Summer Fishing Seem Harder?
Whether you’re fishing for largemouth’s or smallmouth’s your tactics are going to have to drastically change as you transition into summer. With a quick transition, I rarely notice much of a lull as I go into my summer fishing patterns.
Other than the fact that your targeting the shallows, I might even argue that spring fishing isn’t any easier than summer. If you know where to look bass are going to bite no matter the season.
Watch The Water Temperature
If you have a fish finder on your boat it’s going to be a lot easier to figure out the water temperature. If you aren’t lucky enough to have a boat and fish finder you can either use a cheap aluminum fishing thermometer or a cheap portable fish finder like this Venterior Fish Finder.
Once the surface temperature gets into the mid 70’s-80’s you’ll have to give up on fishing the shallows during the day. You’re only going to be able to use topwater lures around dawn and dusk when bass invade the shallows to feed. The rest of the day they’ll most likely be suspended in deeper water.
Signs You Should Move To Deeper Water
Not everybody has the gear to determine the water temperature while fishing, so you might need to rely on other signs. Bank fisherman have a particularly difficult time figuring out when they need to abandon the shallows. Watch out for these signs that you need to move to deeper water.
- High Water Temperature: Being cold blooded means that fish aren’t going to be able to handle rising water temperatures. As water temperatures rise into the 70-80s bass tend to move to colder water. Most of the time that means deeper water, but they might also move under a shady tree or dock.
- Lots of Little Fish: Smaller fish are able to regulate their body temperatures a lot better than their larger brethren. If you’re having a lot of bites, but none weighing more than a pound go out to deeper water. Smaller bass have a higher tolerance for warmer waters since they require less oxygen to keep warm. Smaller bass are always going to hang higher in the water column than bigger trophies.
- Topwater Lures Quit Working: During the spawn I love to run topwater lures through spawning beds. I’m a huge fan of the classic Rebel PopR and Arbogast Jitterbug, but they start to lose their effectiveness as water temps increase. As temps increase I’ll transition to only fishing them early mornings and in shady areas. Right after the spawn I’ll work the tall grass near the spawning beds using a Booyah Pad Crasher Hollow Body Frog.
Catch Bass While They Feed
In the summertime water temperatures are going to be the highest they’ll be all year. Sometimes you’ll be talking 85-90 degree water temperatures. In the heat of the summer fish aren’t going to want to feed all day long. It’s important to understand how water temperature affects the fish feeding window.
Fish The Mornings
When the water temperatures increase fish are going to have an extremely short feeding window. Most bass in the summertime are going to feed first thing in the morning until about 9am. After about 9am the water temperatures start to rise making fish inactive.
Fish Before Dusk
Another time fish love to feed is the last two hours before it gets dark. With the low angle of the sun the water starts to cool off and fish will again start feeding.
Transition From Shallow To Deep
In the springtime I like to fish the shallows, 12 foot or less. In the summer time you’re going to want to start off fishing the shallows in the mornings and transition to deeper water as temperatures increase.
In the mornings fish the main points that are easy to access from deeper water. Try and find docks, main points and pockets that are within a short distance of deeper water. They want to be relating close to the deep water so they don’t have to waste much energy.
Best Summer Baits For Morning Shallow Water Fishing
During the summer you’re really going to have to make a lot of movement to attract lazy feeding bass. In the morning I like to throw buzzbaits, walking baits, topwater lures and shallow diving crankbaits.
Buzzbaits: Buzzbaits are going to be my first choice for early morning summer fishing. If you get the right size they’ll work well with just about any freshwater game fish. I’ve had a ton of success this season using a budget Booyah Buzz Bait. Just cast it near structure/main points and quickly retrieve it allowing the buzz prop to draw in a lot of attention.
Walking Baits: As far as topwater lures go walking baits are going to be hard to beat. Even though I hate the price of Strike King’s KVD Sexy Dawg Jr I love the action. It’s the perfect size to cast long distances and provides a smooth easy walking action.
Topwater Lures: Everbody loves the action of a topwater lure. Unfortunately you can’t use them throughout most of the summer day. Summer is know for having lots of grass and lily pads and whenever I see that, I’m going to bring out my hollow bodied frog(Booyah Pad Crasher). With a few basic frog lure modifications you can rip it through even the thickest structure. On really bright and clear days you might want to try either an Arbogast Jitterbug or Rebel PopR.
Shallow Diving Crankbaits: As the water temperatures start to increase you’re going to want to start working the deeper water. I’ll normally switch to my Strike King Squarebill Crankbait between 8 and 9 working the intermediate areas(6-10 foot deep water).
Best Summer Baits For The Heat
Once the sun goes up you’re going to want to transition to deeper water. When I transition to deeper water I’ll typically use a few basic lures. My favorites are shakys head paired with a large plastic worm, Football Jigs(Booyah Boo Jig) and deep diving crankbaits like the Norman Deep Little N.
How To Fish Deepwater
Deepwater fishing is where everybody seems to throw in the towel. Without a fish finder it’s going to be extremely difficult finding suspended bass in deep water. When they’re waiting in deep water they’re going to school up making it even harder to get lucky.
When searching for summer deep water fish you’re going to want to start looking at 15 feet and get deeper as the temperatures increase. On extremely hot days you can find schooling fish even as deep as 25-30 feet deep. Just remember that smaller fish suspend higher than larger trophies. So if you want to get that photo worthy bass you’re going to need to look deeper in the water table.
Look For Signs Of Feeding Bass
These aren’t hard fast rules. You’re going to need to use a lot of common sense during the summer. If you see signs of baitfish on your graph, even if they’re really deep there’s a chance you’ll find a school of bass. Seagulls diving in the morning are another great sign of groups of bass.