Many anglers are claiming that it is getting harder to catch bass – not just in summer – but all year long. Have the bass learned how to outsmart fishermen? Some experts claim the warmer winters and dry weather have contributed to the difficulty in catching bass. The cooler weather that has extended through spring has made the normally hot lakes a tough place to fish. Anglers tend to get into a rut of fishing in the same spots with the same lures. The time for changing styles in fishing may need to occur to accommodate the changing environment. With the new styles of lures and the presentations and color, it should not be difficult to fool the bass once more.
Lakes with hydria, lily pads, and duckweed along with cattails give you possible spots to find bass all day. The vegetation gives bass a cool hangout during the midday heat as well as an excellent ambush spot early and late in the day while feeding. Fish the area between the vegetation and the bank early and late in the day with top waters, buzz baits, trick worms and twitch baits as well as the grass or hydria beds themselves. As it gets closer to noon and during the day, use jigs or Texas rigs on the deeper areas. Midday fishing of deep hydria can produce some nice bass.
In lakes with mostly timber, laydowns and stumps works the backs of coves with good creeks feeding them early and late. As the sun gets up high, move out to the creek channel, main-lake points and humps. Around the stumps and laydowns, flip or pitch a jig or Texas-rigged worm. A spinner bait can also be flipped around the laydowns and stumps into the water, or slow-rolled along the bottom back to the boat. Later in the day crank baits and Carolina rigs along with a Texas rig are good on the points, humps and creek channel or ledges.
In older lakes with minimal vegetation and timber it gets a little tougher. The bass in these type lakes tend to use ditches, creek channels, ledges, rock piles, or humps as their hangouts and ambush spots. Some may take some time to find, but a map can help, even on an old lake. Although a lot of the coves, flats, ditches and creeks may have filled in with silt. When fishing these types of lakes, try a smaller line size, baits and stick to baitfish or crawfish colors.
Summer can indeed be a tough time to fish for bass but there are techniques that can accommodate the changes in the lakes and the changes that have occurred as a result of the weather. Change directions, change locations, and change lures.
Source: “Tough Summer Fishing.” Bass Fishing Resource Guide®. Web. 03 June 2013.
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