Hot Summer Tips

If the fish are not feeding during the middle part of the day, you can often get a strike by using a brightly-colored, heavy lure, working it up and down, lifting the tip of your rod slightly, and reeling in slowly. This causes the lure to work along the bottom, threatening the bass' nesting area prompting them to strike.

Another tip to use during the heat of the day, is to downsize your lure to a 1/8 ounce spinner bait. Its slow presentation is often more attractive to the bass when they are not terribly hungry.

Remember that bass are much more active during the heat of the day. They will often venture out from their traditional cover into the deeper open water as the day warms up. If you notice any surface action in the deeper waters, try tossing them a topwater presented with lots of action.

Also look for fish near the inlet to the lake. This water is generally a little cooler, attracting bass. The flowing water over the years will have gouged out an underwater tough that provides nice ledges for bass to hang near. They will even begin to move up into the river as summer progresses.

Don’t be afraid to follow them. The same techniques you use in the lake will work in the river. The only difference is the current. If you understand the current, you can easily find the fish. Bass, like river trout, look for areas where they can hide in slower water, while keeping an eye on the faster water. The current acts as a highway, carrying food to the fish. They love to hang out just downstream from a large rock, in the slow water, and dart out to capture food. Top feeding bass can often be found in the slow, shaded pools. The bass will stick close to cover if the current is very fast, but will venture farther if the current is slow.