Thursday Tips: 5 Keys to Mid-Summer Bass Success

It almost seems odd giving mid-summer tips this year because serious summer has been nearly non-existent in North Georgia. Today is August 22, and I don't even need a fan running in my house right now. I know, though, that everyone hasn't enjoyed such mild weather. It has been sizzling in Louisiana, where I was last week, and news reports have suggested that they've had some very hot weather in the north this year. Even around here, I'll bet it has been warm enough that the bass are feeling fairly toasty and that summer tips apply. So with that in mind, here are five:

Go Early - Obvious as that sounds, this is a critical point and one that too often gets missed. Plan to be launched and in your area BEFORE first light, and don't forget to allow for unexpected delays. The 1/2-hour you miss by tarrying around the coffee pot or getting backed up at the boat ramp might be the best fishing you would have enjoyed. Late in the summer, bass tend to bite even better at daybreak than close to dark because the water hasn't been baking all day.

Head Way Up a Creek - Often you'll find slightly cooler water in the extreme upper ends of a reservoir's creek and river arms, and cooler, more oxygenated water commonly translates into more active fish. Go as far as a boat will allow you to go and look for moving water and overhanging cover.

Keep Topwater Handy - Even if most fish are suspended or on the bottom and you're fishing primarily with a spoon or drop-shot rig, keep a Zara Spook or a popper handy all the time. Bass sometimes push shad to the surface very unexpectedly this time of year. When they do, if you have a topwater rod within easy reach your likely to be rewarded. Poppers also work great tight to banks for fish that are feeding on bluegills.

Tap the Night Bite - An alternative to fishing early is to head for the lake just before it turns dark and to fish on into the night. Beyond the fact that bass often feed well at night during mid-summer, you'll find far less competition from pleasure boaters, and it tends to be much more comfortable. Use jigs, big ribbontail worms and single Colorado blade spinnerbaits, all in dark colors.

Wade a Stream - My personal favorite way to fish for bass during mid-summer is to abandon big reservoirs completely and hit streams that I can wade. Light spinning tackle. Small topwater lures. huge fun!

Thursday Tips: Convert Misses into Catches

It might be the hardest thing in fishing. A fish blows up on a topwater plug, throwing water in every direction, and you have to act like it didn't happen. More often than not, jerking a bait away or stopping it in place will deter a fish from hitting again. If you don't feel the fish, it probably didn't get the lure, and your best reaction in almost every case is simply to keep working the bait at the same cadence that prompted the initial strike. That's easier said than done, especially when a largemouth blows grass everywhere to attack a frog or a striper or redfish delivers and absolutely explosive attack. If you can keep your cool and keep working the bait, stay ready. The follow-up strike, if it occurs, will probably be less vicious but more efficient.

If no follow-up comes, you often can get the fish to bite again on a subsequent cast. Don't throw the same lure, though. Keep a follow-up lure rigged and nearby at all times, and use it. For open water settings, a soft-plastic stickbait or jerkbait rigged weightless tends to work well. For such an offering, cast directly to the spot where the hit occurred, let the bait fall and watch for the line to jump. Another good option is to cast a lipless crankbait or other shallow subsurface offering past the initial point of attack and swim it quickly through that zone, keeping it just beneath the surface.

If you're working over cover with a frog or a buzzbait when a fish hits and misses, follow up with a weightless, weedless worm or jerkbait, cast past the spot and worked with quick twitches of the rod.

Then, if they don't take the follow-up lure, try your original offering one more time before moving along.

One of the most frustrating things about topwater fishing is the fish's propensity to hit and miss, but if you learn to react properly and to make good follow-up presentations, you'll up your catch rates substantially on some days.

Topwater Bass Video -- Well, Almost

Nathaniel and I had fun trying to catch a topwater fish on video a couple of days ago. This one came close and made for entertaining video. I'm going to make a refreshed effort to do a bit of video stuff on my trips. Nathaniel has a new Youtube channel for his music, so I've taken over the Youtube channel I had established for him a few years ago and plan populate it with hopefully interesting videos over time.

Nathaniel's Reaction

Well, we didn't quite get a topwater catch on film, but it's still a fun little clip to watch.