August. Summer is in full tilt, while simultaneously slowly fading into the early parts of autumn. This time of year can produce some good days of fishing, and for those willing to bear the heat, produce exceptional results.
Bass fishing is an art as much as a skill, but knowing where to target is by far the most important aspect of chasing solid bass. With the weather still warm during mid-day and evening, big bass seek out shaded, deep and cooler waters to regulate their body temperature. Early morning sees more bass along the shallows, especially around dense vegetation in search of prey. This is a great place to begin a full day of fishing. Lilypads, water grass and reeds should be the first areas fished, using a combination of weedless soft plastics, shallow dive baits and top water baits such as frogs and walkers. This variety can help anglers decode the best strategies for that particular area and help with understanding the feeding patterns of these fish for future trips.
As the day warms up rapidly, moving to deeper waters is almost necessary. The cooler, darker waters require a wider variety of baits, since less vegetation is present, but it can be trickier in locating the areas the fish have moved to. A simple way of pinpointing where fish are is by understanding the terrain of the water being fished. Following rock walls and points and finding deep, sudden drops helps in finding great places to discover big bass during the warmer hours of the day.
Big bass, specifically big females, are not easy to trick during these warmer hours. With exceptional vision, these older fish are only fooled by highly realistic baits, live baits or skillful presentation. A good blend of baits, such as Carolina rigged worms, suspended twitch baits and heavy spinners, are excellent choices for these areas.
Evening fishing is arguably the most exciting. The fish are moving from the deeper waters back into the shallows to hunt, and this can lead to large numbers of big, hungry bass. Top water, weightless finesse baits and fast spinner baits can produce thrilling evenings of bite after bite action.
The summer season may be winding its way toward its close, but that doesn’t mean your fishing season has to. Be careful out there – and good luck.
