Sluggish, hot, and tough are a few words that describe summer bass fishing. Lakes and rivers are reaching their hottest water temperatures of the year and bass know it. Bass start to slow down and seek out cooler habitats in search of forage. The tough part is these areas can make it hard to catch them.
So what do you throw to catch them this time of year? These four late summer bass fishing lures will get it done once you locate the bass.
Finding Summer Bass Is Easy
The last few weeks in August and the beginning of September are usually downright slow. Bass seem to almost disappear in late summer. But they are still there and surprisingly very predictable in terms of where they live. Focus on three areas while summer bass fishing.
- Currents – Current areas from creeks or channels, especially near deep water, are magnets for summer-time bass. The current provides well-oxygenated water and continuous waves of bait.
- Shade – Steep banks, tree laydowns, over-hanging brush, and other shady areas will hold fish. The larger bass will be in the best shade spots on the lake or reservoir. Cast to those areas first and work your way out towards the sun line.
- Vegetation – Thick aquatic vegetation also provides cooler water. Bass will dig deep into matted grass and thick off-shore vegetation to ambush prey and stay cool in the heat of the summer.
Top Late Summer Bass Fishing Lures
Now that you know where to find them, you have to piece together how to catch summer bass. These four late summer bass fishing lures produce day after day during the hottest part of the year.
Topwater Lures
Topwater bass fishing lures are big players in the latter part of summer. You can cover lots of water and fish most of the areas where bass live. More specifically, a topwater frog is the bait of choice. The frog allows you to fish over vegetation, under docks, and around the bank all without getting hung up. It will imitate baitfish and trigger reaction strikes from summer bass.
Big Worms
For bass hanging out in deeper water on current breaks or in vegetation, nothing beats dragging a big worm. These are areas where a crankbait can’t reach the bottom where bass are hanging out. Big worms, a must-have bass fishing lure for summer, are those in the 8-inch plus range like the Zoom® Mag II Worm. Stick to standard green pumpkin and black and blue colors and throw it on a Carolina rig or a Texas rig to trigger bites.
Crankbaits
On shallower current breaks, like those off of main lake points, a crankbait is one of the best bass fishing lures. Bass are in these areas looking for baitfish. Grind a medium diving crankbait or shad colored Rat-L-Trap against the bottom fast to create reaction bites.
Soft-Stick Baits
One of the best bass fishing lures at any time of the year is the soft-stick bait. The most well-known is the Yamamoto Senko. This do-nothing soft plastic bait can be Texas-rigged (weighted or weightless) or used on a drop-shot. Pitch it in pockets in the vegetation, drag it, or work it weightless along the bank, under docks, and over the top of brush piles. It is simply one of the most versatile summer bass fishing lures to have.
The most important late summer bass fishing tip is to not get discouraged. Bass are still out there, and they can still be caught. Search around until you find a few, and then start throwing these productive late summer bass fishing lures. The results will speak for themselves.