Late Summer Bass Tactics
Where did those big bass go? I hear this question from our customer's routinely now.
That’s because spring and early summer are exciting times for the bass angler, with the pre-spawn concentrating bass in shallow water where they are actively feeding and relatively easy to find in preparation for the breeding season. However, once the post-spawn and heat of summer sets in anglers struggle to find quality fish in shallow water. Where did they go? The answer is simple . . . deep.
Let’s face it: There is no more challenging time to catch bass, outside of winter, than late summer. During late summer the fish spread out, with some fish hanging in shallow water haunts while others go deep. This makes fish more difficult to locate. And, the urgency to feed in preparation for fall isn't quite there yet. This creates a situation where the fish are not concentrated or as aggressive as we’d like them to be.
There's a lure right here you can give a try if you've been on the skunk for awhile.
But that doesn’t mean they are impossible to find and catch. In fact, bass will school up strongly on deep weed lines, structures, points, and current seams, where they can ambush prey. For largemouth this may mean water that’s 5 to15' deep. Smallmouth may sulk in water that’s 15 to 30' deep.
My tactics for late summer bass are a lot like those I employ when playing the game of Battleship. I'll start by randomly blasting aggressive lures, like spinner and crankbaits in a search pattern. Once I pick up a fish or two I'll zero in on that target and work it over with finesse presentations, using senkos or dropshot rigs, until I've sunk any opportunity to pull more fish out that school.
On a recent trip I targeted both a well-known tournament quality lake and a lake where the bass population is still in recovery following a lake rehabilitation program. In both lakes, I was consistently finding smaller fish in the shallow water. Moving deeper and using downscan imaging on my Humminbird Helix 5, I identified deep water weed breaks and found tournament quality fish in the 16” and larger range, including a gorgeous aircraft carrier sized 21” bucketmouth that weighed 6.5 pounds.
Get out there and try a little late summer bass fishing. It will only make you a better angler and you'll have a good starting point for the fall bite that is just a month or two away.