As the weather heats up, bass fishing will change. The easy fishing of springtime has long since passed and anglers need to use different tactics to find quality bass.
Big bass will seek out comfortable temperatures in the heat of the summer. In clear water fisheries, this often means going deeper. In shallower waters, big bass will seek comfort near current or in shady areas.
Each fishery is unique, and the following factors will determine the best locations for you to find those big bass we all want.
Understanding Ideal Water Temperatures for Bass
Most bass anglers chase either largemouth or smallmouth. While these fish do occupy the same waters in many cases, the temperatures at which they are most comfortable vary.
Smallmouth bass prefer water that is slightly cooler. Most resources will list their ideal range from 58° – 71° Fahrenheit. Largemouth tend to tolerate warmer water and are still quite comfortable up to that 77° range.
While these may be ideal temps, it is important to note that these cold-blooded gamefish increase their metabolism as the temperature rises. Warmer waters mean that they need to eat more.
The challenge is finding where they are doing this eating and when.
If temperatures are within this range, then there will always be a population of bass that can be found in traditional shallow water locations. But once the thermometer cranks upward and into the 80s, different tactics are needed.
The below video goes into detail about when is a great time to catch big bass.
Clear Water and How Big Bass Behave
This can create the most difficult situation for anglers. Clear water allows for sunlight to travel far into the water column.
Besides the warming factor, the intensity of the light is what drives these bigger bass deep. The lack of eyelids mean that bass only have two options when it comes to dealing with intense light – depth or shade.
If the clear water you are fishing has an abundance of shade-producing cover, then the odds are there will be some big bass shallow. There is also going to be a population of fish that move deep.
Fishing Deep, Clear Water in the Heat of the Summer
One of the great mysteries in bass fishing is “where.”
Where are the bass at? What depth are they holding? Where can I find them?
An excellent starting point is to target the depth that is just out of sight. In other words, when we are bringing our lures back to us, make sure they are beyond what we can see.
This light penetration line starts to diminish here and bigger bass like to lurk in the shadows.
Odds are the oxygen level is still good as well. When fishing too deep, we can often get our lures to a depth where the oxygen dips down to an uncomfortable level.
Many clear water lakes also have a healthy stand of vegetation that can be found in deep water. On my home lake, it is not unusual to pull up grass from 30ft of water.
If there is vegetation at that depth, then there will be adequate oxygen as well. Fishing the bottom edge of the weeds can be a tremendous tactic in clear water during the summer.
(The drop shot rig is a great summer presentation. Here is an article on leader length.)
Find Food and Find the Bass in the Summer
Big bass need big meals.
They are not going to travel far and wide looking for prey. Bigger fish will stay near areas where their favorite snacks are hanging out.
The good news for anglers is that locating prey in the summer is not terribly difficult.
Any electronics can pick out schools of shad and panfish. Determine what depth these baitfish are at and use this as a guideline to find the ideal depth.
Finding places where that depth intersects key cover or structure will up the odds of putting big summer bass in the boat.
For example, if I mark several schools of panfish holding in 20ft of water, can I find a rock pile at that depth? Is there a weedline that tapers down to 20ft? Is there a hard ledge that I can locate or is there a mainlake point I can work?
If the baitfish are at that depth then the conditions are ideal for bass as well.
Finding Big Bass Shallow in The Summer
Most bass anglers love to fish shallow and work visible cover.
If this is something you like to do, then targeting water that has some stain or color to it is your best bet.
Bass are more apt to be found shallow when their visibility is limited. They will relate to hard cover or structure and stick to it.
But, if the temperatures are getting to that uncomfortable point, then these shallow water summer fish have no choice but to find shade or current.
My favorite time to fish for big bass in the heat of summer is during the middle of the day. Why? Because the bass are in the most predictable places.
For example, when the sun is directly overhead, the only place that a dock is casting shadows is right under it. During low-light periods, the shadows are longer and more plentiful. Bass have a much larger area in which they can roam out of the harsh light. When the shadows are smaller the places in which bass can hide from the sun are easier to pick out.
Using Current to Find Big Summer Bass
The other option that big summer bass have to find more comfortable temperatures is to locate some current.
That current does not have to be “traditional” in the sense of river current or current generated by a dam operator.
Both wind and boat traffic create water movement that bass find appealing. Not only because it activates the food chain, but also because it stirs up the water column and reduces the extremely hot surface water.
If the wind is blowing, locating the shoreline that is getting the most direct impact will often yield excellent bass fishing. This is often the opposite of what anglers do in the summer. Boat positioning and casting in the wind can be challenging – yet it is worth it. The bass will be more active in areas where the wind is stirring up the food chain and also cooling the waters.
(Here is an article about fishing with boat traffic.)
The next areas I like to look for are pinch points and funnels.
These neck-down areas allow for both wind and the wakes from boat traffic to create ideal situations for bass. Once again, these are easy areas for predators to find food, but it also stirs up the water column and makes for more comfortable temperatures.
When You Find Bass – Keep Fishing the Area
One of the most common mistakes we make as bass anglers is to leave fish.
Think about how many times we catch a fish working down a shoreline, toss it back, and then keep moving.
I have spent hundreds of hours filming bass underwater and one, indisputable fact, is that bass are in schools way more than we realize. In fact, I can probably count on one hand the times I found a bass by itself.
This is especially true in the heat of the summer.
When a big bass finds comfortable temperatures, odds are the other bass in the area have migrated to that location as well.
You can easily double or even triple your catch rate when working an area over carefully.
Good luck out there and be sure to encourage someone today. You never know how you may change their life forever.
Isaiah 6:8