By Patrick Morrow:
Summer is a trying time of year for most anglers, but it is especially challenging for those fishing from the bank. Stranded far from deep water, shoreline anglers must overcome even greater obstacles than their boat-fishing counterparts to elicit bites.
But you can still catch plenty of bass in the summer, you just have to adjust your techniques and do a few things to maximize your opportunities.
Seek Out Shade
Largemouth bass are most comfortable hunting in low-light conditions, and they tend to hang out in areas with some type of shade. Therefore, you’ll want to concentrate your efforts on deep weed beds, boat docks and tree-lined coves to get your lure in front of more bass. It is often helpful to master the art of skipping a lure, so you can get it back under overhanging vegetation or low-lying docks.
Reach Deeper Depths
Bass often move away from the shore following the post-spawn period until fall temperatures arrive and they return. This means that bank-bound anglers will need to do everything they can to maximize casting distance. One of the easiest ways to do this is through the use of heavier weights and lures. You may also want to downsize your line choice as much as possible, to further increase your reach.
Slow Down Your Presentation
Summer bass often become quite lethargic, and food is often very plentiful during the Dog Days. Accordingly, fish are far less aggressive during this time of year than the spring or fall. To help tempt them into biting your lure, you’ll want to make it as irresistible looking as possible. One of the best ways to do this is by simply slowing down your presentation; you can even let your lure stop completely at several points during the retrieve.
Fish Early or Late
The intense heat of summer often causes bass and other fish to alter their activity patterns. Specifically, it causes them to adopt a crepuscular daily cycle – meaning that they become most active at dawn and dusk. This doesn’t mean that you can achieve success while the sun’s high in the sky, but you’ll have a better chance to catch more fish while the light levels are low and the temperature relatively cool.
Look for Cold Water
Some of the most productive areas for bank fishers to target are the mouths of tree-lined—and therefore cool—creeks and streams. Many of the fish that populate stream-fed lakes and ponds will hang out in these areas – including both baitfish and bass. Bass often stage on either side of points in these areas, so work crankbaits, spinnerbaits and Carolina rigs in all directions until you hit upon an effective trajectory.
The truth is, you probably won’t catch quite as many fish during the hottest part of the summer as you will during the comparatively cooler months of the calendar. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have enough success to enjoy yourself, no matter how high the mercury climbs. Just embrace the five strategies detailed above, and don’t be afraid to experiment until you enjoy success.