It feels like summer already. The water table is still dropping, and the lake is already at low levels – rain helps but not too much before hurricane season. Hydrilla is now at the water’s surface making lures snag, but also makes it easy to see the edges of the drop-off. You should be able to find current at the canal entrances and bass are hanging around the edges of the sand bars. Bait of choice – crank baits like Rapala X-Raps or Rattle Traps. A lot of the bass are heading out to open water hydrilla patches and will stay there all summer. Bait of choice in open water vegetation are plastic baits like Zoom Speed Worms, flukes, Bitters brand vibe worms and the skinny dippers are the hot baits this month. Best colors are June bug, watermelon seed, black and blue.
Crappies are out in open water. Troll at various depths until you get a bite. Run multiple jigs in various colors tipped with a minnow and when you find which color they like, change them all to that color. Panfish: The bluegills have moved up into shallow water to compete for spawning areas. This is the best time to locate the spawning areas. The males are really aggressive and are starting to fan the beds they will be easy to see. Shell cracker will also be mixed in the same area. They are finishing up and will be spawning in a little deeper water. Both panfish prefer the same type of spawning area but will move out deeper to spawn due to the warming water temps and lower water table. Break out the flyrod with a popping bug. Another good bait is the trusty beetle spin in red and white, yellow, and black. If you are a live bait fisherman crickets under a float is the best bet for panfish followed by red worms.
