By Capt. James McManus
Well, the full heat of summer is upon us. Not many days ‘til the kids start back to school. Guides generally have a rush of trips before the kiddos are sequestered in the classrooms. The worst thing is, that this just isn’t one of the best times to fish. Heat, bugs, sunburn, and a general lack of fish willing to partake can make this a slow to middling time to get out. A few things that can help follow.
Number one is to get out as early as you can stand. A fish is going to feed and there are tons of bait schools – they may be tiny but they’re there. A fish’s metabolism is up and so, at some point, they will get hungry. Getting out early will generally give you a shot at a couple hour feed with topwater not out of the picture. Remember too, that bait has been newly hatched so downsize your baits to match the hatch. This may mean crappie-sized jigs that you can tie in tandem to gain a little more distance throwing. While some fish may be on top eating hatchling fly, the bigger boys may be deep trying to escape the warmer temps. Searching channel edges on Fontana means being in up to 200+ feet of water and you can find bass down to 80 or so feet, you just have to be willing to look away from the banks.
Another beat the heat trick is to give in and just fish after the sun has gone down. Setting up on points in 80 feet of water, at the mouth of a good sized creek, will be a good starting place. Set out lights and wait for them to bring the fish to you. The heads of major rivers like the Nantahala or Little Tennessee are also excellent places to set up. Live bait and artificials will work, so keep an assortment handy. I also like to tie up at the dam and fish for trout. Tasty fillets are typically waiting here. Use live bait and jigs to catch whites and walleye too. As I get older, it is harder and harder to night fish so be careful – if you stay all night and drive home be sure to have a lookout along and take coffee or caffeine drinks and just be smart and pull over to nap if those eyes are drooping.
The last tip is to just change species. I still love to watch a cork go down, so this time of year, I often grab a tube of crickets, head to a bank with brush, and bream fish. It is amazing, but you will catch some of the largest bass doing this and add some channel cats to the bag also. So stay cool, give the middle of the day to the skiers and jet skis and change tactics for continued success ‘til the water cools next month. God Bless and be careful, Capt. James
Capt. James McManus is the Owner of 153 Charters. Give him a call for a great day of boat fishing!