It’s getting hot and well past the bass’s post-spawn cycle. Patterns, by now, can usually be fairly predictable. Now is the time to get an early start if you can. The bite will usually be very good up until about 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. After that, bites can be hard to come by, so that’s what this forecast will focus on.
There are times when fish feed actively through the day and if you’re getting bites on buzzing frogs, bladed baits, spinner baits etc., then stick with it. But when those tactics don’t work, my favorite way to get mid-day bass to bite is to go to the thickest mats I can find and punch my bait right through the top of them, dropping the offering right on the nose of unsuspecting fish.
Punching isn’t for everyone; it requires specific gear and an ability to understand why some mats are productive and others aren’t. The details are too many for this article, but here are some basics.
Gear up with a 7’6” med-heavy flippin stick teamed with a high-speed reel spooled up with 65- to 80-lb. test braid. Use bobber-stoppers (sometimes you need two), a heavy tungsten weight (1- to 1 ½ oz.), a quality flippin hook or a EWG super-line hook, and a variety of creature baits. Often, I use a Gambler K.O. Punch Skirt between the hook and weight; this gives a much livelier look to your bait.
Look for mats that are close to slightly deeper water like creek edges or ditches. If the mats have lily pads mixed in with them, that’s a bonus.
My best results come from using a Gambler Burner Craw, a Gambler Why Not, and a Big Bite Bait’s Fighting Frog. More often, I use dark colors but when the water gets very clear, I get many bites using watermelon-red or green pumpkin.
Good fishing and God bless.
CAPT. RANDY “C-NOTE” CNOTA
C-note Charters
Panama City, FL
cnotecharters.com
(229) 834-7880