HOT FUN IN JULY!!!
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he month of July can be as tuff on the fish as well as the fishermen. July is a month when you will find the fish schooling up and feeding on balls of Shad out in the deeper waters. But, don’t think for one moment that you can’t catch them shallow as well.
As a general rule for lake fishing during the dog days of summer I will start fishing shallow. I throw a lot of top water baits to cover a lot of water while the bass are up still feeding closer to the banks before the sun gets up. But, if you have an overcast day, you can have a great day fishing shallow. Bigger bass like to have areas that they can move up and feed then be able to move back down to a drop off to mostly suspend. I really like the LiveTarget baits. Their product lines are so detailed to look like live bait. I like to use is the LiveTarget Hollow Belly Frogs when the fish are in the grass or lily pads. I throw it out and let it set a moment and then start working it across the grass in a twitching motion making it pop on top. I stop at any opening in the grass to see if one will explode on it. When it does, make sure the bass has it before you set the hooks on it or you will miss it. I use Sufix 828 Braid and a Medium Heavy 7 foot rod to get the bass out of the grass. I also like to use the LiveTarget bait Glass Minnow Popper. This bait is used more for the open areas. It has 3 tiny life like minnows in a clear glass to look like a small school coming through. I throw it out and let it set a moment and then I start popping it in a cadence of one then two pops making a commotion to entice the big bite. I use 12 to 14 lb. Sufix Monofilament line on the Glass Minnow Popper. You don’t want to use Fluorocarbon because this will cause your line to sink and you won’t be able to work your bait as well.
As the hot sun starts to really come up on the lake, is when I start working toward the deeper waters following the bass out. Bass will look for ambush spots to chase pods of Shad as they come through. Bass will look for deeper structure such as long points, brush piles, stumps and old road beds. I use my Lowrance electronics HDS-8’s to help find the structure as well as watching for bait and the fish. Find the Shad and you will find the bass near.
Anyone that fishes with me knows that I am known as the Carolina-Rig King! I like throwing this bait because it allows me to feel the bottom for structure. A Carolina-Rig is made up of a swivel with a 3 to 4 foot of leader line where I rig up with a Daiichi Hook. I try to get by with the largest hook that I can. It depends on the bait that I am throwing. I like throwing either a ½ or a 1 ounce bullet weight with a glass bead between the weight and the swivel. The glass bead does two things, first it protects the knot from the big weight hitting against it and second, it makes a clacking noise to help the bass find the bait as well. I throw this rig on 14 lb. Monofilament Sufix Line with a 10 to 14 lb. leader. Some fishermen like to throw this rig on Fluorocarbon. You can either hop or drag your bait on this rig. I personally like to drag the bait. This allows me to bump into more structure. I like to throw a lot of Deep Creek plastics on this rig because their baits will stand up and not lay flat. This gives the bait a more defensive look when bass is looking at it.
My second bait of choice is throwing deep cranking baits. Look for crank baits with big lips and the package will also give you an ideal of how deep they should dive. Look for structure that you can make the crank bait deflect off of and you will get a reaction strike most of the time. Make a long cast so that you can get past your targets so that your crank bait can make contact with the structure you are fishing. I use a 7’4” and a 7’10” Medium/Heavy fiberglass rod. The fiberglass keeps you from tearing the hooks out of the fish’s mouth when you set the hook. Lews Speed Spool reel 4.3:1 gear ratio is a great reel to use when fishing deep. The slower ratio reel is a lot easier on you when cranking these big rods and baits. Let the reel rest in the palm of your hand to save your wrist. When you get a strike, pull back on your fiberglass rod to set the hook. I do a modification to my crank baits with the hooks. I change out the factory hooks and put on Daiichi Hooks. I will also put a Daiichi Bleeding Bait Hook on the front of a lot of my crank baits. This looks like the bait is injured and bleeding. You want it in the front, because most of the time the fish will strike where the Bleeding Bait Hook is!
Please remember if you are fishing a tournament in July to take care of your fish. I put ice and products to keep fish alive when I am fishing in hot weather. I keep my aerators on a timer for the fish too.
Don’t forget to take care of yourself as well. Keep hydrated with lots of water and don’t forget sunscreen…..
Enjoy your day in the sun in July!
Hal Abshire
Tournament Fisherman
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