by Brian Lee
Water temperature: 78-83 degrees, water level: full pool, water clarity: stained/clear.
The morning bite will last as long as the bait is up shallow. Topwater will produce a lot of fish early, so cover as much water as you can. As it gets hot, the bite slows down. This time of the day I like to find isolated brush piles and pick them apart with a jig. Color depends on the water clarity. A Texas rig, shaky head and Carolina rig will work as well on the brush piles.
The afternoon bite is slow. Flip docks on the shady sides. A weightless trick worm will catch a few as you can skip a good ways under docks.
July is a tough month on bass fishing due to the heat. If you want to fill the boat, come early and leave before the sun gets high and bright. A recent tournament on Jackson produced two 18 pound plus sacks with big fish being over 8 pounds. I won this event with 18.49. Till next month, tight lines.