Rage bug. Punching through the slop where the bass are taking shade and picking off unsuspecting forage and critters/bugs. Seriously, so fun tossing it out there and setting into a bass you knew had to be there. And the rage bug gets it done. Always. June bug and summer craw are my favorites.
GY senko/fat IKA/ DT hula grub . They charge as much as they do because they catch fish. And people are willing to pay it for a proven plastic. All three of these baits are deadly weightless ! Idk which I like more... But always have more than I need of these in my totes. And they are always in my bag spring through fall. The senko and the hula grub can be rigged many different ways.. the senko being the most versatile IMO but a simple jighead or Texas rigged hula grub has more than once been the days winner for me. As for colors I've never bought a pack of GY anything that didn't work. But my vote goes for pumpkin with green and black flake. Or root beer with 2x emerald flake.
Rapala shad rap. A sweeping retrieve has been my best overall. Back and forth with varying speeds and pauses until I find the right cadence. I often find myself catching more than just bass when this has been tied on but have caught over 4 bass 5+ in about a decade of fishing and countless fish 2-4 . Doesn't seem like much but given I'm in the north, have other responsibilities and am only a part time recreational fisherman, the stats are pretty decent with the shad rap. Classic perch or silver / black back are my go-to's
Jig. All kinds of jigs. But mainly a light brush jig (1/4-3/8) or a swim jig being in my main rotation. On the brush jig I like to use the rage craw and chunk, zoom chunk, and 3/4 of a 5 inch senko. As for the swim jig I like curly tail grubs( kalins) rage menace , and small paddle tails. Jigs stay in my bag year round and have some with rattles , different heads, skirt materials , colors, and weights. I used to like to match my trailer perfect to the jig, but now tend to throw contrast on the trailer. Such as a Green pumpkin jig with a black trailer. Mainly use earth tones as colors for my jigs but I've had recent success with a pearl white swim jig.
Popper. At night... Right ? Nothing I like more than making my heart jump when a bass slams my popper at night. That being said, I actually have the most luck using them mid day. In the heat of summer ! I caught 2 bass last year over 20" on a popper . And one was 24". Both fish were taken between 12-5 on seperate days. I like the rapala skitter pop. Many brands do the job in this category. Whether it's a megabass popmax or rebel pop-r (or my modestly priced skitter pop ) I'd keep at least one of these on hand. Black belly and white belly are all you need.
I also like to use scents and dyes. JJ's magic and spike it markers . Mend-it for my expensive soft plastics.
Good luck to you this summer.
