Summer Bass Are Kicking My Butt - Help!

[BadContrakt]

Ok... I'm gonna make this short and sweet.

In the spring I could nail bass of all sizes with basically any bait, which is how it is for a lot of people. But now that summer is here full-force I'm having a hell of a time catching bass during any time of the day. Last bass I even caught was a couple days ago on a buzz bait at 9:00pm, and he was a little guy.

I've tried under docks, nothing. I've tried lots of stuff in the deeper water (15-45 feet) some deep divers, some drops shots, Carolina rigs, rattlin rapalas, and spinner baits.

I've also tried different times of the day. Sun up, sun down, and the middle of the day. I dunno if its just my crappy lakes around here but I was nailing em in the spring and now... *fart noise*

Here's most of the information I can give you.

Line: 8lb mono and 30lb braid

Lures: mentioned above

Water quality: most of my lakes range from murky brown to slight murk green. None are clear. Furthest I can see down would be probably 2-3 feet.

Wind: I've tried glass calm to white cap chop.

Time of day: all times

Presentation: I do mostly finesse, slow, slight jerks. Fastest I usually go is a medium retireve with spinnerbaits and buzz baits.

Average temperature the last week: ~85 degrees

Location: Central Minnesota

Lakes: All DNR controlled / stocked / public lakes (small-medium sized)

That's all I can think of at the moment. Gimme some help guys I'm starting to get really irritated with these dog days!

[BadContrakt]

Come to think about it that wasn't very short and sweet... Oh well.

[BassinLou]

BadContrakt, don't feel bad. Summer has been slow for me too this summer. The Florida heat can be tough. You have to keep at it and take advantage of what summer time patterns can throw at you. For ex: taking advantage of the temporary cool down afternoon storms can produce. Those same storms depending on duration and intensity can cause water to move which can stir things up and cause the bass to actively feed. Keep at it. Everyday is new day, you never know what it will bring.

[anonbassman]

The man crying about bass thumb now can't catch a bass...

 

Try spooks/wtd lures/ buzzbaits in the mornings.

Carolina Rig big worms on points.

I like a swim jig in the afternoons sometimes.

Dropshot with a roboworm if they really aren't biting.

Frogs around the muck on shorelines.

If they aren't biting slow lures then speed it up.

 

If that doesn't work, then you should probably call it quits.

[senile1]

If you know there are fish in your lakes, then the issue has to be location and patience.  I would fish vegetation and brush in shallow water with deep water nearby, or I would fish deeper water with a path of breaks and breaklines leading to spawning or shallow water feeding areas where you caught fish in the Spring.  Fishing docks can be good, but the docks have to be the right ones with the proper structure beneath them and around them to hold fish.  If you are unfamiliar with a lake and it covers a few thousand or more acres it can take time and lots of work with electronics to find the right areas so hang in there. 

 

The heat of summer can be tough.  I've found that if I am punching, flipping, or pitching shallow water cover such as lilly pads, milfoil, and brush piles that lie near deeper water I can usually catch a few every time I'm out - sometimes more, sometimes less.  I tend to favor jig and craw, t-rigged worms, and creature baits for this type of fishing.  Also, I can often pull one or two in with a lipless crankbait in the grass even when they don't seem to want a fast presentation.  If that isn't working, I find a deeper ledge or break near these areas.  Underwater channel intersections are productive for me as well, but again, it can take time to find the right ones.  Make sure you know how deep your thermocline is in the lake you are fishing because there will be no bass below that depth.

 

Hopefully, this helps.

[BadContrakt]

BadContrakt, don't feel bad. Summer has been slow for me too this summer. The Florida heat can be tough. You have to keep at it and take advantage of what summer time patterns can throw at you. For ex: taking advantage of the temporary cool down afternoon storms can produce. Those same storms depending on duration and intensity can cause water to move which can stir things up and cause the bass to actively feed. Keep at it. Everyday is new day, you never know what it will bring.

The thunderstorms are definitely always on my list of "watch fors" and when there's a storm I'm usually in overdrive trying to figure out my schedule so I can either get on the water right before or right after the storm. I've not noticed a big difference in fishing THIS summer when it comes to cold-front / low pressure fishing but in previous years they've produced.

 

The man crying about bass thumb now can't catch a bass...

 

Try spooks/wtd lures/ buzzbaits in the mornings.

Carolina Rig big worms on points.

I like a swim jig in the afternoons sometimes.

Dropshot with a roboworm if they really aren't biting.

Frogs around the muck on shorelines.

If they aren't biting slow lures then speed it up.

 

If that doesn't work, then you should probably call it quits.

My buss thumb has healed up since we last talked. Thanks for the prayers.

 

If you know there are fish in your lakes, then the issue has to be location and patience.  I would fish vegetation and brush in shallow water with deep water nearby, or I would fish deeper water with a path of breaks and breaklines leading to spawning or shallow water feeding areas where you caught fish in the Spring.  Fishing docks can be good, but the docks have to be the right ones with the proper structure beneath them and around them to hold fish.  If you are unfamiliar with a lake and it covers a few thousand or more acres it can take time and lots of work with electronics to find the right areas so hang in there. 

 

The heat of summer can be tough.  I've found that if I am punching, flipping, or pitching shallow water cover such as lilly pads, milfoil, and brush piles that lie near deeper water I can usually catch a few every time I'm out - sometimes more, sometimes less.  I tend to favor jig and craw, t-rigged worms, and creature baits for this type of fishing.  Also, I can often pull one or two in with a lipless crankbait in the grass even when they don't seem to want a fast presentation.  If that isn't working, I find a deeper ledge or break near these areas.  Underwater channel intersections are productive for me as well, but again, it can take time to find the right ones.  Make sure you know how deep your thermocline is in the lake you are fishing because there will be no bass below that depth.

 

Hopefully, this helps.

What exactly should be under a dock to consider it a fish producing dock? I've got a couple lakes in mind with different types of docks. Ann lake has about 17 foot deep drop offs underneath the Southern side docks with basically only sand and no cover. And on the other hand Lewis lake has about 3-7 foot deep docks with a bit more foliage under them. I'm guessing Lewis would be a better guess?

 

On the subject of docks. What's y'alls favorite lure for the docks? I've been using a skirted jig trailed with a 7 inch twister - it looks effing delicious. I've also thrown Texas rigs under them and spinnerbaits.

 

Now to the lily pads and vegetation... Is it a good idea to fish them in the middle of the day under the hot beating sun? I usually stay on the ledges and saddles and stay away from the shallows when it's hot. But I've heard a lot of good luck coming from the shallows in the 10am-2pm range? Any advice or experience on that subject?

 

Now here's a big one. Ann lake has the main lake then the highway goes over it and on the east side the lake goes from "main lake" to "big pond." It's probably 200-300 acres and is 7-10 foot deep max. It's LOADED with lily pads and vegetation and in the spring there was a bass bed everywhere you looked. In the spring I slaughtered bass in that side of the lake but I haven't been there since the summer hit. Would it be worth my time to check it out, or would the majority of the big mamas have gone to the main lake?

[jimmykm21]

 night time fishing , try it

 

 

not sun down but night time

[Felix77]

Try just before sunrise and into the AM.

[BadContrakt]

 night time fishing , try it

 

 

not sun down but night time

My buddies and I took the boat out at midnight and stayed out until 3:00ish and just gave up because there was NOTHING happening. Think we were on the wrong lake though. It'll probably take a lot of convincing to get me to go back out in the middle of the night again. Usually I get a strike or two atleast even if I don't catch anything. But that night all 3 of us got completely skunked and we cruised all over the lake.

 

I might try it again I suppose but on a better lake.

 

Are you supposed to use obnoxious lures at night? Like Rattlers and Spinnerbaits and Poppers? Or are the fish plenty aware to the point where they'll see a Texas Rig going passed them?

[Revival]

Are you able to fish at night?  Like 2am to 6-7am?

 

EDIT: We posted at the same time.

 

If you go back at night again i would recommend:

 

Black/Black Cavitron Buzzbait

Black Jitterbug

Black Hula Popper

Black Spinnerbait with single Colorado blade

Senkos (watermelon or jitterbug)

[BadContrakt]

Are you able to fish at night?  Like 2am to 6-7am?

Perfectly able, just don't know how willing.

[Revival]

Perfectly able, just don't know how willing.

When i fished at night it was always 12am-2am to 6am-7am and it was the most fun I ever had fishing.  I think if anything you should start at 3am rather than leaving then.

[Sodus Bay Scooter]

I live in upstate ny so maybe it's kinda the same there, I don't know. Anyway try this.

First off forget docks, and shallows. Second, rig a 1/8 tungsten bullet weight on a 3 or 4/0 ewg hook with a 5" senko in some sort of green color. Third, find a weed line in and around 10 to 12 foot of water and fish it like a jig, fall to the bottom and pop it around.

The key is finding the weed line. Make sure it ends somewhere around that depth and fish all along that line in and out of the line.

If that doesn't work, I got nothing.

[BadContrakt]

When i fished at night it was always 12am-2am to 6am-7am and it was the most fun I ever had fishing.  I think if anything you should start at 3am rather than leaving then.

What were/are your night fishing strategies and lures?

[Revival]

What were/are your night fishing strategies and lures?

I listed everything that worked for me at night in post #10. Only thing I added was the cavitron buzz bait which wasn't available when I fished at night back then. If I was able to night fish again that would probably be the first thing I would throw. You be surprised how well the senkos work at night too. Junebug and watermelon was deadly at night.

[livetofish28]

find a hot pink or bubble gum swimbait and rig it on a chartreuse painted 1/2 ounce jig head and cast into the bank and retrieve it slowly above the bottom sometimes having something the bass have never seen before is enough to trigger them into striking that is how i have been catching them lately. good luck   

[GADawgs]

SE PA here. In have been having luck in 5-15 fow (fishing from shore) in a lake that goes to about 60'. I am tossing soft plastics. Zoom lizards and Yamamoto cut tail 5" with no weight or only a 1/16oz. Bullet weight both Texas rigged. Slow retrieval with small hops. Also had some luck on 6' crank baits.

[CPBassFishing]

I know how you feel. I barely scratched out a limit today on a shaky head..... took me 4 hours. Fish deep and slow, if your pond has weeds pitch into holes and punch it. Those are the only ways I can catch bass in the summer during the daytime. Night is a whole different game. Noisy topwater baits and spinnerbaits work for me then.

[BadContrakt]

Yeah I kinda figured vibration and noise was the key for night fishing. Funny thing is, that's what I was doing the night I went out, and still nothing. It's just that darn lake.

[jimmykm21]

My buddies and I took the boat out at midnight and stayed out until 3:00ish and just gave up because there was NOTHING happening. Think we were on the wrong lake though. It'll probably take a lot of convincing to get me to go back out in the middle of the night again. Usually I get a strike or two atleast even if I don't catch anything. But that night all 3 of us got completely skunked and we cruised all over the lake.

 

I might try it again I suppose but on a better lake.

 

Are you supposed to use obnoxious lures at night? Like Rattlers and Spinnerbaits and Poppers? Or are the fish plenty aware to the point where they'll see a Texas Rig going passed them?

 

When it's hot like now it's pretty much the only fishing I do.

 

Night time fishing is a little strange  with the feeding cycles.

When it starts it's like someone turned on a switch and it can last a hour or less.

 

Then it just slows down and  a few hours later it can start up again.

 

And it's not necessarily always a couple of hours before dawn or for that matter an hour afterdark.

 

You just have to be on the water when it happens , you'll know it when it does.

 

The fish will tell you what to use but I will use anything from a wacky rigged senko to a black spinner  ,  a jig or  some top water lure

 

This time of year  it will be the most productive time to fish. As the weather and water starts to cool then you can get back into your daytime habits of fishing.

 

PS

if you do use any soft plastics make sure you dip them in  scent  first.

[Smallmouth Hunter]

Target docks that are either on the main lake, or in a large cove. These will be in the deepest water.

 

Use texas rigs with soft plastics like small swimbaits or craws, and skip the rigs as far back as you can. The spot in the dock that nobody wants to cast to or the hardest spot to cast to, is the spot where you will catch a bass. After you skip it back in the dock, pull line off you reel so it falls straight down. Use a lure with a medium slow fall rate so if the bass are suspended, it will be in the strike zone longer. Once it's on the bottom, slowly hop it and drag it out. If the bass bite on the hop, they might be suspended a foot off the bottom.

 

When you catch a bass, take note of what type of dock it is (floating, wood pilings, metal beams, etc..). If you catch another on that type of dock, then you have a pattern. When you come across that type of dock again, then fish it much more thoroughly. Try fishing it slow, fast, hopping, dragging, shaking, etc..

 

Hope this helps

[slonezp]

We have been fishing from 5-11am. Swimjigs, cranks, spinnerbaits, and wacky rigs. The higher the sun gets you need to find shade. We are finding dock fish and pad fish although the pad fish seem to be smaller.

[AK-Jax86]

Early morning between 4am and 9am, my best hours, and evening between 6pm and nightfall... FROGS FROGS FROGS FROGS! Over grass and pads and along the shoreline you will catch bass.

[senile1]

 

What exactly should be under a dock to consider it a fish producing dock? I've got a couple lakes in mind with different types of docks. Ann lake has about 17 foot deep drop offs underneath the Southern side docks with basically only sand and no cover. And on the other hand Lewis lake has about 3-7 foot deep docks with a bit more foliage under them. I'm guessing Lewis would be a better guess?

 

I would pick a dock based on where I found fish in the Spring.  If you had a couple of spawning coves where you had a lot of luck in the Spring, look for docks that provide stopping points between the shallows and deep water.  Docks that have cover on drop-offs into deeper water nearby are what I would look for.  Not only should you fish under the dock, but fish the drop-off and below until you find the fish.  There are also large marina docks that extend well out into the lake.  If you find any channels or structure under those that lead to spawning areas they can be good as well. 

 

Keep in mind there are rules of thumb we can give you but bass behavior doesn't always fit these rules.  I was reading something recently from an Elite angler who was finding fish on gradual sloping points rather than points that drop-off in the Summer on a particular lake.  I suspect there were breaks along that point that created a path from shallow to deeper water which is why the bass used it.  Finding out why the bass use a particular structure is all part of the puzzle and I am far from an expert at it.

 

I also noticed that you are in Minnesota.  A lot of my experience is on reservoirs which are just about all we have in my area.  If you are fishing natural lakes it can be a bit different though cover, grass lines, and drop-offs near deep water are still key.  I rarely get to fish natural lakes.

[deadadrift89]

Ive been using a drop shot in brushtops and laydowns in 8-12' deep on points and ledges during July to save the day. Setup includes 1/8-1/4.oz pencil weight,1/0 ewg hook,4" worm texas rigged.