The Bass Obviously Aren't Reading Articles

[Preytorien]

I read article after article on how warm water summer bass fishing is done generally offshore, with a pretty heavy emphasis on deep water techniques or suspended bass techniques.

 

But darned if the lakes I fish seem to not allow bass to read these articles. I'll be a good fisherman at first and do my deep water techniques, but I find myself gradually working shallower and shallower then I start catching more.

 

Maybe it's the smaller lakes I fish, they're not super deep or anything, but these fish haven't read these articles about going deep or maybe they would've by now. These dudes are right up on the shoreline in most cases. Make a cast as close to the bank as possible with just about any creature style bait and you're pretty much guaranteed to hook up.

 

I'm pretty sure bass are illiterate

[F14A-B]

I have noticed with bigger impoundments it is true... Fish often stack up in groups off shore, smaller, real small waters its liable to be anywhere, that's my experience.

[Bankbeater]

I have been finding them in the same locations I would fish in cold weather.  I have caught a lot of fish along steep drop offs.

[VAHunter]

I believe each body of water differs.  In my area we have "rivers," but they aren't a river in the true sense as there is not always current.  Current here is generated by strong winds and the water rises and falls based on the direction of the wind.  With that said, the fish in those rivers stay shallow even in the hottest time of the year.  My biggest fish routinely come in the middle of the afternoon in a foot of water.  There is deeper water nearby, but they tend to stay shallow.

 

On the other hand, we have city water supply lakes here as well.  It is common for those fish to set up offshore in the summer, just as the books dictate.  While you can catch some fish shallow, the best fish tend to be out on structure. 

 

I'm originally from Indy/Fishers, so I know what you mean about the shallow fish there.  When I was growing up the fish stayed shallower in the summer than one would expect.

[Felix77]

I think the fish read this forum and just try to do the exact opposite at times.  LOL    

 

Seriously ... What lacks in a lot of articles or videos is the specific conditions which they are actually fishing in.  For example ... I cannot interpret summertime fishing up north the same as someone down south can.  My waters are lucky to hit 80 let alone 90 or 100 degrees.  With that said those deep water techniques don't apply exactly the same.

 

Right now I am finding fish deeper in those reservior like bodies of water.  Deeper means more than 6 FOW and up to 12 at most.  When it cools off they quiet down and then end up shallower for a while and then regress back to the 6-12 FOW again.

[Preytorien]

I think the fish read this forum and just try to do the exact opposite at times.  LOL  

 

Seriously ... What lacks in a lot of articles or videos is the specific conditions which they are actually fishing in.  For example ... I cannot interpret summertime fishing up north the same as someone down south can.  My waters are lucky to hit 80 let alone 90 or 100 degrees.  With that said those deep water techniques don't apply exactly the same.

 

Right now I am finding fish deeper in those reservior like bodies of water.  Deeper means more than 6 FOW and up to 12 at most.  When it cools off they quiet down and then end up shallower for a while and then regress back to the 6-12 FOW again.

 

That's true, the phrase "fishing deep" is pretty subjective based on how deep the water is. I know for me, like you, 6-12ft is deep, but maybe other areas its 20+ft.

 

I know for me fishing shallow is pretty much 3ft or less, anything deeper than that I don't seem to have a great deal of success this time of year. They're all piled up onshore.

[FrogFreak]

I find that I have to be cautious when taking advice from articles because I fish pretty far North. Sometimes I just ignore the old "summer time" bass articles. I find Bass "shallow" throughout the summer up here and honestly, they have been killing top water lures lately. I've actually slowed down when I didn't need to at times this year. It seems the LMBs stay pretty active throughout the day because it never gets super hot. They do react to storms and post front days but not as much to the traditional southern state seasonal patterns.