Thank you, Mike Iaconelli.

[Swamp Girl]

I've been wondering why my catching rate dropped this month. I looked at my 2023 trip reports and saw the same thing happened last August. So, I assumed that that's the deal for August, but still, I wondered if there was something I could/should differently, so I watched a Mike Iaconelli video about fishing late August and he basically confirmed my fishing style: long casts, being quiet, fishing on the surface, and fishing shallow. In his video, he fished a walk the dog bait. I own some, but have never caught anything on them. So, I tried one again this morning and caught my first bass on this style lure. Here are two of them:

 

 

You can see the bait in both their mouths. Here's a close-up:

 

 

See the giant fluke with the missing head? Well, I cast that and caught a 17" smallie on my first cast, but it shredded the head, so I bit it off. On my next cast, I caught a 17" lmb, but the lure was shot at that point and that was the only one I had.

 

Anyway, back to Mike Iaconelli. In his video, he emphasized fishing shallow, so that's what I did. And I caught this bass in a foot of water.

 

 

Then I caught this girl in six inches of water. Pity she was squirming, but she was a fat 19"+ girl. Yep, I saw her coming in that shallow water and that was so exciting. A couple four-pounderish fish in wading water!

 

 

Now some pond shots. First, the fog.

 

 

Now some reeds and shoreline.

 

 

Lastly, open water.

 

 

Sick of pretty pics? Okay, here's a wacky worm bass, long and skinny. Some of the skinny bass I catch are the hardest fighters and this one sure was. 

 

 

I also caught bass on an underspin, a loon-colored Whopper Plopper, and a spinnerbait. I caught 25 in all and here was my last bass.

 

 

Thanks, Mike, for reminding me to walk the dog and encouraging me to fish in crazy shallow water! Thanks, BR anglers, for going fishing with me yet again. The weirdest thing about fishing shallow water was netting my two biggest bass. I had to scoop the net under the bass and there was nearly no water under them. 

[HawkeyeSmallie]

Thanks for the info.

 

Trying to gain more knowledge, did he talk about WHY to fish shallow in August?

 

Thanks again!

[Swamp Girl]

20 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

Thanks for the info.

 

Trying to gain more knowledge, did he talk about WHY to fish shallow in August?

 

Thanks again!

 

He hypothesized why fishing is harder in August because it's peak shad time, meaning there's an all-you-can-eat buffet in the water, but I don't recall him explaining why they're shallow, just that his experience has taught him that some of them are in skinny water. Twiggy skinny!

[DaubsNU1]

Great reminder @ol'crickety!!

I absolutely love fishing shallow...it is my #1 favorite way to catch fish.

[roadwarrior]

 

 

                                                              

[F14A-B]

You always do well. Nice pictures as usual, I have a question, seeing that orange rod. Is that a SC Legend tournament glass? If so, is it the 7’ mm model? lol if it is how do you like it? I have the aforementioned rod but haven’t used it much, I’ve got a 4000 size Shimano CI4+ reel I could throw on it and try it but I dunno lol 

Maybe throw 1/4 speed traps, lighter crank baits or something..

[Swamp Girl]

It is a glass rod. I like it a lot. I use it with my surface lures. I think it keeps the bass buttoned a bit better than a carbon rod. 

 

I'll have to check and see if it's an SC Legend Tournament 7 mm rod. 

[Fishingmickey]

Ohhh Crickety, Your pictures have me sighing wistfully.  I am so ready to get out of this nuclear meltdown of a heat wave we're having in Texas.

     I've got a week from Tuesday until I am on Cobboseecontee for three days of Maine fishing adventure! I hope the fishing is as good or better then China Lake has been for the last several years. 

     Keep them pictures coming!

Fishingmickey

[Swamp Girl]

18 minutes ago, Fishingmickey said:

Ohhh Crickety, Your pictures have me sighing wistfully.  I am so ready to get out of this nuclear meltdown of a heat wave we're having in Texas.

     I've got a week from Tuesday until I am on Cobboseecontee for three days of Maine fishing adventure! I hope the fishing is as good or better then China Lake has been for the last several years. 

     Keep them pictures coming!

Fishingmickey

 

You should do great, Mickey. Here's what Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says about Cobboseecontee:

 

"Cobbossee Lake is noted for its outstanding smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing. Many of the state's largest bass have come from this lake and it is considered one of the best bass lakes in the Northeast."

 

It's a big lake, so you'll have a big enough boat, right? I'd love to fish it, but a lake that big would take my lunch money and stuff me in a locker. Davy Jones's Locker!

 

My only chance in my lightweight canoe would be a bay inside a bay inside a bay. 

 

Anyway, I'm glad you're coming north! It's cool up here.

[Fishingmickey]

8 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

You should do great, Mickey. Here's what Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says about Cobboseecontee:

 

"Cobbossee Lake is noted for its outstanding smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing. Many of the state's largest bass have come from this lake and it is considered one of the best bass lakes in the Northeast."

 

It's a big lake, so you'll have a big enough boat, right? I'd love to fish it, but a lake that big would take my lunch money and stuff me in a locker. Davy Jones's Locker!

 

My only chance in my lightweight canoe would be a bay inside a bay inside a bay. 

 

Anyway, I'm glad you're coming north! It's cool up here.

17' Alumacraft classic 165 w/70hp & troller.

Should be fine unless it is storming. Hoping to get to post some pic's of some great biggun's, Brown and Green.

FM

 

[Pat Brown]

Oh yes indeed!  Well done!

[TnRiver46]

And flukes too! I’ve caught many after biting the fluke head off 

[T-Billy]

5 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

I don't recall him explaining why they're shallow, just that his experience has taught him that some of them are in skinny water. Twiggy skinny

I think it's temp. The cooler nights of late August cool the shallows down. It brings fish shallow, including big fish. I generally pick up a few big's pitching super shallow cover in late August and early September. 

 I don't see that happening this year though. I'm focused on those big muskie that have come shallow. 

[gim]

1 minute ago, T-Billy said:

I think it's temp. The cooler nights of late August cool the shallows down. It brings fish shallow, including big fish.

 

I agree with this.  Generally speaking the trend starts moving more towards fall around this time period and there isn't as much relentless heating from the sun either, so the fish aren't as likely to be seeking relief from the heat or sun as they were in midsummer.

[TnRiver46]

13 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

I think it's temp. The cooler nights of late August cool the shallows down. It brings fish shallow, including big fish. I generally pick up a few big's pitching super shallow cover in late August and early September. 

 I don't see that happening this year though. I'm focused on those big muskie that have come shallow. 

Cooler nights of late August? Wouldn’t that be nice 😂 

 

It’s typically 140 degrees at midnight 

[gim]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

Cooler nights of late August? Wouldn’t that be nice 😂 

 

It’s typically 140 degrees at midnight 

 

Lol I was going to add something about "dependent on where you are" to my last post.  I'm sure its still sweltering down there in late August.

[T-Billy]

3 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

It’s typically 140 degrees at midnight

Hmm... Seems those cooler August nights stay north of the Mason Dixon. 😉 It was 47 when I hit the water this morning.

[Swamp Girl]

49 minutes ago, Fishingmickey said:

Hoping to get to post some pic's of some great biggun's, Brown and Green.

 

We're hoping with ya, Mickey!

 

25 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

The cooler nights of late August cool the shallows down. It brings fish shallow, including big fish.

 

^This^ makes sense. Thank you, sensei. 

 

49 minutes ago, Fishingmickey said:

17' Alumacraft classic 165 w/70hp & troller.

 

Yeah, that'll be fine. I used to take my 14' Lund with a 10 HP engine on Lakes Michigan and Superior. 

 

3 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

It was 47 when I hit the water this morning.

 

Colder than Maine this morning. I think it was mid-fifties when I launched. 

[TnRiver46]

8 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

Hmm... Seems those cooler August nights stay north of the Mason Dixon. 😉 It was 47 when I hit the water this morning.

We had near record lows last two nights mid 50s but late August is not yet over and next week is mid 90s all week 

[F14A-B]

44 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

Lol I was going to add something about "dependent on where you are" to my last post.  I'm sure its still sweltering down there in late August.

Well I’m in Southern Indiana and it’s been crazy cool here for about 5 days. Last night was 48. But the heat returns tomorrow thru next week. Be back to upper 90’s. 

[gim]

57 minutes ago, alonerankin2 said:

Well I’m in Southern Indiana and it’s been crazy cool here for about 5 days. Last night was 48. But the heat returns tomorrow thru next week. Be back to upper 90’s. 

Upper 90’s is unbearable for this guy. That’s when I camp out in my basement with the AC blasting.

[F14A-B]

9 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Upper 90’s is unbearable for this guy. That’s when I camp out in my basement with the AC blasting.

It’s unbearable for me too, last year it was hot but we had multiple weeks of Canadian wildfire smoke, it was terrible. 

[Pat Brown]

It's pretty much cold here now.  It was in the 50s this morning at the pond with @FishTax and Jake (we could feel @LrgmouthShad and @IcatchDinkswith us in spirit)which for us hot blooded Southern boys is like stepping outside into a refrigerator.

 

We all had sweaters on!

 

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

Pat, your coat and hat remind me of one time I landed in Florida and a local guy at the airport kept trying to warn me about how cold it was outside that day and how there was no way I should step outside in just a shorts and t-shirt. He was genuinely concerned about me. By March, some Mainers are so sick of winter apparel that we're wearing t-shirts and shorts when there's still snow on the ground.

[gim]

1 hour ago, alonerankin2 said:

last year it was hot but we had multiple weeks of Canadian wildfire smoke

Isn’t that something? We had weeks of that too. Only one day all summer so far where it was in the “moderate” status. That alone is a pretty good indicator of how lovely summer has been here.