Summer Bass Fishing for a Newbie

[fishbear]

OK, I am fairly new at bass fishing, but have my jon boat, and electric motors, and have spent more money than I care to admit on lures and such.  Now it is the dog days of summer here in Georgia, and I can not catch a dern fish.  I have tried plastics(carolina and texas rigged, spinnerbaits, diving lures, chatterbaits, nothing is working now that it is so hot.  

Any help would be appreciated, before I get so frustrated, I pull a Crocodile Dundee, and break out the dynamite.  ;D

[Justin P.]

I am from wisconsin but this is my advice: Since it is hot outside the water temp. is obsiously hot too.  The bass are in deeper water and under trees and docks, that reason is because they don't like the heat.  The bass are in a very slow mode.  Find baitfish and use lipless crank baits.  OR your best bet would be to use a jig.  Use A round head jig with your choice of trailer.  Fish this slowly under the docks.  Find isolated structure near the docks too.  With this tip I hope that you will do better in georgia.  Send me a message on how you do with this techique.

-Justin P.

[MinnesotaAngler]

Since you live in the south I would guess it is still very hot  8-).  On many southern lakes there is less and less oxygen the deeper down you go. Keep around the weedbeds as bass love to follow weedbeds all the way around the lake during the summer time. Bass don't go deep just because it's hot. Run a crankbait on the edge/top of the weeds and continually rip the crank from the weeds as this often triggers strikes. Also, use larger lures/baits. They don't have to be natural colors since the water is probably not clear. If that strategy doesn't work look for areas where bottom composition changes and/or areas where there is a quick dropoff. Bass will cling to dropoffs and breaklines. Run cranks down there, or as it is preferred here, drop a Senko down there and hop it around for a while. A dropshot would probably be very effective as well. Hope this helps. Happy Fishing.

[fishbear]

Thanks guys,

I will give those ideas a shot.  Yes, it is still very hot here in Georgia.  Water temps in the 80-90 range.  

I fish mostly drinking water resevoirs, so there are not a lot of docks, but structure is there.  I guess I am just frustrated, went out for 5 hrs. today, threw everything but the boat at the fish, and NOTHING!  lol.....

Thanks again.

[fishingJ]

Judt throw something out there you usually wouldn't. And don't give up!

[fishbear]

Well, that is what I did today.  I emptied my tackle box.  Everytime I took something off, I put it on the deck next to me.  It took me almost 1/2 hr. to get it all back in the tackle box after getting the boat out of the water... lol,,,

The only thing I did not try was a drop shot rig.  thought about it after I had quit for the day.

[Craw]

Are you able to fish at night? Since you fish a drinking water reservoir I'm guessing that the water is pretty clear. Hot days and clear water make a perfect combination for night fishing.

[fishbear]

Unfortunately, no fishing allowed after dark at these resevoirs.  They lock the gates at dusk and tow anyone still there.

And, yes, the water is crystal clear.  Maybe that is my problem.  I do not know how to fish clear water.  However, I am using the correct color patterns for clear water, I do know that.  White, Chartruese, etc.......

The lake I fished today has  a lot of flooded timber.  I fished thru 3 different stands of the timber, nothing.

[Craw]

In clear water I use natural colors like brown/green pumpkin, watermelon and smoke. Try and match the bait of course but you can also match the lake bottom. I like to use 4" finesse worms and 3" tubes and work them super fast in clear water. Bass in clear water are used to feeding by sight and will chase baits. Whatever you use it's important that the bass can't get a good look at it. Using colors that blend in and working lures very fast will get you some strikes. When I say fast I mean faaaaaaasst! Get that bait jumping around like it's on fire. Good luck.

[MinnesotaAngler]

Craw makes a great point. The only thing I would add to it is that since the water is so clear use smaller lures rather than larger ones so the bass can't get a good look at them.

[Dobi]

where u living in GA?

[Shakes]

Weeds! Vegetation! Any kind of plant life you can find, there's most likely fish there.

[KYbass1276]

I would work the edges of the any vegitation I could find.  Try the C rig Shallow it works for me.   Seeing how there is timber there I would try a wacky rigged senko or a Fat Ika rigged skirt up they are bound to be a few suspending there  I would say with the sun out and hot, there going to be stacked up on any kind of cover.    

[Bassassasin12]

I agree with basssnatcher I have been tearing them up around weedbeds.

[MinnesotaAngler]

The easiest and best way to pick lure colors is to take the color of the baitfish in that reservior and use that color and/or similar colors for your cranks, spinners, etc. Smaller profile baits and natural fish colors/native baitfish colors are going to do it for you. I don't like the idea of white or chartreuse in ultra-clear lakes. Also, vegetation is always better than timber..easier to work with, generally holds more fish, and so on. You make those fish bite man!   Good luck and Happy fishing!  

[fishbear]

thanks guys,

I am going to hit it hard again this weekend, and try your ideas.  Hopefully one of them works out for the best.  A co worker today told me to C Rig a floating crankbait and see how that works.

Gobi, to answer your question, I am just outside of Loganville, Georgia 50 miles or so east of Atlanta.  I fish Varner, Black Shoals, Fort Yargo, Tribble Mill, and The Charles Elliott Wildlife Refurge Lakes.

Thanks again for the ideas everyone.  If you come up with anymore, let me know.

[Dobi]

cool. I live in columbus, was gonna offer you a spot on my boat for wed/sunday pot tourneys (still can if you want) but its about 90miles west of atlanta.

[Mike B Fishin]

Hello fishbear,

I am in So. Miss.  It was 97 today and at least that hot every day for the past month.  Fishing here is tough.  

We have been having the best luck with colorado blade spinner baits or big Rapalas.  It seems the fish are so lazy it takes a big noisy bait to get there attention.  They won't even look at a worm.  You need a reaction bait, if they have time to think about it they won't bite.   Most of the fish we have found are in 3 to 6 foot depth.  I guess the top 3 feet is too hot and there is no oxygen below 6 feet?  

The best fishing is at night or the first hour of daylight.  If you fish in the morning start on the east side with tall trees on the bank.  This is the part of a lake that is shaded the longest therefore the coolest water.  In the afternoon look for a spot on the west side with tall trees.  This is the area that gets the shade first, therefore the first to cool off.

In the midle of the day, look for the spot with ice, a/c and beverages.

 

[fishbear]

Mike,

Thanks a lot.  I am going out this weekend and gonna put everyones advice to the test.  As for the cold drinks, ice and A/C.  You dont have to worry about this fat boy staying out in 90 degree heat when the fish are not biting,,,, I am gonna find me a shady spot with a tall ice cold beverage.  ;D

[alwayslearning]

Well this Newbie went fishing yesterday and I got NOTHING! Only one bite that scared me so bad by the time I got it that I missed it. Then today my wife and I went back. I did finally catch my first largemouth bass. I was SO happy! Here is my picture of me and my very first largemouth bass! LOL

I sure hope things get better when the weather cools off a little bit. My wife caught one that was about 3/4 pound.  

[fishbear]

OK guys, I went out again this am for about 5 hrs.  I went to Fox Lake on the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Refuge.  This lake is very stained, and full of flooded timber and grass,,,,,

I tried everything I could think of, or invent, and still could not hook a fish.  :'( > >.  I even rigged a suspending crank bait on a dropshot rig.  I saw other people catching bass, so, I know they could have been had.  

I am about to give up until it cools down about 20 degrees