Summer Frustration!

[Simp]

Well I've been trying to get out of my mold by fishing some "summer patterns" I don't normally. Things haven't been going that well for the most part and I'm frustrated about it and the fact summer is almost over. I want to figure out where the big summer fish are hanging out on my main two lakes. I've read every article you can imagine. I've went out and experimented with new things and except for maybe cranking some points it's been VERY slow. My main lake is a clear lake with about 6-7ft of visibility most of the time on most parts of it. I can go out and hit my normal spots with my small jigs and catch fish every day but 99% are dinks. I often use a bigger jig and my pops is always right beside me using a bigger one. Still fish over 2lbs have for the most part disappeared. We are usually fishing in water from 0 to 15ft at the boat when throwing jigs and soft plastics.

The one place that does produce big fish for us still is Lilly pads, thank god! With that said I've made it a point to try and not fish them so I can locate them at other areas. Our main lake doesn't have huge creek channels running threw them either. When I graph them they are showing about a three foot foot drop but are in 30ft or more of water. That's suppose to be way to deep for our thermocline that should be about 13ft (I think I've graphed it at places at about 20ft though). I've tried a hump I found that should be close to a creek channel several times now and nothing. I've thrown Spoons, Cranks, Worms and jigs NOTHING!. I'm also trying some small rock ledges and nothing super yet. I guess my expectations for finding some super great summer pattern there is about to fail unless I can find something in the next few weeks. Anybody else frustrated???

[Jig Man]

This whole year has been crazy.   The smallmouth and keeper lmb have gone away for me.  I can't seem to get a pattern that will last more than a day or so.

Normally this time of year rock piles and ledges get loaded up with smallies but not this year.  I have resorted to making up a bunch of 1 oz jigs and plan to get "down and dirty" next trip.

[tnhiker44]

I share your frustration, Simp. My guess as to why it is harder to catch big fish in the summer is that the bait fish population is so active that it is harder to trick the big guys into biting. I look down on my fish finder and see these huge balls of bait fish... then I see floating bait fish that got smacked but not eaten... then I usually downsize my bait nearer the size of the bait fish I see. Instead of using a large lizard on my Carolina rig I will use a tube for instance. Or a smaller lizard. I know this goes against the 'larger bait for larger fish' mentality, but it sometimes works for me.

[aceman387]

i share your frustration, i have been skunked the past 5 times ive gone out to this forest preserve lake, and i know its not just me because i havent seen anybody else hauling in anything either .this morning  i got out there a 4.30 am .i rigged up this top water lure i read about somewhere else which the fisherman said was to take any decent sized top water lure take the back treble hook off and attach a piece of fishing line  12 to 20 inches to where the rear treble hook was and put n a senko wacky rigged so when your jerk the topwater  the splash attracts the fish and the fish goes after the senko .i fish from shore and not a hit on it .now its 8.30 am and im home and crabby from getting up at 4am.

[DINK WHISPERER]

My best fish this year have all come from fishing cover(pads, hydrilla, grass etc). I have not had much luck deep unless the area has a significant amount of cover. With so many people unable to catch any fish at all right now you should be glad you still can! Ever thought that maybe you should just catch them in the pads and be happy you have a reliable bite!?!

[tnhiker44]

... I have not had much luck deep ...

Hey Dink,

When you say "deep", what depth is deep? I ask because of your location.

[Crestliner2008]

Odds are pretty good that the decent bass have gone deep. No doubt about it, some will remain in the pads and slop during the summer period. But a substantial - and untouched - population hang around the bait fish cruising the deeper breaks and humps.

Find those humps or breaks, with your sonar. Weed out all but the ones which have bait relating to it. Forget about "finding fish". Just fish the deeper bait balls. You'll connect. And if you want to be absolutely sure about any given structure you're targeting, put a drop shot down there - and hang on!  

[Koop]

Yep this time of year I can catch them on topwaters in pads and along thick weedlines... drop shotting structure, bars and points etc produces well also (though its not my favorite way to fish).

It is a rough time, you really need to target suspended fish in the thermocline, the reason this is tough for me is because there is no established thermocline yet (atleast as of the begining of August) in the lakes I fish, which is extremely odd for this time of year, but understandable with the cool summer we have been having.

I have a friend who dives the lakes and he has been unable to find it at all, so I have been fishing weedlines in 15-20 fow. Seems to produce but it is always a mixed bag.

Been catching more eyes than bass off the weedlines and deep structure.

[DINK WHISPERER]

... I have not had much luck deep ...

Hey Dink,

When you say "deep", what depth is deep? I ask because of your location.

Believe it or not we have some deep lakes here, LOL! I have fished from 15ft all the way to 38ft and deeper sometimes. The deepest parts i found are in phosphate pits. I much prefer shallow cover/slop anyways though!

[Jeff C.]

I am having a very tough time locating any bass.. There is lots of bait fish balls ( shad I think ) boiling the surface in 6-12 ft of water. Bigger fish ( looks like Crappies mostly ) are hitting the bait fish on the surface but I can not get any thing to bite. last month we were getting some nice fish flipping wood with lite jigs & worms in shallow water just above 12-20ft drop offs. went 3 times this week to prepare for next weeks tourney  and did not boat 5  keeper fish adding all 3 trips together.I have tried.... carolina,, texas,,,red eyed shad lippless crank,, spinner baits,, top water,,,shallow,,deep water 10-15 feet..thats the deepest in most of the lake,, one end does have 20-24 ft.lake has -0- pads..and very little weed..

:'(

[done]

Ditto on Wylie this summer. Right up till mid June I was finding them easy. I have found my absolutely BEST time right now is right as the sun sets to 1-3 hours after sunset. i have gotten skunked daytime even early morning but those times of day seem to still be hot.

I have tried it deep, shallow, light side, dark side, all over the place without luck. Daytime just seems to suck. Only a couple more months till fall though.

[Simp]

Well it got more and less frustrating today. I found a great point by the boat ramp that has a great drop with a good amount of cover for the fish. From just 10ft off the bank I was in 30ft of water and as I run up toward the point it went up about a foot or two of depth for every foot or so I went forward. I marked some brush and threw out a deep diving Fat Free shad. It took a few casts but I hooked up with a nice 6-7 pound bass. I was alone and didn't have a net man so when I was trying to get it close to lip the girl it dove under the boat and pulled off. I'm devastated I lost it (I've lost to many big fish this year), but glad I've found a good deep spot that is holding some bass. I went to worm and had three more bights one broke off on the hook set :'( and the other two weren't huge. The plus side is I have no doubt I've finally found a good summer spot holding tons of fish. That was my goal and hopefully I can go back and confirm this wasn't a one day thing.

[Jig Thrower]

i feel the pain everything that has worked for me in the past has not this year its been weird and frustrating

[pitchNbass]

I fish practically everyday this summer, from about 6am-12pm so I've learned a lot about bass summer patterns. I will share some of the things I've learned fishing the florida heat. Yes I work from (2pm-11pm everyday too).

I fish a lake that doesn't have much cover and is a old mine pit that they filled with water as a reserve for the surrounding orange grove. It has sharp drop offs, but lots of deep open water which can be very difficult for summer bass. Lucky for me, nobody else fishes this as it is private property but the owner is a friend of mine lets me fish it so it doesn't get much pressure. 200 acre lake in florida with I'd say too many bass numbers. Since there is no real cover, this summer the 7-9lbs bass have been loners. Completely in different random locations where I wouldn't expect a bass to be. I would say they were most likely suspended and cruising solo. The random strays and they have been caught on cranks, traps, or carolina rig in deeper water 15-20ft. I fish shallow structure 3-6ft of water and they typically produce fish between 2-5lbs, but only in very early morning and I better sneak up on it. I was catching a handful over 6-7lbs on the structure points using worms or spinnerbait, but that was during post spawn and not summer. It seems once the temperature started to increase I can't find any really large bass in shallow water period. Once bout 9-10am comes around, I cant find a single fish on about 5 good structure points on this lake.

Yes, shallow water that have produced some nice 4-5lbs bass but again only in early morning. Shallow water I can catch fish during the day but they are always small dinks 1-2lbs.

The largest factor here in florida for me this summer is the weather (heat, sun, rain, clouds, wind, water levels, moon). If there was heavy rain and an increase in water level, the bite is typically strong as I notice the surface temp drop into the lower 80s. If the water is decreasing with the hot summer with little rain, the water temp gets into upper 80s, the fishing is VERY tough. Early mornings I do well with less wind in shallower water where fish are actively feeding using traps. I can catch nice fish on a topwater over grass and along the outside of the grass lines or in shallow water. Although I first cast traps throughout open shallow water first thing in the morning and I will also throw stick baits on bass I see break the water. I have caught tons of bass throwing stick baits (sluggos, and soft jerks like superflukes) and cranks on and through boils and splashes. If there is a slight wind in the morning I will use a spinnerbait also.

Shallow at night as well using a midnight special spinner bait, black and blue jigs and black worms produces along grass lines and flippin. Only during the night can I catch a lunker (6+) in shallow water. But I dont fish at night as I need my sleep and I hate mosquitos. If during the day the wind doesn't pick up by 10-11am, I should just pack up and go home if I'm not catching fish on deep cranks by then. Typically if there is no winds, even deep water seems dead as I can't really find a current to locate the bass. If a nice 7-10mph wind kicks up or a thunderstorm starts to roll in, the bite turns on again. I like to work cranks and deep divers when this happens. I do work them fast too. I try to create a reaction strike. I may throw a spinnerbait along grass lines if the wind is going good, and I always fish the grass line I believe bait would be pushing towards. I also then fish those ledges throwing against the wind with a carolina rig, or jig a spoon on the drop off. Spinnerbaits also produce, and so crankbaits. Early morning I will vary my locations, but stick close to shallow water and ledges, but as the sun starts to rise and I notice myself getting hotter, I assume bass are too. I like to cast parallel to the east banks of the lake and along those drop offs. I would assume bass seek this location longer because it actually stays shaded and cooler as the sun rises from the east. When the sun is directly overhead, I only fish deep water. Since this is 80% a 15-30ft lake, fishing deep can be difficult during summer with no structure. It relatively coverless in deep water. There are slight changes in depth which is the only thing I look for. Since it is 200 acre lake, I will fire up the outboard and troll deep water, trying to get a crank touching the rocky bottom. If I find a collection of bass I'll stop and work the area for a while and move on. This lake also has two islands, winds push tons of perch out of the grass, and bass will hold on the opposite side to get that bait getting blown off.

Everyday isn't always a great day, although I've never been skunked on this water. I have had days where top 5 bass would be about 28lb bag, the conditions just need to be right, especially in the summer. I like to look up the weather the night before, and I can typically know if its going to be a good or tough day. There are no bad days fishing.

[pitchNbass]

Banging structure, ripping through grass, erratic retrieves, cranking up the bottom have been good for me getting bass to strike this summer. If I just cast a rattle trap and had a steady retrieve and don't create any ruckus I don't catch many fish. Steady retrieve on  spinner does nothing for me.

I'll burn it, pause it, wave it, jerk it, jig it with much more success. I actually spend quite some time watching bait or perch move in shallow water to get an idea how they move naturally to learn what a retrieve should look like. I have even net a few and find out how they look when they are dying when I use a soft jerk.

I have fished some shallower lakes, fish the deepest part, and the shade or cover bass can find. Typically IF there is no wind in shallow water and its really hot, decreased water levels, just fish another day...

If there is wind, and I mean wind with some waves, if there is good cloud cover, increasing water levels, cooler surface temps from wind clouds and rain, the bite is typically better. Good luck the rest of summer, hopefully mother nature can help.

[aceman387]

great posts pitchinbass,. im glad  your on this site your posts are real informative for all of us learning  newbie bass fisherman. thanks, and keep the posts coming.

[Mottfia]

Brother I was right there with you up til this year. I went through 3 summers of worthless fishing...well I should simply say learning what not to do until I finally hit the nail on the head on what should be done.

This summer I've been able to put stringers together from 10 to 15 pounds every trip. Its a beautiful thing after so many years of rough summer trips.

You'll get it down next summer. Until then enjoy Fall fishing.

Mottfia

[Shawn OConnor]

This summer has been tough.  I've fished in VA, NY, PA and NC this year and the biggest I've gotten was about a month ago in NVA at 5pd14oz.  I think the weather pattern has messed with the fish.  It got warmer later this year on most of the east coast.  Most of the larger fish I've caught have been on structure on 15+ft of water.  Expect the 514, that came on a large cement structure in about 8ft of water.  I love my plastics but have just recently started throwing top water at night becuase I'm not having the luck of prior years.  Usually a weedless watermelon trick worm with garlic spray slays them on a hot summer night.  

[roadwarrior]

Suggestions:

Big baits

Sloooooooow presentation

Deeper structure

8-)