University of Alabama Collegiate Angler Drew Sanford: Summertime Haunts for Bass Author: Drew Sanford

As summer heats up and bass move to their summer haunts, fisherman need to keep a few key pieces of information in mind. First, all bass don't move deep and second, deep is a relative term. Basic fishing knowledge will allow you to break the summertime blues. When dropping my boat in the water there are a few things I always check to determine how and where the fish will position: water color, temperature, lake level, and what is the norm for the lake. Most anglers are not fortunate enough to spend every day on the water. so for the vast majority of fisherman when packing the boat the night before, make sure to add a few minutes for lake research. Check sources, even if it is the same lake you fish week after week. There are several variables that can change daily. Be observant, often it will be the difference in a good day and a great day.

Lake level is imperative for catching bass: keys to look for include water fluctuation rising or falling; water levels have drastic effects on bass. Rising water puts new nutrients and oxygen into the water attracting plankton, minnows, pan fish, and then bass. Crash the shore! Some of my best days have been 4-8 hours after a downpour. Bass will head to the backs of creeks to moving water to fill their gullets. Once water starts to fall, the fish pull off shallow cover and relate to current. This is great! If you look at your map finding current will be extremely easy to locate; look for points, channel swings, and ledges. Bass will quickly relate to these pieces of structure and often times boat loads of fish will be on them.

Water color also has a tremendous effect on bass during the summer. Don't let clear water scare you, bass will use some form of shade whether that be from light penetration or cover. Bass typically do two things. First, butt themselves against or under something such as wood rock or boat docks. Be sure in clear water to use correct line and make farther more simple casts towards cover. Second, bass suspend off main lake points or drops around baitfish. Keep this in mind when fishing clear water to use good line, my line of choice is 6 to 12lb Bass Pro Shop Fluorocarbon or 6lb Gamma monofilament on clear lakes. Be smart and look for the shade. When bass are hard to catch near shore don't be afraid to probe off shore. Although this is one of the more difficult ways to fish, begin by doing "s" turns with your big motor and watch your graph, drive over your favorite point or hump and be sure to look for 2 things: forage, structure, or cover. Bass will either suspend around bait fish and never stray far for easy meal or suspend in brush piles/trees waiting for their prey to come by. Once you see either or both of these on the graph throw a marker buoy or quickly get on the trolling motor to find your target on the front graph. You want to vertical fish these, so find the bait or structure and send you favorite bait down; mine includes a BPS green pumpkin curl-tail worm rigged on a dropshot or jigging spoon for a reaction bite.

On dirty water lakes most bass will not suspend due to light penetration, they don't need to go deep for food. On most dirty water lakes 20 feet is a maximum depth for most bass. Key on the small ledges and channel swings where bass can quickly feed shallow then move to the safety of deeper water. Pick apart cover and make repeated casts at logs, brush, docks, and rocks.

Summertime bass hold very tight to cover in shallows. Most anglers start throwing deeper baits and move out but a great pattern is shallow banks in the backs of creeks. While many anglers are throwing Carolina rigs and dropshotting there is a prevalent shallow water pattern on many lakes that most anglers miss due to the trendy deep water tactics. Backs of creeks and flats offer lots of forage and dirty water which gives shade and cover. Bass are lazy and if they can travel less they will. Open water bass continually migrate to follow baitfish, they are constantly moving which expels energy searching for food, this means they roam much more and roaming fish are much harder to catch. River bass were born in the river and won't leave, they seem to travel far less and position similarly in most lakes. River bass often times will "go deep" but that might be from one foot of water or less to the river channel in three to four feet of water. Deep is relative, often times bass will move from the shallow end of a lay down to the deeper end that is submerged so be sure to make multiple casts then start to pattern where the bites come from.

Look for the last channel swing in the backs of creeks, feeder creeks, or coves with live streams seem to always hold more fish. Start early and late by fishing the flat sides, the bass push baitfish up on the flats to ambush prey. Make sure to cover plenty of water early and put moving baits in high probability areas such as logs, rocks, and grass. Once it heats up start picking apart isolated cover. In many of the creeks there will be scattered cover. A majority of the fish relate to that stuff. Whenever you check this pattern make sure to all the way back, what I mean is get your boat so far back you don't know if you can turn around. If it floats your boat and you can't see the bottom, keeping fishing. As you work your way out, look for ditches and fish the channel swing bank. Many times these bass are easy and predictable to catch. Once you find them in one cove use a map and find a similar cove and check it out. Use good equipment and be sure to be very thorough. Try fishing this pattern when you hit the water this summer and I assure you it will be boat loads of fun!