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W
hen it comes to a time of the year for
catching big bass, the heat of summer
is not on the top of the list. We think of fall feasting, winter trout-eaters and spring spawners.
However, over the years we have landed some extremely
giant bass during those hot days that appear to be
undesirable days to be fishing. The summer months
follow what would be the post-spawn phase. The fish
are at the end of a process of bulking back up, something
they must do after the strenuous act of spawning. This
means that they are fully feeding, packing on the pounds,
and usually targeting some larger meals. To understand
how to catch bigger bass, we must first look at “what do
bigger fish feed on”? Then what baits can be used to best
replicate that specific forage. Here are the three primary
meals and the presentations I focus on for those larger
bites.
BLUEGILL
These little guys are public enemy number one. There is no alliance between bass and bluegill. The bluegill will bed (spawn) after the bass and will often feed on bass eggs and fry, prior to their own spawn. The larger female bass will eat every bluegill they can for two reasons. One, to fill their bellies and two, to protect the survival rate of their own species.
BABY BASS
Now this one is contradictory to what I just mentioned. However, bass do eat their own. Once their fry has grown and there is an abundance of 4” to 8” baby Bass everywhere, why not make a few into a meal? This is a guaranteed meal every year and the large females will rely on the consumption of smaller bass for a source of food.
CRAWDADS
We all know that big fish love crawdads. They are a high protein snack and can be found burrowing and scurrying at the bottom of practically every lake. The bass feed on them all throughout the year and I believe the bass become programmed to eat them whenever they are available.
THE BIG MEAL CONCEPT
A fish can only grow to a greater size by consuming more, while expending less. They want to catch the largest meal possible without burning much energy. It is a percentage equation that they will play out as they are on the quest to grow. However, they will exert more to capture larger meals and less to capture smaller meals. To translate this into angling, a larger bait will draw fish from a greater distance and a smaller bait must be place very close and seem incredibly easy to capture. So, with this in mind, let’s discuss lure selection.
BAITS USED TO DRAW
I will always start the day with drawing baits and continue to pick them up even during the heat of the day. These types of lures will allow us to cover water to help us locate larger fish. There are two ways to use drawing baits to get a strike. Trigger a reaction or convince the bass that the lure is real.
REACTION BAITS
My go-to’s are a spinnerbait, ChatterBait and crankbait. These three selections are proven fish catchers and will often trigger some giant bites. All three can be used to represent the forage types, bluegill, baby bass and the crankbait is probably the best choice to replicate crawdads. The options to fish them at various depths, allows you to dissect many different bass holding areas.
REALISTIC BAITS
These are my true favorites to have in hand. The soft swimbaits, glidebaits and big topwater. The ability to
Summer 2023
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