WB: Who got you started in bass fishing?
Patino: After I started seeing more and more kayak fishing content on social media, I purchased my first fishing kayak from Headwaters Adventures in 2012. Pryor to purchasing my kayak, I was a bank fisherman and thought it would be a great way to get off the bank.
WB: During the summer months, what are your go-to lures that help you find and catch fish.
Patino: Whether I’m fishing on the California Delta, Clear Lake, or one of the many highland reservoirs in the area, you’ll always find a jig in my arsenal. Some variations of Green Pumpkin or black are my key choices.
WB: What cadence do you use to entice bass to bite during the summer.
Patino: In the warmer months, a faster presentation typically gets a better reaction. If I’m dragging a jig, or working a weightless fluke on top, I rarely find a reason to slow down. I like to change up cadences until I get a bite and then repeat that same presentation.
WB: About how deep do you look for bass in the summer?
Patino: In our highland reservoirs, I usually start shallow, sometimes as shallow as one-foot, especially around hard structure. Once the sun rises higher in the sky, I typically start finding them in 20-feet or deeper, sometimes as deep as 50-feet. On shallow fisheries, there really is no limit. The key is to find cover that fish use to hide around to capture prey.
WB: Do you use forward facing sonar (FFS) to help find bass?
Patino: I started using FFS two years ago and now I’m really seeing its full potential. I’ve had some of my best days of fishing because of it. It’s opened fishing for suspended and roaming bass, which in the summer can be some of the biggest fish in the lake and the fish more likely willing to bite.
WB: What do you do when the water is dropping on our lakes?
Patino: Dropping water levels typically means deep structure and suspended fish. A mix of bottom baits around offshore structure and fishing for suspending bass with FFS usually leads to a good day.
WB: If we have a wet year, what do you do to find fish with rising or stable water conditions
Patino: Rising water can help get fish in the shallows. I usually target the bank with a mix of reaction baits and worms. A Senko in those conditions can be magic. However, during the summer months our lakes normally are dropping so I use the FFS and bottom structure to find fish that are willing to bite.
WB: What is your best advice for safety while kayaking during the summer months?
Patino: A PFD, an absolute must-have and wear it every single time that you are out on the water. A whistle, emergency light, and even a GPS beacon are valuable tools in many situations. Fishing with a friend, having someone there in case of an emergency can be the difference between good and bad news. •
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Summer 2025
page 43