HOT WEATHER LURES

[ryan7261]

Hot-Weather Bass Lures

Imagine, it's the height of summer on your favorite bass lake, and you and your buddy are discussing strategies for the day. Fishing conditions are not favorable: the bass have been heavily pressured for months, the pleasure boat traffic is beyond belief, and the heat and humidity are forcing many anglers off the water well before noon. Conventional wisdom states that you should downsize your baits, select lures only in natural hues and fish only early and late in the day. But even the individuals who are doing things "right" aren't catching many bass. If this scenario sounds familiar, maybe it's time to break away from the norm and try something unusual. Here are five lures that may produce big time during the dog days on your favorite body of water.

1. RATTLING, DEEP DIVING CRANKBAITS: Large rattling crankbaits, both in medium and deep running models, have been standard artificials for a number of years. These baits excel when the water is still cold and stained from winter run off and/or seasonal cold fronts. The large profiles of these baits and the considerable water displacement that these lures create aid bass in tracking them. The rattle chambers inside these crankbaits also give fish something to home in on. But these lures are also great fish finders during warmwater period. A few things to remember: First, if nearly everyone on the lake is using "match the hatch" colors, then give the fish a different color to look over. Second, although rattling crankbaits are primarily spring lures, they can draw bass during summer months. In the deep water environments where many, if not most, summer bass dwell, noise making chambers can cause a lure to give forth that little extra enticement, which will cause largemouths to strike. Some anglers claim that the noise is similar to that which a crawfish emits, while others maintain that no creature in nature sound like a rattling crankbait chamber. Whichever one is correct, rattles often make a lure more effective. Third, cast your crankbait well beyond its target, sweep your rod downward to cause the bait to plunge and endeavor to make the lure "bite" deep into the bottom. The more puffs of sand, silt, and debris that the lure displaces and the longer you can make the lure accomplish this, the better your chances are that a bass will find the artificial irresistible.

2. BIG BLADED SPINNERBAITS: Large spinnerbaits are definitely not lures designed to catch large numbers of bass during the summer or any other time. They are, however, exceptionally versatile baits that can elicit strikes under a variety of conditions. An oversized willowleaf blade will sometimes intimidate the smaller bass yet give the larger bass something worth their while to chase. Besides the willowleaf, other blade configurations will perform well during the summer. A single Colorado blade excels at probing deep water cover of all kinds. This lure "helicopters" down quickly and gives off considerable vibration in deep water. A two bladed spinnerbait (with the Colorado and Indiana configurations) is a great choice when the slow rolling technique is required. Many spinnerbaits on the market today offer minnow like heads and eyes, and these features add a nice, realistic touch. Some companies have even added rattles, further increasing a spinnerbait's appeal to bass. Rattles are an especially nice feature if a summer shower has caused a lake to become stained. Then, bass can use their lateral lines to home in on the vibrations of the blades and the sound of the rattles. In short, big bladed spinnerbaits are outstanding lures for jumbo summer bass.

[ryan7261]

3. RABBLE ROUSING BUZZBAITS: Nearly every angler who visits a lake during the warm weather period plans to arrive either early in the morning or late in the evening. The majority of those fishermen will have a topwater lure tied on to at least one of their rods, and many, if not most, of those individuals will employ a buzzbait sometime while they are fishing during low light conditions. Using a buzzbait during those two periods is sound game plan and most definitely will result in some quality bass. But how many anglers tie on big, bad, rabble rousing buzzbaits during the heat of the day? First, for a buzzbait to be effective on a sultry afternoon, it must be retrieved through shade. Your casts should be designed so that the buzzer would churn by wood that is lying in the shade. Second, the presence of current is almost as important as shade. In every lake, current is present, even though it may be barely discernible. The bass, though, can easily detect the flow's direction, and they will almost always face into it. Cast your buzzbaits "upstream". Finally, don't pay attention to your buzzbait as you retrieve it. After the lure lands and you note that the cast was accurate, look away, talk with a friend, hum to yourself or do whatever. Occupy yourself so that you do not prematurely set the hook when a bass rolls on a buzzbait. The No.1 reason we miss bass that strike is that we jerk this lure away from the fish. Like oversized spinnerbaits, large, wake producing buzzbaits are not good lures for catching small bass.

4. JIGGING SPOONS: Jigging spoons, along with jig and pigs, are perhaps the premier lures for enticing wintertime bass. Even during this season, however, few anglers use a spoon. During the warmwater period, even fewer anglers will toss this artificial. That's a major mistake. No other lure is as good as a spoon at probing the deep water cover where summer bass dwell, and no other lure excels at descending so deep, so quickly, as this one. A big, flashing spoon is also great at creating an enticing visual image for a bass. Humps, main channel dropoffs, submerged roadbeds and the ends of points are all wonderful places to employ this artifical. Why are spoons so rarely used? For many anglers, they are one of the most difficult baits, if not the most difficult, to use correctly. A spoon is a heavy piece of metal that is, in effect, a finesse bait. This seems like a contradiction, but it neatly sums up the difficulty of properly presenting a spoon. For instance, once you locate bass holding in deep water, you should have little difficulty dropping this lure in among the fish. The challenge comes with maintaining a tight line, deducing what the rate of ascent and descent the fish prefer you vertically jig the spoon and detecting a strike when it does occur. Mess up anywhere in this process, and you simply will not catch bass. To develop the finesse required to work a jigging spoon requires many hours spent on the water. You can read about how to develop that finesse or have a buddy explain the technique to you, but on the water, time is really the only way to master vertical jigging. If you do learn how to work this artifical, then you will have learned to hook deep water bass that few others will be able to catch.

[ryan7261]

5. HARD PLASTIC JERKBAITS: Just as jigging spoons are typically thought of as winter baits, hard plastic jerkbaits are usually considered spring lures. Deep running jerkbaits that suspend are especial favorites of anglers out to catch presawn bass. Once again, though, summertime bass anglers need to ignore the conventional wisdom. The logic for using jerkbaits during the summer is inescapable. Shad, minnows and other baitfish are more numerous at this time of year than at any other. Many of these fish have grown to several inches now and are just the right size for hungry bass. An old bass fishing maxim states that if you find the baitfish, you will have found the bass. This is especially true in late summer, and the realistic size and shape of a jerkbait is ideal for taking advantage of that fact. For example, balls or pods of minnows and shad often locate along the main channel, in shady coves, around boathouses and where a creek channel enter the main lake. All of these locales are ideal places to toss a deep running jerkbait. One of the best ways to work a jerkbait is to heave it well past the target area. With a sudden downward sweep of your rod (much like was discussed earlier with crankbaits), a jerkbait will motor toward the bottom. As this lure slowly rises, jiggle the rod tip to impart additional action. Allow the bait to rise for several seconds and then sweep it downward again. A deep diving jerkbait can also be made to run along the surface. Hold your rod high, and slow down the retrieve. Large jerkbaits, those measuring 4 inches or better, will produce a bass bewitching wake as they skim across the surface. Jerkbaits also perform well when schooling bass come on the scene. Hard plastic stickbaits with rattle chambers are especially good then. These fish are aggressively looking for food, and the noise produced by the rattle serves to "call" the bass. Although most strikes will occur while this lure is on the surface, deep running jerkbaits can also draw strikes from bass hovering beneath the surface melee. A good tactic is to run this bait along the surface for a few yards and then retrieve it rapidly downward to where bigger bass may be holding. If you are catching surface schoolies that are running 1 to 2 pounds, a deep running jerkbait may be able to dredge up bass that go 3 or more pounds.

[fastcat]

How long did it take you to type all that................. Good info Rob............. I will definately try some of those next time I am out

[madmarty]

What about the rat and frog? Bass get under mats of milfoil for shade during the dog days of summer making for some fun fishing.