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Seven Hot Bass Fishing Tips
by Chris Stevens

Everyone knows that bass fishing in the summer can be tough. It may certainly be tough, but not impossible. Some of the biggest bass of the year can be caught in the summer. Here are seven tips that can help you catch those summer time monsters.

#1.) Probe Shallow Weedbeds
Some people insist on fishing deep water during the summer, but deep fishing is not always the key to catch monster summer bass. Shallow tributaries and bays can hold plenty of hot water bass action.
Weeds provide cover and forage for bass including crayfish, minnows, and bluegill. Weeds also help filter the water and pump needed oxygen into the water.
Bass aren't everywhere in the weeds. Start fishing the outer and top edges of the weedbeds. Those areas usually tend to hold the more active bass. Try fishing these areas with topwater plugs, lipless crankbaits, or willowleaf spinnerbaits. If these don't work try using worms. I would go with plastic worm with a pegged sinker or a jig with a pork trailer. Use the worm and the jig to fish deep in the weeds to find the less active fish.

#2.) Fish Ditches
Submerged ditches can be like a gold mine when bass fishing in the summer. Bass use the ditches to move from deep water to shallow water when they are feeding. Ditches can be hard to find. They're sometimes left off of topography maps. You can find them on flats and points. If you look over these areas with your depth finder you find one. You can also find them by looking at the bank for water runoff areas.
Ditches as shallow as a foot can attract bass. I normally start fishing the deepest part of the ditch and start moving shallower until I find fish. Try fishing these areas with lizards, spinnerbaits, plastic worms, or crankbaits. Cast to the edge of the ditch and work your lure down to the deeper water.

#3.) Fish Current
During the hot days of the summer rivers tend to produce more bass than lakes. This is because lakes loose oxygen in the summer and rivers really don't loose the oxygen because of the moving water. The higher oxygen level makes the bass more active. That means you can use faster retrieves in rivers than you can in lakes.
Small creeks tend to hold more big bass. This is because of they receive little fishing pressure. Small creeks are usually feed by springs and they are really clear. With the clear water you will have to use natural colored lures. Try casting up stream and bring your lure back down stream and fish it around rocks and logs. Don't forget, because most of these streams are spring-fed they are cool, so if you get hot don't be afraid to jump in.

#4.) Fish Shallow Objects
When I'm fishing in tournaments in the summer I see many competitors head out to the deeper water, but I almost always go shallow and find structure. To catch fish on shallow structure in the summer you have to target places with accurate presentations where bass are most likely holding.
When probing shallow water I like to fish topwater plugs and crankbaits close to my target. When fishing crankbaits it is best to cast past the target and bump the lure on the target. I do this because when the water is hot the bass hold tight to cover, and they don't want to go very far away from home. They usually stay tight as they can on the shady side of the object.
Water clarity plays a major role in choosing lures. When the water is clear use a Spinnerbait with willowleaf blades. If the water is stained use lipless crankbaits, jigs, or soft plastics.

#5.) Suspended Bass
Throughout most of the summer you can fin bass suspended over brushpiles and other structure. Man-made brushpiles are common on most reservoirs. Crappie guides like to sink them so they can attract crappie, but along with the crappie comes the bass. If you can find these brushpiles next to a creek channel in the hot summer months there should be tons of big bucketmouths suspending above them. I like to fish these brushpiles with spinnerbaits. I try to fish them as slow as possible without bumping the brush. If the bass aren't responding to the Spinnerbait, try bucktails. Bucktails work especially well if the lake has a lot of shad. I like to swim the bucktail right over the brushpile. If you bump the brush while fishing you should speed up immediately to avoid getting hung up. If you get hung up just cut the line. If you jerk at it too much you will scare all the fish away.

#6.) Night Fishing
On a lot of lakes there are a lot of skiers and boats out on the lake during the day. To escape all the noise and havoc a lot of fishermen like to fish at night. Bass are usually shallow during the night. They are also in a more aggressive feeding mode. There is one bad thing about fishing at night; the fish can be very spooky. So you should tried to avoid bumping your trolling motor and dropping things in the boat. Gravel points and midlake humps can be some of the best places to fish at night. Try fishing these areas with a plastic worm, jig-and-pig, or a dark colored Spinnerbait. If you fish any lure like a Spinnerbait, Crankbait, or any topwater you need to use dark colors so it will silhouette of the surface.

#7.) Live Bait
Nofishalitis, this is an almost deadly disease that is at its peak in the hot summer months. It is caused by not catching fish. Symptoms are ill at wife, buying every lure at Wal-Mart, constantly daydreaming about fishing, and drooling while watching fishing shows on Saturday morning. If Nofishalitis gets bad enough there can be only one cure, live bait.
Live bait can cure two diseases at once, Nifishalitis and bass's summertime lockjaw. Baits like Shad, Shiner, lizards, and crayfish can almost always cure these to diseases.

Tight Lines and Bent Poles!
Chris Stevens