Finally, the sun is out, the air is warm and you’ve got your fishing line in the water but no bass - not one bite. You’ve asked yourself if it’s your location, or the type of bait you’re using? But despite your best efforts no matter what you do, your situation doesn’t change.
Catching largemouth bass in the summer can be an exhilarating experience. The warm weather means that the metabolism of these fish increases dramatically causing them to feed more often. Additionally, if the summer temperature remains predictable, bass will stabilize and usually stay in certain areas all season long. But if you’re having difficulty catching largemouth bass, we at Workman’s Friend are here to help you. Based on our tried and true experience we’d like to share two major tips that will undoubtedly make this summer’s fishing season unlike any other.
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Before you set out on your fishing trip, make sure to apply Barrier Skin Cream. The cream works like a protective glove and puts an invisible, non-greasy layer of protection over your hands that prevents dirt, grime, skin irritants and more from actually touching skin. Once you have your catches of the day, you can quickly clean hands with a quick wash or single wipe and skin will be left moisturized. Let’s go fishing!
Location, Location, Location
To locate large mouth bass you need to determine where they call home during the summer months. There are two basic categories of lakes either man-made reservoirs or natural lakes. In order to survive bass need three elements: food, oxygen, and shelter. Your challenge is to determine where they will find these items whether they’re living in reservoirs or natural bodies of water.
In a reservoir, bass can usually be found on drop-offs or ledges that are close to shallow-water feeding grounds. These are the areas where they seek out food. Largemouth bass swim use the ledges and drop-offs for their cooler temperatures and greater availability of oxygen, especially as temperatures rise. They also provide shelters. The sharper the drop-off or ledge is from the shallow water the greater likelihood you’ll find largemouth bass.
In low-light conditions found in the early morning or late at night, look for them in the shallower waters searching for food. This is also true if the day remains cloudy. Often anglers forget this fact. The reservoir’s deeper waters are where the bass will be found in bright sunny conditions during the mid-day hours.
In comparison, natural lakes are typically shallow and are filled with a multitude of vegetation. This is very appealing to largemouth bass for a number of reasons. With natural lakes lacking deep water sanctuaries, bass use the vegetation as shade, protection from predators, and as an advantage point to ambush prey. The shallow water of natural lakes also gets very warm in the summer and this depletes the oxygen content of the water. The vegetation provides the fish with that much needed oxygen.
Anglers should look for large amounts of vegetation when fishing in natural lakes; particularly where two different types of plants come together.
What They Eat
Before summer bass are concerned with one thing and one thing only: reproduction. For those critical six to eight weeks prior to the new season, bass remain busy building nests, finding mates, and protecting their young. This period of time is so busy and stressful, that bass barely eat and as a result become very thin and weak. Often largemouth bass don’t survive this period of spawning. But those that do know exactly what to eat: shad, especially ones that are laying their eggs. Spawning shad are completely unaware of anything around them. As such, they make perfect targets for the weak bass looking to feed.
Shad usually spawn in water that is in the low to mid-70s. They usually lay their eggs in the shallow waters of a lake at daybreak. Most shad spawn within the first two hours of each morning. It’s at this point that you’re most likely to see largemouth bass moving along these shallow ledges feeding on the shad. As soon as they’re done, they’ll seek shelter in the deeper waters.
Usually, the shad spawning season will last up to several weeks. This is just long enough to strengthen bass after their own spawning season. Shad can be found anywhere from under rocks, to pieces of timber or any other man-made structure such as a dock. They usually congregate in groups of 2 to 20. If you can locate the shad, then they will lead you to the bass.
As the summer heats up, so does the large mouth bass’s appetite. Just as the shad finish spawning, the bluegill or bream also known as sunfish begin their reproductive cycle. Similarly to shad, sunfish become very weak and disoriented when spawning. Essentially, they drop their guard and become easy bait for bass. Usually sunfish spawn in groups of 10 to 20. Each fish will have a bed or clear spot where they lay their eggs. Bass tend to prowl the edges of these beds looking for any idlers that can easily be eaten.
One Last Hook
For most anglers summer is their busiest season and fishing for largemouth bass is certainly no exception. Once you have your Workman’s Friend Barrier Skin Cream, know where to look and what to feed them, catching these prized fish is just a matter of getting on the water and casting. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start fishing!
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Workman’s Friend Barrier Skin Cream is light-weight and odorless perfect for all types of anglers. An application of our non-greasy formula means your hands will remain moisturized as you spend your day bating, casting and reeling them in.