Summer is a very good season to catch big bass. If you hit the high percentage spots on your lake with right lures and presentations you will be able to catch some big bass during our lovely hot days of summer. Here are some answers to where and what lures will be good for you to catch some fish on your trips out in the summer on your favourite lake.

Primary points are a prime spot for big bass. Largemouths will school up in large numbers here when the lake temperatures in the shallows hit 78 degrees and higher. The bass are waiting to ambush passing schools of baitfish. Try to find points with some gravel and good green weeds with and a little current and once you find them you could be in for an unbelievable day on the water. The fish will move deeper down the water column on the point as the day progresses and the sun rises so start shallow and work your way down throughout the day. The best baits I have found to work primary points are reaction style baits like a crankbait, jerkbait and spinnerbait. My favourites include the Spro Mc Stick 95, Jackall Soul Shad 68 SP and a Hildebrandt Blade spinnerbait.

Secondary points are areas bass will use as a rest stop after they leave there spawning areas going to deep water. When the lake temperature is between 68 - 75 degrees this is a great area to fish with a Carolina Rigged Strike King Rage Craw, a soft jerkbait and also a shallow crankbait like the the Strike King KVD 2.5 and also the Jackall Aska 60SR.

Flooded bushes are one of my favourite spots to fish in summer. If the water is a little stained and is under 80 degrees I have caught some huge largemouths under bushes. Get a good quality heavy action flipping stick like the Shimano Cumara 74H and a high speed reel like the new Shimano Chronarch 7:0:1 with 50lb Power Pro and go flipping for big bass. Use lures like texas rigged plastics with Ultra Tungsten weights or a Fin-tech Tiltle Shot Jig so you can easily penetrate deep into the bushes where the big girls live. For baits I keep these very simple and use baits that can slip through cover easily without a ton of appenadages on them. I use Strike King Coffee Tubes, Jackall Cover Craws and also Senko style baits.

Chunk rock and gravel banks are great summer areas for smallmouths. Try to find some sand and weed transition areas with water depths of 8-20 feet and you could be on a true honey hole. When I find smallmouth in areas like this I use deep crankbaits, jerkbaits, tubes and drop shot baits. With these 4 techniques I can cover any condition and presenation in a hurry to decide if the fish are active or need to be coaxed into biting. Baits that I use regular are Strike King and Mizmo tubes, Strike King XD Cranks, Spro Little John MD, Jackall Squadminnow 115SP, Jackall Clone Fry and Crosstail Shads.

Matted vegetation and lilypads are great areas to fish in the summer. These are usually best in high sun days which gives the bass shade, cooler water and an easy ambush area. Look for areas with lily's in open bloom which attract insects. Listen for popping and slurping noises of bluegill in the pads because the big bass will be there also. I fish these areas with only 2 techniques which are texas rigged plastics and frogs. My lure choices are the Jackall Iobee and Spro series of frogs. My plastic choice are beaver style baits and tubes which easily go through the thick mats using 1oz Ultra tungsten weights. Again use the right tools for the job here with a heavy Shimano flipping stick, 65lb Power Pro and a fast gear ratio reel like the Shimano Core. You want to be able to slam the hook into the fish and get it out of the cover quickly.

Weedlines in shallow natural lakes can very productive all summer as long as the weeds and baitfish are good in the area. I have weedlines that produce fish for 6-8 weeks in the summer and have really given me great days on the water. The best way to fish them is to put your trolling motor down on low using good batteries like Optima Batteries D31's to allow you to fish all day long. Throw spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, rattle trap style baits or one my favourites the Fin-tech Title Shot jigs combined with a Jackall Sasuteki Craw or Strike King Rage Craw and pitch through the weedline until you find an area holding fish. Look for action on the surface of the weedlines like jumping baitfish or fish swirling because a topwater like the Jackall Bowstick 130 has caught a few beasts for me while going up and down weedlines.

Boat docks are another great area to catch lunker bass. I have written an article on this already on what to look for so I won't repeat it again but it can be found on the NPS website if you would like to read more about it.

Offshore humps are another dependable summer spot. Use crankbaits, tubes and drop shot baits to cover the areas. Getting a good map of the lake you are on will show these offshore humps in what looks like no mans land. Believe me in bigger bodies of water these areas are the main structures that fish will be on throughout the summer and should be fished regularly. Look for baitfish, gobies and crayfish in the area and you know that this offshore hump is the dinner table for big bass.

I hope this gives you some insight and areas where you can find fish this summer on your favourite body of water.

If you like reading my articles please follow me to make sure you don't miss any of my upcoming tips and secrets to catch more fish and have more fun out on the water.

See you out on the water or at Fishing World and please practice catch and release

Blake