Techniques for catching bass during the late summer include fishing ledges and also trying the shallows.

Techniques for catching bass during the late summer include fishing ledges and also trying the shallows.



It may be cooling off in some parts of the country, but make no mistake, it is still summertime in the southern tier of the United States. The bass are still in their summer locations and won't be making their annual fall migration anytime soon.

The days are still hot, the water is still warm, and the majority of most bass populations are still relatively deep. It will be weeks before the largemouths follow schools of bait fish into shallow water.

Fishing at night, when the temperature cools, is also a good tactic to try in late summer.

Fishing at night, when the temperature cools, is also a good tactic to try in late summer.



"The late-summer months — September and October — can have some excellent fishing," says Alabama's Tim Horton, a guide and current B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year. "A lot of fishermen might not realize it, but you can catch a lot of fish during this time of year."

With the help of Horton and other experts, here are five ways to score on late-summer largemouths.

Check the shallows


Most bass anglers equate the term "summer" with "deep." And the majority of the bass in a lake or reservoir will be relating to some type of deep-water cover or structure.

But that doesn't mean all of the bass will be deep.

"There are always going to be some bass shallow, regardless of the time of year," Horton says. "You can always find some fish shallow if you look hard enough.

"In the late summer, I always look for some good topwater action early and late around bank cover. Under those low-light conditions, you can beat the bank with a Pop-R or Zara Spook and catch some fish."

"Later in the day, when the sun is up on grass lakes I look for the thickest patch of grass I can find. I flip and pitch these spots with a Riverside lizard or crawfish with a big heavy weight. You'll find some of the biggest fish of the year are hiding in that ultra-thick vegetation."

Even during hot weather, big bass can be found using a variety of techniques and locations.

Even during hot weather, big bass can be found using a variety of techniques and locations.



"I fish it around any type of vegetation like hydrilla or maidencane where you find a point or hole that would make a great ambush point for the bass," says Florida pro Shaw Grigsby. "You can have a great time fishing topwater (plugs) in the summer time, but the main thing to remember is that you have to pause the lure often and let it sit a while to get a strike. That's the unnerving part of topwater fishing."

Many anglers know that the low-light conditions of early and late usually provide the best topwater action (and an escape from the late-summer heat). But Grigsby claims that the front edge of a typical summer thunderstorm usually ignites a storm of feeding activity.

"Right before those afternoon thunderstorms, the bass really turn on," he says. "They get real active just before the storm and sometimes during the storm, if it is not too severe. Right before the storm arrives, the fishing gets pretty wild.

"Fish until the storm gets to you and enjoy the feeding frenzy, but then get off of the water before it starts thundering and lightning. That's the main thing. Be safe. Catching a fish is not worth getting hurt or even killed by lightning."

Bass fishing in the moonlight


It is probably a good bet that Charlie Ingram has caught more late-summer bass at night than during the day. The Tennessee pro specializes in catching trophy bass on Pickwick Lake in the dark.

"Most people don't realize it, but night fishing is a real thrill in September and October," Ingram says. "Not only is the fishing good at night, but it's also a great way to beat the heat. Load up with insect repellent and carry a Q-Beam or some other type of light. And hold on to your rod."

Night fishing is not only the most comfortable form of fishing during the hottest months, it is also a time when the bass seem to come alive. Ingram usually averages 10 or more bass and expects to tangle with at least one 5-pound-plus fish most nights.
"You can catch some real large bass at night," he says. "The bigger fish can get out and move around in the dark better than they can during the day with the heat and the amount of sunlight penetration in the water. At night, the fish will move into areas where they are more catchable — places that won't usually hold fish during the day because the water is so much hotter."

For night fishing, Ingram prefers noisy spinnerbaits and crankbaits.

Run the ledges


In the late summer, Mississippi pro Paul Elias has long relied on a game plan that involves cranking ledges in reservoirs. He runs a series of well-defined ledges, either along a creek channel or the main river. These are areas that traditionally hold good concentrations of bass, yet go unmolested by fishermen who are unskilled at using electronics and fishing deep structure.

"The most important aspect of fishing a ledge or other invisible structure is boat positioning," says Elias. "It's an often overlooked part of fishing, but with this type of fishing it is absolutely crucial."

Elias takes the same basic two-pronged approach to boat positioning for properly fishing ledges. Generally, he marks the perimeter of the breakline with buoys and then positions his boat on the deeper side and casts his lure to the shallower side of the drop.
If that doesn't produce, Elias moves his boat tighter to the ledge and parallels it as closely as possible. This is a particularly productive way to fish a deep-diving crankbait, he says.

"In nine situations out of 10, I'll position my boat in the deep water and cast to the shallow side," Elias adds. "The main reason for that is that on our reservoirs, I'm usually fishing around some type of cover on a ledge, like stumps or brush. When you try to pull a bait from deep water into shallow water, you just constantly stay hung up in the cover. Plus, I just think you get more bites fishing the shallow side and casting from the deep."

Go with the flow


During the months of September and October, smart largemouth hunters target current-laden areas.

"Water temperature is one of the most critical of all factors when we're looking for bass because it determines how active the fish will be," explains veteran Texas pro Clark Wendlandt, the reigning FLW Tour Angler of the Year. "And in the late summer, one of the best places to look for bass is in the upper part of a lake where current may be present. Moving water is always better oxygenated and usually cooler."

Finding moving water in summer often means traveling to the far upper end of a lake where the main river tributary enters. Two favorite techniques are working crankbaits through pockets behind rocks and stumps or drifting a plastic worm downstream around the rocks. If a lot of shallow shoreline cover is present, Wendlandt also uses a spinnerbait.

"I believe one of the main keys to fishing current successfully is lure presentation," he says. "I always try to have my lures moving downstream with the current so they appear more natural. This generally means holding my boat in the moving water with the trolling motor and casting upstream, then guiding the lure around the rocks and into the different little pockets as the current washes it down."

Wendlandt often uses a presentation technique that, while seemingly unorthodox, results in quick limits. If the current is fast and the depth is perhaps 2 to 3 feet right along the shoreline, he makes short, rapid-fire casts to the bank with his crankbait, reeling back as fast as he can and casting again. Most casts are less than 8 feet in length.

"It doesn't always work," says Wendlandt, "and I think the strikes are purely reflex reactions from bass holding in the shoreline cover. They see something dart by them that appears to be trying to escape, and they just hit it."

Late-summer schooling bass


In lakes from Florida to California, the late-summer months signal the beginning of red-hot schooling action.

"You can load the boat with schooling bass in September and October," Florida pro Bernie Schultz says. "They're easy to locate when they're schooling and you can catch all of the 1- to 3-pound bass you want to catch."

Schooling bass are a phenomenon that fishermen love. It is an activity that not only gives away their location, but turns largemouth bass into marauders that will attack anything.

Gulls hovering and diving for injured baitfish will often point the way to schooling action

Schooling bass can be ridiculously easy to catch. A variety of lures including lipless crankbaits such as the Cordell Spot, floating worms, spoons like the Crocodile or Sprite and topwater plugs like the Zara Spook or Pop-R will work. Schultz emphasizes the importance of selecting a lure that closely matches the size of the shad, shiners or glass minnows being chased by the bass.