Bass occupy different stages of the spawn in early summer, so it takes some experimentation to find and catch them with consistency. Wired2fish’s McKeon Roberts shares his favorite lure categories to find bass and determine their attitude under various waters and situations. In this video he shows the versatility of his approach while kayak fishing on an unfamiliar lake. * Full product listing below.
- Use a big lure. Larger baits like 7-inch or bigger paddle tail swimbaits present a slow and easy meal — perfect for recuperating females. Big baits are always worth a try and commonly generate your biggest bites of the day.
- Moving baits. Many lures cover water efficiently, but topwater lures are hard to beat. With water temps approaching their peak, bass are eager to chase and smash baits on the surface. Not only is this one of the most exciting ways to fish, but it also allows you to take advantage of fresh emergent vegetation snag-free while mimicking bluegill, which are prevalent among the shallows.
- Slow-moving bottom baits. Slow presentations can be some form of finesse, such as a Ned or Neko rig, or even a large Texas rig setup using a lightweight. Roberts prefers a downsized bullet weight when Texas rigging in early summer as it offers a sizeable, albeit a slow meal that requires minimal energy to chase. A Texas rig is also a great technique to get a feel for different bottom compositions. Roberts uses a 3/16-ounce weight to feel along the bottom for clumps of newly emerging weeds. Finding these weed patches can be vital to finding concentrations of bass.
KAYAK
TEXAS RIG SETUP
- WORM – NetBait Big Bopper, color – Red Bug
- HOOK – VMC Worm Hook, 5/0
- WEIGHT – VMC Tungsten Worm Weight, 3/16-ounce
- ROD – Cashion ICON Series Jig/Worm Casting Rod, 7′ Med-Hvy
- REEL – Daiwa Tatula Elite Casting Reel, 8.1:1
- LINE – Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon, 14-pound
FROG SETUP
- FROG – Terminator Walking Frog Jr., color – Bluegill
- ROD – Cashion Icon Series Frog Rod, 7’4″ Heavy
- REEL – Daiwa Tatula Casting Reel
- LINE – Sufix 131 Braid, 40-pound
SWIMBAIT SETUP
- SWIMBAIT – Gary Yamamoto Heart Tail Swimbait (discontinued)
- HOOK – Lazer TroKar Magnum Weighted Swimbait Hook (5/0), 1/4-ounce
- ROD – Daiwa Tatula Casting Rod, 7’1″ Heavy
- REEL – Daiwa Tatula 150 Casting Reel
- LINE – Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon, 17-pound
OTHER GEAR
- SUNGLASSES – Costa Del Mar Fantail Pro
- PANTS – JB Langly Winrock Performance 7 Pocket Pant
- WATCH – Garmin Instinct Solar
The bottom line, be observant no matter the season. Use your eyes to detect fish movement on the surface or in the shallows. Conversely, use your electronics to find definitive weed edges and other fish-holding features that can’t be seen under the surface. Combining these three lures will give you a good sense of bass activity, leaving your bases covered when fishing in the summer.
