As the summer months wrap up, fish of all species begin to migrate back to shallow water to get away from offshore fishing pressure, as well as follow bait returning to skinnier water. Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Carl Jocumsen breaks down how he locates and fishes these high percentage, hard-structured shallow areas with a jig.
TACKLE USED (retail links)
- JIG – Molix GT Football Jig, 1/2 ounce, color – Wild Craw
- TRAILER – X Zone Lures Muscle Back Craw, 309
- ROD – Millerods JigFreak LC, 7’6″ Medium Heavy
- REEL – Shimano Curado 200K, 8:5.1
- LINE – Sunline FC Sniper, 16-pound
ELECTRONICS SETUP
- LIVE SONAR – Humminbird MEGA Live TargetLock
- 360 SONAR – Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging
- FISH FINDER – Humminbird SOLIX 12 CHIRP MEGA SI+ G3
- TROLLING MOTOR – Minn Kota Ultrex, 45″ 36V 112-pound
When it comes to late summer fishing, finding structure is key. Jocumsen argues that these fish moving shallow this time of year need some sort of hard bottom to sit on, and why utilizing your electronics at hand is so important. On this particular day, Jocumsen found fish stacked on a line of rocks in 7- to 10 feet of water. Using Humminbird MEGA 360 maneuver around rocky transition and MEGA Live TargetLock to pick out individual boulders and fish, Jocumsen is able to quickly able to land on fish.
A jig is and always will be one of Jocumsen’s go-to baits, especially for this specific application. Aside from being a proven big fish catcher, a jig is a perfect bait to slow down with when dealing with finicky bass this time of year. The GT Football Jig by Molix allows Jocumsen to dissect gnarly areas of rock, wood, or anything else he may come across without getting hung up constantly.
