Jay Neal
Jacksonville Daily Progress
JACKSONVILLE —
Consistently catching bass under summer conditions can be a daunting problem. Summer can be a difficult time to locate and catch bass, especially large bass.
Last year a lot of big bass remained shallow all summer because of frequent rains and high water conditions. Frequent rains keep the lake surface cooler and create more oxygen.
This year is different. We’re not having frequent rains and most lakes are six inches to a foot or more low. Most of the large bass I’m finding have moved out to deep water. Depth and cover are the keys to finding bass in the summer months.
Last week while I was looking for deep water bass I graphed a big brush pile in 19 to 23 feet deep. On my second cast I pulled out a 16 inch bass on my Nichols’ 1⁄2 oz. perch-colored jig. That was the only bass I caught that day, but I knew this was a prime spot for big bass. A few days later I returned to the brush pile, cast out a buoy so I could make accurate casts and proceeded to pull out five bass up to 171⁄2 inches, including one big spotted bass. That’s summer fishing.
I believe that a lot of the larger bass are located away from the bank out in the deeper depths. I found another spot that was holding good bass on a 19 to 20 foot break line with scattered stumps and brush. Again I caught three bass up to 17 inches on my Nichols 1⁄2 oz. perch-colored jig.
During the Tomato Fest I was told that the winning string was caught in brush in 12 feet of water near a dock. Brush is the key to catching bass on Lake Jacksonville.
There are also some really big fish under docks in shallow water. There is one particular dock that I know of that seems to always hold keeper bass. The dock is situated near a point and is fairly shallow water (1 to 8 feet deep). I usually can catch bass on the outside of the boat dock on a Nichols’ bream-colored Pop-U-Lure. The last few times I fished the dock with the Pop-U-Lure I was unable to get a strike. Last week I switched to a smaller 1⁄4 oz. Nichols’ perch-colored jig and pitched, skipped it under the dock. A big bass picked up the jig immediately. I set the hook hard but was unable to move the bass. For about three or four seconds it was a tug of war, the big bass stripped line and pulled free.
There are times when the big bass will move out from under these docks (usually at dark or under low light conditions). Then they are easier to catch.
As I see it, you have two choices. Fish deep or pitch baits under docks. It’s not easy skipping a jig under docks, especially with a bait casting outfit, but that technique can be deadly on big bass.
Targeting big fish deep, especially in the 20-foot range, requires accurate casing. I almost always use a buoy to mark the brush or drop off. This enables you to make precise, accurate casts every time. You will waste a lot of time trying to fish deep water randomly.
You’re only other option is to locate schooling bass. Schooling bass can be frustrating to target because you’re never quite sure when or where they’ll rise to the surface. Also, they are constantly on the move and have a knack for staying just out of casting range. When I can, I try to find areas where there are several pods of school fish surfacing in one area. I try to position my boat to where I can cast into more than one school.
Last year the best schooling action on Lake Jacksonville started near the end of July. According to my records I caught a lot of quality size schoolers either on a Nichols’ shad-colored Pop-U-Lure or a small Crème swim bait.
The key to catching schooling bass is determining what time of day they are likely to surface. Some days it’s 7:00 a.m. and other days it could be 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. Midday can also be good.
Locating bass in the summer can be difficult. I try to keep an open mind and fish shallow to deep. You never know when a cool summer rain might bring the bass shallow.
Jerry Miller can be emailed at gonefishing2@suddenlink.net
