Bass fishing in the summer is one of the easiest times to catch fish. The bass are incredibly active right now and can be caught in a variety of ways. The warmer water speeds up their metabolism, so they are constantly on the prowl. The key to catching bass in the summer is to look for cool water. Bass want to stay cool and eat an easy meal during the hot summer months.
I find bass in the summer are most active in the morning and evening. Sometimes, I can even catch them at night in the summer fishing. Fish like to be where the water is cooler, like at the ends of the days and in deeper parts of the lake. If you’re in the shallows, look for shade; fish will often be lurking to get an easy meal. The key is to mix it up and not give up. With that said, here is a top 10 list of the best summertime bass fishing lures I have found.
Below is a list of 10 summer bass fishing lures and patterns every angler should know about to catch bass this time of year. In this list, you will find the advantages and disadvantages to each of these techniques. Plus, I recommend the best baits for you to use to meet your summer bass fishing with the greatest success. The key to success is recognizing what the conditions call for and picking the presentations that will work optimally for the situation.
A Neko Rig is one of the best summer bass fishing patterns because you can fish it at any depth. Plus, the bass eat it really well. I find a Neko rig worm will help you explore the different depths bass could be with confidence. This pattern works well in all types of structures, from grass to rock.
The Neko Rig works best in more open water situations and when you are exploring, trying to find bass. The key to fishing this bait is to make sure you let it fall all the way to the bottom. Once the bait is on the bottom, twitch your rod tip to make it dance along. I find the key for the most bites is to always maintain contact with the bottom.
A Weightless Texas Rig Senko is one of the best baits I have found for triggering lots of bites from big summertime bass. A Senko presents a big meal to fish, which is especially useful when they want to eat bigger meals to keep up with their summer diet needs.
A Weightless Senko is a great pattern to use when the bass are sitting in really thick, shallow grass or other type of rough structure in the summer. It will slide through anything. A Senko has a really natural fall so you won’t spook the fish like other bigger baits will.
To fish a Weightless Senko properly, you want to do three things. First, cast it into the hole you think a bass will be in. Second, let the bait fall all the way to the bottom and let it sit there for a second or two. Lastly, do a small pull and repeat the process. Likely 90% of the bass will hit this bait while it is falling or sitting still on the bottom.
I like to use a Drop Shot in the summertime to get down to those deeper bass. The natural presentation of a Drop Shot and the speed for getting a finesse bait down deep makes a this rig one of the best summertime set ups for bass fishing.
A Drop Shot works best down deep and when you need to keep your bait above the thick vegetation. A 3/16oz. drop weight is a great all-around size to work in a variety of situations. I like a small finesse worm rigged wacky style on a drop shot. I find it draws a lot more strikes than other traditional Drop Shot rigging methods.
I love to use a topwater frog in the summertime around thick grass and vegetation. This presentation works best when you have cover that creates a shade canopy for the bass. They will lay under those canopies and wait for creatures to come by. A frog worked methodically over the top of those canopies can produce some amazing strikes.
A topwater frog tends to work best in early morning, late evening, or other low-light conditions during the summer but if the cover is good enough, you can still catch them in the middle of the day. Work your frog over those scum mats that form in the summer. Use braided line and a heavy rod to be able to hook the bass well to haul them out of the slop.
Fishing a topwater spook style bait in the summer is one of the most exciting ways to get bass. I love a spook for several reasons. Mainly, it draws strikes from bass that might be deeper. The other reason is that your hook-ups are much higher with all those treble hooks on the lure.
Here’s a couple keys to fishing a spook to produce the best results: Walk it parallel to the bank; The further you cast it, the better; Use a spook in open water situations, on flats, and especially in clear water. The more you slash it back and forth with an occasional pause will get a monster bass to engulf your spook.
A moving Swim Jig is awesome for summer bass fishing. I like a Swim Jig because it can go through the thick grass and weeds that get heavy through the summer. A Swim Jig is best when you are working through dense cover like brush piles or patches of thick vegetation. This is a really versatile bait in the summertime to cover a lot of water. Plus, you can fish it anywhere.
The bass really like to eat Swim Jigs. I pair mine with a Swimbait trailer to make it appear like a Bluegill or other baitfish swimming through the water. A big kicking tail on your swimbait trailer will give your jig extra action to draw bass to bite.
Bass fishing with a Crankbait will produce good results in the summer. Here’s is what I have found you need to look for to catch bass on Crankbaits during the mid-summer months.
Crankbaits work best when you bump them off of cover or bounce them along the bottom. Try a Crankbait in windy conditions or low light situations to be able to cover water and get them to bite. The bigger the wobble in the summer, the better your result. You can catch some really big fish throwing big, deep-diving Crankbaits.
You can use a Jig with confidence in the summertime to catch bass. I like to keep my Jigs small and compact with 3″ craw trailers and a lot of trimming on the skirts. You will get a lot more bites and it makes for a more subtle presentation when you are fishing shallow and flipping heavy cover.
I like to use a Jig to get down deep on long rocky points to find bass in the summertime. Bass love eating Crayfish. I’ve caught many bass with craws in their mouths that a jig has become something I use a lot more consistently. It mimics a molting Crayfish, which is easy prey for a bass.
One technique to try with a Jig in the summer is to fish it a lot more aggressively. Ripping it up off the bottom and letting it fall back down can trigger some awesome bites. Watch your line close, because bass will eat it on the fall. This makes it difficult to detect the bites.
A Shaky Head is another great bass fishing summer pattern to help you catch a lot of bass. This set up is weedless, so it can go through a lot of cover. Plus, it quickly gets down deep–finding a lot of bass in the mid-summer months. I love a Shaky Head because bass eat these all the time.
I have found a couple factors will make a big difference with Shaky Heads. First, use a light 1/8oz. Jig Head. The lighter the head, the more natural the presentation, the more fish it will produce. Second, don’t just throw a plastic worm on it. Mix it up with a craw or creature bait; you will be amazed at how many fish you will pick up with this slightly different look.
A good Swimbait works wonders for catching bass in the summer. I like to use a Swimbait as a search lure to find where the fish are. You can cover a lot of shoreline, and get it swimming down deep, to find those summer bass. Bass love to eat baitfish in the summer, so this makes a Swimbait a perfect choice to catch them in the mid-summer months.
I like the smaller finesse style Swimbaits. The only problem with Swimbaits is if the cover is too thick, the exposed hook will snag up routinely. Keep it swimming above the cover for the best success. A classic Ball Head Jig Head is all you need to get fish on a Swimbait.
Here’s a video I filmed using some of the summer bass fishing patterns mentioned in this article. This will help you visualize how these lures will work for you. Plus, it will provide proof of what you can catch using these summertime techniques.
I love summer bass fishing. It’s the best time to get topwater strikes and the fish aren’t as finicky to catch. The key is to always be exploring. Fish both deep and shallow. When you stop catching in one spot, it is time to move to a different spot. The bass in the summer are always moving around, so you should be too.
One more thing, the links above and below in this post are affiliate links where you can pick up baits, rods, reels, line, and anything else I use to “Krak” some bass in the summer. KrakenBass receives a small percentage of the sales through these links. I only use links to baits and gear I personally trust and know work. These links are geared to be helpful for you, not for the small amount I make for the sale of the products. I hope these products can help you “Krak” some bass like they have for me. Thank you for your support!
As Always,
Stay Stoked!!
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