By Josh Boyd
With summer in full swing, anglers from every corner of the nation are spending time on the water in a bid to boat the biggest bass on their home lakes. Techniques for summertime bass fishing tend to be as broad as the day is long, and one angler’s technique of choice can vary greatly from that of another.
The summer is also a wonderful time to experiment with varying bass fishing techniques that one might wish to learn more about. In the event that you are looking for a few new tips or tricks to add to your summertime bass fishing repertoire, the following pro-strategies should provide you with a great place to start.
Edwin Evers
Edwin Evers is no stranger to bass fishing success. Throughout his illustrious career, he has amassed a significant sum in overall winnings across both MLF and B.A.S.S. circuits, even winning the Bassmaster Classic in 2016.
Evers is quick to echo the importance of locating suspended bass wherever they may be in the water column, and working only those baits which can adequately cover these depths.
“In the hot summer months, I like to throw the Berkley Digger. It is a crankbait that comes in all sizes. It is offered in 14.5, 17.5, 20.5, 22.5, and 25.5 depth models. So as those fish progressively get deeper, I have a bait that I can just go right to the next depth. In the summer, I keep it really simple. They are feeding on shad, so I like to throw the bait in a shad color,” said Evers.
Todd Auten
Todd Auten is a veteran tournament angler, having begun his professional fishing career in the mid-1990s. Now, some 25 years later, Auten is still pulling out high ranking finishes, most recently with a second-place finish in the 2020 Bassmaster Classic.
Auten takes a slightly different approach to summertime bass fishing, opting to stick with what many would refer to as a late-spring, post-spawn tactic.
“I’ll throw a topwater. Even in the heat of the summer, it seems like the brim are still bedding, and once you find those brim beads, you can throw any topwater that you like. You can throw a frog, a prop bait, or I even like throwing a buzzbait with a frog on it,” said Auten.
Hank Cherry
Hank Cherry is a man that needs no introduction within the bass fishing world. With a string of Bassmaster Classic appearances, including a first-place finish earlier in 2020, Cherry is currently riding a wave of competitive angling success like none other.
During the summer of the year, Cherry prefers a slowed down approach, opting to take a finesse fishing route over that of power fishing.
“During the summer of the year, I love to dropshot. It really doesn’t do anything for my personality at all. But, since I have learned more and studied, I have found dropshotting to be highly effective in most situations during the summertime,” Cherry said.
Mark Menendez
Mark Menendez has fished professionally on the B.A.S.S. circuit for over twenty years, putting together several first-place finishes, and a total of six Bassmaster Classic appearances along the way.
Menendez keys in on different characteristics of fish during the summer, in order to present bass with the perception of an easy meal, which they cannot turn down.
“When water temperatures are high, above 85-degrees, you find that a bass’ metabolism is moving at Mach-1, yet their mobility slows down as they get into a conservation mode. So I use the biggest baits that I can get away with, using only light sinkers. I really like using soft-plastic baits, with the Anaconda Worm being one of my very favorites. I may fish that off of a ledge with a 3/16 or 5/16 weight for an ultra-slow fall, or flip shallow with a ⅛ ounce,” said Menendez.
Fishing Through the Heatwave
Although summer fishing can often be tough, a number of diverse, yet effective tactics exist for boating bass with consistency. As is evident above, even the nation’s top professional anglers differ from one another in their favorite approach to summertime bass fishing. However, you can catalog each of these tactics for future use, providing you with several plans of attack to ensure that your summer on the water is one to remember.
