Early Summer Bass Fishing Tips

Start in shallow water

Begin your search in the shallow-water areas in which bass spawn. Bays and coves with an abundance of shallow cover such as emergent vegetation, boat docks, and fallen timber will hold bass. On sunny days, the bass likely will hold tight to such cover, while they are more likely to be out roaming away from the cover under low-light conditions. Your first casts should be with a quick-moving bait like a spinnerbait, or a topwater bait. These allow you to cover water and find active fish. Once you find active fish, continue casting until the area quits producing. Then tie on a slow-moving, saturation-type lure such as a plastic worm or jig and pig. Flip and pitch these in and around cover.

Head slightly deeper

By early summer, some bass will have spawned and already vacated the shallows. These fish move from their spawning areas to the first available cover or structure in deeper water. As a result, look for likely areas in which the bass spawned, then head into four to eight feet of water and look for the first drop-off, weed flat, or inside weedline. All of these areas will hold bass, and irregularities in them will congregate them. Those irregularities might be where a hard bottom meets a soft bottom, where there is a bunch of rocks in the middle of a weed flat, or where the inside weedlines makes a point or inside turn. Throw lipless crankbaits or spinnerbaits over these areas in a search for active fish. Some of the bass in these areas might still be recovering from the spawn and may not be as inclined to hit a quick-moving bait. As a result, plastic worms and jigs and pigs fished slowly along the bottom are effective.

Deeper still

Bass can be in many places during the early summer period. Deep water is not likely to hold large numbers of fish, but it can hold some big fish. The best option is to search for newly developing deep weedlines. This is the point where vegetation quits growing because the sunlight no longer can penetrate far enough into the water to allow the vegetation to grow. During the early summer, the deep weedline can be anywhere from about 10 to 20 feet of water. One good option is to cast a deep-diving crankbait around the weedline and search for active fish. Lead-head jigs and worms fished slowly along the bottom also will produce, as will plastic worms and jigs and pigs.

Keep the shallows in mind

While some bass rarely move shallow when the water temperatures get warm, that is not the case in the early summer and bass that are not already in shallow water will rest in deeper water and then move shallow to feed. The reason is simple: The shallows are where the food is. Shallow water will be especially productive under low-light conditions, but it is worthwhile to stop in the shallows and make a few casts every hour or so. If you fish the same body of water often, you should notice patterns of when bass move shallow, which will make it easier for you to target them.

Consider a topwater bait

During most of the year, topwater baits are most productive under low-light conditions. During the early summer, however, they can be productive all day long. Make a few casts with a topwater and you soon will know whether bass are willing to bite them or not. Topwaters can be good baits for luring a bite from a big bass, and are among the most fun ways to catch bass.