A lot of folks sing sentiments similar to that during August and September, when anglers notoriously have to fish a lot harder and struggle to find aggressive bass, especially on Southern lakes and reservoirs. The rising thermocline forces bass off deep structure because very little oxygen exists down there then. They get lethargic and roam and suspend more, making them tougher to catch.
As a result, anglers are left with two options: Fish shallow, or if it's a river-fed reservoir, run up the lake where it narrows, and there is more current.
If you look at the results of major bass tournaments held this time of year, you'll notice that nearly all of them were won very shallow or at the top, where the current keeps the water better oxygenated.
Retired bass pro Hank Parker recalled a Bassmaster Classic on Tennessee's Chickamauga Lake, where a competitor located good schools of bass on deep structure three weeks before the event. Parker cautioned him not to count on those fish for the tournament, though.
"Sure enough," he said, "the thermocline had risen within 10 feet of the surface when the tournament began, and that angler never got a bite where he had caught them in practice. The tournament was won by a guy who fished a jerkbait over the grass line in the back of a bay.
"If I'm going to fish on the main lake at this time, I'll head to the shoreline nearest those areas where I caught them on deep structure," continued Parker. "I'll use a lot of shallow crankbaits or bang spinnerbaits around brush to trigger reactionary strikes. I'll cover a lot of shoreline, hitting whatever cover is there and slowing down only when I find the fish.
"I'll also move up the lake toward the river. That area can have more active fish because the current keeps the water cooler. I look for the same kind of structure I fish on the main lake during summer, including ledges, points and cover near the river channel. You also can catch bass around bridge pilings or in eddies of wing dams or rock piles close to the channel."
While some anglers in this situation will run farther upriver to flip shallow brush and trees lying along the bank, Parker noted that largemouth bass will get behind those objects and wait for forage carried by the current. His bait choices are tubes, jigs and creature baits.
"Now, the exception to all of this," said Parker, "is if the lake has a lot of grass. Aquatic vegetation changes everything and makes bass easier to catch. Not only does healthy grass produce oxygen, but the water beneath it is cooler, and there is more food there.
"That's when frogs and other surface-skimming baits worked over the top can create some fun fishing, especially during early-morning and late-evening hours. You also can flip the holes in the grass, which is a pattern that can produce some big fish. The bass will swim around under the matted grass and can become aggressive."
Parker cautioned that the fish won't always be on the bottom. His advice, accordingly, is to check all depths below the weeds until you establish a pattern. If you're not getting a bite on the bottom, lift the lure to where it's just beneath the grass and shake it.
"Sometimes, that's where you'll get strikes," he said.
"Anytime you fish the dog days, you have to maintain a different mindset," added Parker. "Accept the fact that you're probably not going to catch as many fish as you did a couple months earlier and that you have to grind it out. If you find an area holding fish, work it thoroughly. It might be the best spot on the lake that day."
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