Its been high 80s-low 90s here for a month now. What is your go to baits for this time? 

 

 

Morning i throw almost solely topwater or flukes. Mid day shakey heads and jig under dock. 

I usually just use a frog and jig in the summer months.  But I'm gonna use the Big Hammer Sledge Hammer, quite a bit this year.  I haven't used it a ton yet, but it's starting to look like a cool ledge bait to throw in the "dog daze" of summer. 

Something big and/or fast. Also, top water.

If the water is clear, I like big jerkbaits fished with very short pauses.

Swimbaits. Jigs with a big trailer. Pumping swimjigs. Big crankbaits.

Wacky senkos work for for me all summer long.

Big worms, creature baits, jigs, swimbaits, and deep cranks do a lot of work during the heat of the day. The same baits plus topwater when I can early and late or on cloudy days. Topwater during the heat of the day can account for some really big fish too. 

Big ribbon tail worms,Jigs,C-rig. HOLD _ON!

Summer:

 

Rapala lipless crank baits

 

It's A Humdinger Spinner Baits

 

Skip Jack top water -- an oldie but goodie. still got a few.

 

Spook, Jr., Zara Puppy & Little Chug Bait

 

Baby Minus 1 & Cabela's Grave Digger

 

Berkley Power Worm

 

Zoom Trick Worm -- can work it all kinds of ways.

 

Most of my Summer bassin' is done in water 10 ft. or less.

 

Old school basser...

Strike King Rocket Shad 

Rattle Trap

Little George

Cordell Gay Blade

Lunker Lure

Fat Free Shad

and all soft plastics 

Topwaters in the morning, generally buzzbaits or rage shads at first light, then either poppers or spooks when it's a bit lighter. Will throw them all day when it's cloudy. If topwaters aren't working I'll throw a double willow spinnerbait and retrieve it fast a foot or two under the surface. 

 

In clear or lightly stained water, you can't beat senkos or soft jerkbaits like flukes to catch a few quick fish before the sun gets too high.

 

Later in the day, pitchin' jigs or creatures around rip rap and deep weedlines catches tons of my fish, as do deep cranks or even slow rolling a spinnerbait deep if there is some wind. If they won't come up for a crank, and the water isn't super dirty, I'll throw a mojo rig with a centipede or small worm. 

 

If you have weeds, shade pockets, or slop, the old frog is tough to beat.

 

Just a general rule for me, I'll try lots of different stuff when they aren't biting. If I stay all day, I switch back to topwaters around dusk,

My go to is a simple t-rigged 7" Culprit on a 4/0 straight shank worm hook. There is a reason this old school technique is still around.

Summer:

 

Rapala lipless crank baits

 

It's A Humdinger Spinner Baits

 

Skip Jack top water -- an oldie but goodie. still got a few.

 

Spook, Jr., Zara Puppy & Little Chug Bait

 

Baby Minus 1 & Cabela's Grave Digger

 

Berkley Power Worm

 

Zoom Trick Worm -- can work it all kinds of ways.

 

Most of my Summer bassin' is done in water 10 ft. or less.

 

Old school basser...

I've switched it up on my trick worms. I usually throw a weightless fluke but once i feel its been overused i'll throw a weightless trick worm and work it just like a fluke. 

Topwaters in the morning, generally buzzbaits or rage shads at first light, then either poppers or spooks when it's a bit lighter. Will throw them all day when it's cloudy. If topwaters aren't working I'll throw a double willow spinnerbait and retrieve it fast a foot or two under the surface. 

 

In clear or lightly stained water, you can't beat senkos or soft jerkbaits like flukes to catch a few quick fish before the sun gets too high.

 

Later in the day, pitchin' jigs or creatures around rip rap and deep weedlines catches tons of my fish, as do deep cranks or even slow rolling a spinnerbait deep if there is some wind. If they won't come up for a crank, and the water isn't super dirty, I'll throw a mojo rig with a centipede or small worm. 

 

If you have weeds, shade pockets, or slop, the old frog is tough to beat.

 

Just a general rule for me, I'll try lots of different stuff when they aren't biting. If I stay all day, I switch back to topwaters around dusk,

Instead of a basic frog i usually throw a live target mouse or the spro mouse. I've noticed on heavily pressured waters i'll pull more fish using something a little different. 

topwater in morning then dropshotting by mid-morning

evening throw fat ika then finish with a topwater

I can already tell flipping and pitching big weights into heavy grass is going to become an absolute favorite for me... I've been catching more big (for me) bass flipping lately than I ever have on any other lure/technique.

But for stuff I'm more familiar with, squarebills, 10-12 inch worms, swim jigs, Texas rigged creature baits, and frogs are some stuff I love to use during the summer!

Weightless and split-shotted soft plastics are always killer for me. Topwater is a lot of fun as well in the heat. 

I can already tell flipping and pitching big weights into heavy grass is going to become an absolute favorite for me... I've been catching more big (for me) bass flipping lately than I ever have on any other lure/technique.

But for stuff I'm more familiar with, squarebills, 10-12 inch worms, swim jigs, Texas rigged creature baits, and frogs are some stuff I love to use during the summer!

Flipping jigs is #2 to topwater blowups for me. I love to flip into cover. This year is the first year my pond has had lilly pads. EVER and the ponds been there well over 100 years. So far the fish havent been very keen on the pads yet though. 

Flipping jigs is #2 to topwater blowups for me. I love to flip into cover. This year is the first year my pond has had lilly pads. EVER and the ponds been there well over 100 years. So far the fish havent been very keen on the pads yet though. 

Hope those pads don't become too many...top water...ever tried to run a Zoom Trick Worm in Bubble Gum, Yellow or White over pads?

 

Don't need a Frog.

 

Good fishing...

 

Old school basser...

C-rig, jig, deep cranks on the ledges.

Buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, horny toads up shallow.

But like C&G, the last few years I have fallen in love with punching mats- and that is my current #1summer deal. Its just edging out a c-rig these days.

Hey! Stop telling everyone about weightless trick worms!

If it floats, I like it, mainly the Rapala original minnows and Jointed minnows for waking on spinning tackle and lighter line, if I am throwing on casting gear I like the Long A, Bagley's Bang O lure with prop, or without, Rebel Original minnows, BPS speed minnow which is the old Lew's speed minnows, and I find I start out using a floating minnow bait as a topwater bait, and often it works all day long, letting it sit still near a piece of cover and gently shaking is a deadly method all year long, just make sure to have sharp hooks, it amazes me how fish blow up on a lure with 3 trebles and still will miss it all together....But follow up with your favorite soft bait and that fish will bite 8/10 times....Sometimes you need to fish them like a c-rig, drag it a foot or two and then pause, almost all strikes will come on the pause or when first starting it again.....Long casts are key, and steering it around cover, but letting it float in the wind will generate strikes from larger fish than a fluke normally will imo.

Deep divers, swimbaits, monster worms, jigs, flutter spoons.  Shakeyhead and drop shots when the bite is tough.

Jigs all the way

Magnum trick worm on a 1/2oz shaky head

10xd

12" worm

3/4oz fb jig

Favorites would be

 

baitball popper

 

livingston lures pro swizzle

 

berkley havoc pit boss texas rigged

 

santone lures football jig

 

manns tiny 100

 

If it floats, I like it, mainly the Rapala original minnows and Jointed minnows for waking on spinning tackle and lighter line, if I am throwing on casting gear I like the Long A, Bagley's Bang O lure with prop, or without, Rebel Original minnows, BPS speed minnow which is the old Lew's speed minnows, and I find I start out using a floating minnow bait as a topwater bait, and often it works all day long, letting it sit still near a piece of cover and gently shaking is a deadly method all year long, just make sure to have sharp hooks, it amazes me how fish blow up on a lure with 3 trebles and still will miss it all together....But follow up with your favorite soft bait and that fish will bite 8/10 times....Sometimes you need to fish them like a c-rig, drag it a foot or two and then pause, almost all strikes will come on the pause or when first starting it again.....Long casts are key, and steering it around cover, but letting it float in the wind will generate strikes from larger fish than a fluke normally will imo.

I had a good size bass blow up on a Chug'n Spook the other night and miss it three times, even coming out of the water. Then I caught a 5 lb'er on just one of the hooks of the trebles under the jaw.

Strike King XDs when the bass want something big, loud, and fast

 

Dropshot or a shaky head when they want something small and slow

 

Most of the bass I fish around stay shallow for just the wee hours of the morning and then head 25 ft + deep until the last two hours of the day when they move shallow again. There is a lot of fishing out in the middle of nowhere for deep suspended bass.