With the exception of topwaters, hard baits (cranks-spinnerbaits) haven't been producing regularly this year for me. No excuses about the weather or whatever contributing to it, the numbers just aren't there. I'm talking close to 50% reduction over the last two seasons on cranks and I've all but abandoned spinnerbaits for swim jigs the last three or four weeks.

Is anyone else noticing a swing away from hard baits being productive this summer?

I live in the State of Washington and moving baits have produced close to nothing all summer, everywhere I've been. Slow and Suttle soft plastics which sucks cause I'm a hardbait kinda guy.

Probably related to your particular body(ies) of water. I don't think bass across the country convene and decide which baits to favor.

Hard baits are very productive in the summer on the lake I fish, though I think it's an exception. It's super clear, rocky, lots of deep structure, fairly short thin weed beds. Bass don't seem to even use cover, they suspend at 25-30 ft down near the thermocline over deep structure in 40-50 fow. No way to catch them efficiently other than deep diving crankbaits and lonnnng casts. Jigging and drop shotting just doesn't cover enough water when they're this spread out.

Springtime / post spawn hard baits.

Summertime plastics I throw a mix anyway.

Fall hard baits. Don't forget plastic swimbaits in November.

It's a tough call do to conditions and were ur fishing..

Probably related to your particular body(ies) of water. I don't think bass across the country convene and decide which baits to favor.

What rock have you been hiding under? They just had their 15th Anual Anti-angler Convention in Vegas in early July! Nobody knows what's said by the speakers because no one can translate bass speak.

This hasn't been a hardbait year for me. Seriously. The only hardbait that really worked for me this year was an LC Pointer. The rest of my fish came on jigs, bladed jigs, and soft plastics. It's a shame to because I love fishing hardbaits.

Last year, Summer, the bite for me was the spinner bait and Rattlin' Rapla. This year it is about 20 percent spinner bait and most of the rest the plastic worm. I use the KISS method. I stick with what they are biting till otherwise.

 

The Old School Basser....

 

 

I've been hammering em on crankbaits. Lures probably vary greatly from lake to lake! I wish bass liked the same lures everywhere, that'd make it cheaper and easier for me

It's all about timing. Some of my best summer days are cranking, some are flipping, and then some are finessing the heck out of them with drop shot, flick shake, or shakey heads... You never know till you get there and feel it out.

Ive noticed this also.  Seems like all soft baits or swimbaits around here.  Although a couple weeks ago in the wind we had a good day on spinner baits.

Crankbaits have produced pretty good for me this year.  Maybe it has something to do with the heat, or the fishing pressure that your body of water receives.

I have been noticing the same thing.  I have not been catching fish like I use to on crankbaits.   Not sure what is going on but it just isn't as good as it was last year.  Soft plastic has still been working well though. 

not really.. been nailin lots of fish on spinnerbaits every trip and taking a few on Mattlures hardgill

Crankbaits have been the winner this year for me.  Spinnerbaits which usually is the winner the last 3 years has failed miserably this year. 

Red Eye Shad for me is the hot bait in the summer ....

I've been catching a a lot of fish matching the hatch and throwing sexy Shad/chartreuse Shad anywhere where I know bass are feeding on alewifes, and perch patterns where they've been feeding on perch. Fat free Shad/fry/fingerlings have been solid, as have DT6s.

My best of the year (so far) was 18.75" and just under 4lbs on a fat free fry.

I realize a spinnerbait is a moving bait, but not the same as a hardbait as the original title suggests imo.

It has been a case of so much rain made our water high and dirty so we have been doing a lot of pitching jigs and plastics to flooded brush. Now the rain has stopped for a bit and the water levels are dropping and the visibility has increased and now square bills have been a killer but it seems to be down from last season but that is just because we had so much rain that those baits weren't the best to throw.

It's been Buzz Bait's for me until this week now it's Crank Baits.

I've noticed it last year I was hammering them on lipless crankbaits not so much this year they want soft plastics

Its funny how certain lures go hot or cold.   A person might catch fish for a whole season on a certain lure  then that same lure never produces  like that again . 

Some hard baits that have continueD to work for me in summer are Rat L Traps & Topwaters. Other than that, not much.

Of course, bass can be caught year-round on just about any lure, but every lure seems to have its ideal season.

Cranks and spinners have been most effective for us during the spring and fall, but not as much during the summer.

Whether it's Florida or Ontario, the bass in summer seem to be more buried and stationary,

when Texas-rigged worms, punch rigs and slow-moving swimbaits are effective. 

 

Roger

Deep diving cranks had been a consistent summer producer for as long as I can remember. For bottom presentations, that is.  This year, I can count on one hand the outings where they produced. Football jigs with big trailers and shakey heads with straight tail worms, on the other hand have been my most productive bottom presentations.  Don't get me wrong, as long as I'm catching, I'm a happy camper. What puzzles me is the lack of interest in the faster, more aggressive presentation. I was just curious as to whether it is more of a trend on the local waterways or if anglers around the country had noticed a similar trend.