hey all

i was going to add on a question to the thread labeled "summer heat" but didnt think i could relate. so i am asking another heat question.

as a lot of people know, the midwest/east are nutorious for hot @$$ muggy weather. do bass drop to deeper waters to stay cool? if so, what lures/baits work best during the summer time?

Yes they do and I would use plasics, jigs and crank baits and fish them slow.

Yup, they sure do. In those conditions, my top producers have been big, juicy plastics, like the Rage Tail Lobster, space Monkey, or Craw, either on a jig or keel weighted, worked along the edges of deep structure. Happy fishing!

absolutely!! the best places to fish are deep ledges, humps and deep weeds. fish these places with spoons, soft plastics and big crankbaits. these deep fish will feed periodically so don't stay at one spot for to long.

I ahve to agree with all of the previous posts although I would like to add that not all deep places are created equal. One of the best things to look on a lake is cool water running into the lake.

These creek mouths provide a refuge for the fish and a flow of bait into the lake. Often the fish will stay off the drop off adjacent to the creek mouth during the heat of the day and move higher into the water column as the heat of the day fades or other low light periods of the day.

Deep grass edges are also a good spot to look for with the smaller fish generally on the edges of the grass. The larger fish are tucked in deeper.

I normally try to work the edge with down sized lures and then once I find an active school slow down and work further in with a larger bait.

In rivers rock out croppings and soap stone walls will often hold fish due to the fact that the moving water is cooler and it channels shad past the bass' ambush points. Spinner baits and crank baits are ussually the ticket, though you can also get a good bite on suspending jerk baits.

With Jerk baits, the clearer the water the more effective the presentation. Good luck.

Peter

X2 on looking for creek mouths running into the lake that may hold cooler water.  When in doubt, take temps.

they are gonna be slower and too lazy to hit the reaction bait so definitely stick with the t-rig or something similar.