This is a great time of year to catch them on lures or live bait. Fish early and catch them on topwater before it gets hot!! The water temp is 87 degrees when we started yesterday.
I have a few days open — June 25,26,27,28.
Top baits this week for me were the Zman Jackhammers, Whopper Ploppers, Storm Largo Shad 3.5,” Bass Assassin RSB worms and the Mike Bucca 7″ Trick Shad Gizzard color.
Nathan Morton had the big fish (8lbs) this week, he caught her on a Jackhammer 1/2oz with a Yamamoto Zako 4” trailer.
I’m fishing the half ounce Bret’s Bluegill Jackhammer in areas with scattered hydrilla and in ditches. I use a 4.5” Hogfarmer Spunk Shad in green pumpkin magic or a Yamamoto Zako 4” Green Pumpkin. Fishing these on flats with scattered hydrilla. This week with the rising water temps a slower retrieve or a stop and go retrieve were the best way for us to get bites.
The Whopper Plopper fished slowly on top was an absolute killer this week. We caught fish all day long on this bait. The 110 and 90 both produced well. Shad colors or bone were equally as good.
I’m fishing the Bass Assassin RSB worms weightless over the hydrilla or letting it drop in holes in the hydrilla. Gooseberry is still the best color. I’m using a 6/0 VMC EWG hook to give it just a little weight. These also work well reeling them slowly like you would a spinnerbait.
The Largo Shad is a fish catching machine. I’ve been rigging it with a 1/4oz Berkley 4/0 underspin. The 3.5” matches the hatch perfectly right now. The Pro Blue Red Pearl is my go to color but they have several to choose from. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite fish catching summertime baits. Our big fish on this bait was 7.25lbs this week.
The 7” Mike Bucca Trick Shad in gizzard color is my go to swimbait this week. I’m fishing these along thick grass edges near deep sharp drops. Get on the Bullshad email mailing list so you can get the bait drop info. The only way to get the Trick Shad and Glides are go to a bait show that Bullshad attends or through the bait drops. Sign up at Bullshad.com Headwaters Jim Fallon caught a 10lb lunker on this bait this week.
The live bait bite was great this week. The fish are moving into deeper water so the deeper canals and pits are my focus areas. As water temps continue to climb the bite will slow down as the fish go deeper. Freelining is definitely working better for big bites.
Check out the new 4 blades spinnerbait John Laurenza Jr. and I collaborated on. It’s working great and I’ve always done well on these multi blade spinnerbaits everywhere I’ve fished them. If fished Lake Murray for 15 years and it was my favorite bait there so I know it will work throughout the country.
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