Great time of Year to Catch ’em Up!

This is a great time of year to catch them on lures or live bait. I have a few days open in May and June.

Top baits this week for me were the Zman Jackhammers, Chug Bugs, Storm Largo Shad 3.5″ and the Mike Bucca 7″ Trick Shad Gizzard color.

David Berry had the big fish (10lb) this week, he caught her on a Jackhammer 1/2oz chatterbait. Three hours earlier, David caught a 9.25lb fish on the same bait. The trailer he was using was a Yamamoto Zako 4″.

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.

I’m fishing my Chug Bugs (chrome or Shad) and popping baits around Shad schools along canal edges and cut throughs that have loads of bait in them right now. I’ve also slowed my presentation down on these baits. They will crush this thing just sitting still.

The Largo Shad is a new bait I’m trying out that 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. At 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.

Tight lines!