Fishing has been a little tough on the Harris Chain of Lakes with all sorts of tournaments being held on them lately. Boat traffic along with lots of fishing pressure has made for some tough fishing mixed with the recent moon phases.

To help increase my odds of success, I’ve downsized baits and have been with casting around a wacky rigged senko on a 1/8 weighted wacky hook. Doing this has made for the bait to slowly ungulate towards the bottom in shallow areas. This brief pause in working the bait can trigger some hard bites. When you cast it out, don’t hold much pressure on the bait and let it fall on a slack line. Subtle twitches on the rod tip and reel up the slack is what has worked best for me.

Another bait to try is a bladed jig. I fish these baits with a small swimbait in the 3 inch to 4 inch size without a skirt. This makes the bait hunt left and right when you retrieve your line. A spinnerbait is another bait that can help you cover water to find active feeding fish. You can cast them into some sparse heavy cover where the big ones hide. Long casts parallel to lilly pad edges and clusters are a high percentage areas that have paid off really well, so make sure to look for them.

This is the best time of the year to get out and wet a line. I encourage clients to reach out of if they want to get scheduled for a fishing charter on the Harris Chain of Lakes. Be sure to visit my website for lots of fishing pictures and other cool outdoor content.