Throughout the summer and fall, fishing for largemouth bass is usually not as good during the afternoon as it is during the early morning and evening. Most bass anglers prefer to fish early in the morning and in the evening, but for those of you that are looking to target bass during the day, it is still possible to catch plenty of bass. If the sun is out during the day, largemouth bass will usually hold tighter to cover and a good number of bass will move into deeper water. To consistently catch bigger bass during the summer and fall months, you need to learn how to fish deeper water. That doesn’t mean that you need to learn how to catch them in 20 to 40 feet of water. Sometimes, just moving out into 8 to 16 feet of water with some type of cover or structure such as a weed line, rock pile, fish crib, hump or ledge is all you need to catch bass during the afternoon.
For those of you shallow water anglers, you already know that you can still catch plenty of bass shallow during the summer in the middle of the afternoon. Depending on the lake you are fishing, you may have some excellent cover that will still hold some fish shallow. Docks, heavy grass areas, thick pads and overhanging trees can provide enough shade to keep plenty of bass shallow. However, on most lakes, you should be able to catch more quality-sized largemouth bass by fishing deeper water in the afternoon from summer through fall. During the spring, the middle of the day offers some very good fishing for bass in the shallows. The afternoons can raise water temperatures just a few degress from the morning and this can trigger a good bite in the shallows.
Slow Down & Fish Tighter to Cover
This is a no brainer. It will help you put more fish in the boat. At this time of day, you are going to be trying to get some inactive fish to bite. Leaving a bait close to their resting spot for longer will help get some of these fish to bite.
Early Spring & Late Fall – Get out and Fish
The afternoon will usually be the better time to fish during the early spring and late fall or even early winter. The warmer water temperatures during the middle of the day will help trigger some bass to feed.
Find Current
If you’re on a body of water that draws current during the day, fish when the current is running. It’s like ringing a dinner bell. It could be the best time of the day to fish.
Fish Deeper
Sometimes, you just have to fish deeper. Find a drop-off near your best shallow water spots and you’ll probably find some of those bass that were in the shallows in the morning, but have disappeared.
Use Your Electronics
Using your electronics to find drop-offs and the drop-offs that actually hold fish is a great way to find bass once they go deeper.
[wpinsertshortcodead id="cpgud5f8d881788989"]
