The Heat Is On
Fishing the dog days of summer!

by Doug Emerson

The water temps are rising, the days are long, the air is hot, and the fishing seems to be slow. When the dog days of summer arrive, fishing seems to present some unfavorable conditions to overcome. Boat traffic, stiffening heat, and bluebird skies to name a few, all have an effect on whether your day on the water will be successful or not. As with every season, with a little planning and preparation, summertime fishing can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience.

Planning your day on the water is most important this time of year. Dehydration, sunburn, and fatigue can all ruin your day. Water or sport drinks are critical and a good supply should be on hand at all times. A lot of anglers make the mistake of waiting to long before drinking any fluids, if you wait until you are thirsty, you waited to long. Several glasses of water should be consumed before you start your day and repeated often throughout. Dehydration is easy to prevent, but very difficult to cure, and often takes days to accomplish.

Sunburn can make your day, as well as several days following your outing, miserable at best. Just the same as fluids, if you wait until you feel the effects once again you waited to long. Most anglers will opt to were shorts and t-shirts this time of year, while that might feel cooler, as time goes by even with plenty of sun block you will feel the effects, remember even on cloudy overcast days you may become sunburned, sun block is best applied before you’re exposed to the sun, if you apply it after you feel the burn and are sweating, its effectiveness is diminished. Light colored loose fitting clothing along with a vented hat and visor would be a better choice. I like to keep a white long sleeve shirt, dampened and kept in the cooler; this can provide some much needed relief later in the day.

Along with summer comes yet another obstacle to plan for, the CROWDS. Much unlike other seasons on the lake, this time of year brings with it every sun worshiper known: swimmers, jet boats, party barges, cruisers, water skiers along with bank fishermen and beach goers will all be on the lake. The traffic on the road as well as the ramp will be frustrating to say the least. The first thing to keep in mind is that they all have as much right as anyone to be there, and, only have a short period of time to enjoy these lakes, Labor day is just around the corner. In the meantime, just a little adjusting should help make your day go safely and smoothly.

Recreational boaters seem to have a different time frame than most fishermen; they rarely start or finish their day as early. You might want to plan to be at the lake yourself just a little sooner than normal and finish your day before the crowd hits the ramps and freeways to go home. Another thing to remember, with the wakes from cruisers and ski boats, the points on the main lake and areas around marinas will more than likely be difficult as well as dangerous to fish during the height of the day, hit these areas early before the crowds arrive. Once the lake becomes crowded, it’s best to find areas that are unfavorable to most other boaters. Coves off the main lake that provide access to deep water, areas that have stick ups and other obstacles and areas that are not close to marina and ramp entrances, all should provide some relief on a busy lake. If this is not possible you may want to fish a point from a different direction, using it as a break from the wave action and casting to the other side or sometimes you can use your anchor to fish these points, it will hold you in place and allow you to concentrate on fishing, instead of your trolling motor.

The fishing itself can be slow in the dead of summer, once the water temps reach above 80 degrees Largemouth will seek areas that can provide some relief from this heat. Areas that will produce fish at this time of year are many; however they all have something in common, deeper water access. Fish will move into shallow areas throughout the summer period especially early and late in the day. Areas that provide cover or shade will usually hold fish throughout the day. Lay downs, boat docks and lily pads all offer such cover and would be good choices. The key will be having deeper water near by.

Deeper water does not have to be very deep, water just 2 or 3 feet deeper at times will hold fish, largemouth can detect slight changes in water temperatures, sometimes just a fraction of a degree will be enough to hold fish in that area. We all remember swimming as kids and coming across a cold spot, then move along just a little further and the water warms again. Look for these areas with your electronics, underwater springs and currents often cool the surrounding area. Banks that face the South receive the most sunlight throughout the day; therefore they usually are warmer in lakes that don’t produce much current. Look for banks that face the North. Trees, overhangs and buildings will all provide longer periods of shade on these banks.

What you decide to throw in the heat of the summer is a critical part of being successful. Large worms fished slowly, crank baits bumped slowly off of cover and jigs slowly dragged along the bottom all should be good choices. In case you did not pick up on it “SLOW” was the key word. Look for deeper flats with stick up’s and stumps, steep banks with lay downs and brush and areas in and around deeper water such as docks that provide shade and cover. Once you have decided on an area to fish, start out in deeper water, and slowly work your way in until you find fish, sometimes going right to the bank and then working out will spook them. Above all slow down on your presentation and your day on the water will be a successful one.

Doug Emerson
ABA Tournament Angler
Sponsored by: Inn By The Lake