SUMMER PATTERN FISHING
by Capt George Medders

If you fish anywhere in the nation you will be more successful if you learn how to pattern the fish according to all the seasonal and daily conditions that exist. Not only is pattern fishing more productive than just putting the trolling motor down and heading down the shore randomly casting hoping for a bite it also eliminates areas that are not productive much faster.

Lets look at several summer patterns that might work on any body of water according to all the many different conditions that we need to take into consideration when developing a pattern.

First we know that bass prefer good healthy grass over most other types of structure when it's abundant. So this gives us a good starting point. Summer usually means you can find grass somewhere on most lakes. That would be the most obvious place to start looking, but living in Florida I can tell you that some lakes have so much grass that its hard to know where to start. This is just the beginning (thought) or steps in developing a summer pattern.

Next we know its hot, with the surface temp in the upper 80's on most lakes during the summer months. Where would the bass be? Would they be in the cooler water? Maybe a little deeper grass or maybe way back under the heavy grass mats. Maybe we should even look for areas of grass that are closer to deep water. Another thing to take into consideration is the current or rain water run off areas that move the water along the edges of the grass beds providing a ambush point for the bass to take advantage of the bait fish being washed along the edges. So many things to take into consideration but that is what makes pattern bass fishing so much fun.

After establishing the first part of this summer pattern we will need to take all the daily (conditions) into consideration to determine what lures and what type of presentation we should use. You need to think about things like the wind, along with water color, cloud cover or lack of, or any other conditions that could help you develop a successful pattern. For example if it's windy, a spinner bait is always a good choice. You can cover a lot more water fast and the bass seem to know that the wind and current provide a steady flow of shad or minnows passing by so they'll be more likely to be aggressive chasing the bait around these chosen areas. Top water works well on the edges of the grass on cloudy days. Buzz baits worked over the thick grass beds can also produce lots of bass on cloudy days. During the sunny days its hard to beat plastic. You can either work texas rigged worms along the edges or pitch plastic craws into the thicker mats.

I haven't given you any one area up to now so you can see how you need to think about all the different conditions and be creative when developing an effective pattern. A great example of this was in the 2005 Bassmaster Classic where Kevin VanDam used a pattern involving power fishing with jerkbaits around bridge pilings. He moved from one to another, duplicating the same pattern each time. Most areas will have some type of bridge piling or concrete structure where a similar pattern can be established. Also, there are usually areas on most lakes that have moving water conditions, areas like the mouth of creeks or canals that have natural run off from summer rains. These are always good summer areas. Check your surface temp gauge to see if the water is a little cooler, a couple of degrees can make a big difference during the hot summer months.

This is just one example of a summer pattern that can work on your body of water. There are many more summer patterns that bass fisherman have successfully used in the past. Here's a few more examples. Fishing only docks or main lake points, targeting only deep water fish along drop offs or humps, flipping blow downs or a number of other possibilities. The main thing to remember is when you catch a fish always try to duplicate the conditions, you will more than likely find fish on similar conditions at other areas around the lake. Look for the little subtle things to refine your patterns. Be creative, you never know you just might find the mother load.

Good Fishing and God Bless!
Capt. George Medders ><>

George Medders fished on both the Bass Masters Tournament Trail and FLW Pro Tour circuit. He is now is a full time guide on Tarpon Lake for largemouth bass and the backcountry flats near Tampa and Clearwater/The Suncoast for Tarpon, Redfish, Snook, Snapper, Shark, and Jack Crevalle. If you would like to book a trip e-mail or give George a call. georgemedders@webtv.net. Phone-727-863-4646