In addition to fast moving options a tube thrown shallow will pull largemouth bass out of summer slop and structure.

By Nick Simonson

With the solstice, we’ve reached the official start of summer, meaning there’s about three months of temperate weather and great fishing for active species that should be gearing up for some solid bites in the coming weeks.  Three of my favorite species to angle for in summer are bass, walleyes and crappies, and keeping with the theme of threes, each one of those species has a trio of baits in my tacklebox that I turn to for success.

The heart of summer is bassin’ time.  Whether smallmouth or largemouth are in your sights, there are three versatile baits that you can use to catch them on whatever water you might be fishing.  The first is the venerable spinnerbait.  With so many color options and blade options, you can find a model to meet your needs.  Rip it along the weed edges, slow roll it along rocky bottoms or buzz it around areas holding baitfish to trigger aggressive strikes from both varieties of bass.  Oftentimes, I’ll follow up a short strike by having a plastic tube rigged on a 3/0 hook that I can pitch back to the spot where I felt a bump but didn’t connect with a fish.  It also makes a great dock bait and with a heavy weight you can punch it through weed mats and stands of lily pads to find fish in the slop.  As a third option I toss a soft plastic stick, such as a Yamamoto Senko or a Yum Digner on a 4/0 wide-gap hook, especially near structure or up in the developing shallow weeds and slop regardless of the weather.  If a cold front just ran through, I may turn to this lure first and experiment with other presentations as the day rolls on.

For walleyes, summer means more aggressive tactics.  Try trolling a variety of crankbaits such as the Rapala Shad Rap, or Dives-To (“DT”) models along breaklines or just off the weed edge on your favorite lake.  Keep some contact with the bottom to trigger reaction strikes and to get a better feel for the substrate.  If that presentation seems too fast and you need some flavor to trigger a bite, you can slow things down a bit and try spinners and other live-bait rigs tipped with leeches, crawlers or minnows for summer’s hungry walleyes.  Work them precisely along gravel bars, rock ledges or other transition areas where fish are known to feed.  If all else fails, a properly positioned jig tipped with live bait will still pay off.  Cast out to structure, or vertically work it along those same transition areas for success.  On rivers, key in on holes during daylight hours, and come up into the shallows at dawn and dusk and work eddies and riffles where fast water meets slack to find fish.

Summer is also a great time for crappies.  Once they’ve moved off their beds and into open water, all you have to do is locate a school for fast feeding action.  A great search lure is a 1/16-ounce jig with a spinner attached such as a Road Runner or a Beetle Spin.  These lures help you cover water, much like you would with a spinnerbait for active bass, and locate hungry crappies.  Once you find them, you can more precisely target their color preference by tossing crappie tubes in a variety of patterns rigged on jigheads or insert jigs as the situation dictates.  Finally, a slip float, split shot and small hook tipped with a two- or three-inch minnow is a live bait option that seals the deal if nothing else will.  Adjust the depth of the presentation by sliding the bobber stop up or down, putting the bait where it needs to be.  Remember that crappies, with their large, upward-mounted eyes, rise up to take baits so put your bait a foot or so above the school to get their attention and fish with light line, such as four-pound test, for the most natural presentation.

For these three species, it’s important to have a number of options.  Try these presentations and others to find what works for fish on a particular water near you.  Put together your perfect trio of baits for each and keep your tacklebox well stocked for the best three months of the year. 

Simonson is the lead writer and editor of Dakota Edge Outdoors.