Summer Bass Go To School 

Summertime and the living is easy. In our part of the world, most of the “easy living” takes place behind four walls under air conditioning. It’s just too hot and muggy for outdoors activities and we resolve to wait for the first cool days of fall before taking to the woods and waters again.

This can be tough on the bass fisherman who likes nothing more than practicing the art of “chunkin’ and windin’”. If you knew where you could catch some bass and be home before the sultry meltdown begins, would you be interested? I thought so.
On many of our area lakes, summertime is bass schooling time. Pick a lake, river or stream that has bass and chances are, you’ll find bass chasing shad somewhere on the water.

I cut my teeth on school bass fishing while growing up in Goldonna. Someone clued us in that there was a place on Black Lake where the bass were just tearing up the water. There was an old abandoned railroad trestle that had traversed the bottom before the lake filled and we found the bass schooling like crazy next to the old trestle. It turned out to be the easiest bass fishing I ever encountered. Toss out a topwater lure and the game was on.

Here’s how to begin a good day of summertime bass fishing…plan to be on the water at first light armed with a topwater lure – chugger, floater/diver or buzz bait. Cast next to brush, stumps, or grass and give the lure some enticing twitches. You won’t hit many spots before you’re likely to see an explosion around your lure as a largemouth sucks it in.

Once the sun starts up, shallow-feeding bass you fished for at dawn will have retreated, but their more active cousins will be out chasing shad. Any shad imitation such as a Rat-L-Trap, Pop R, or larger lure such as the Zara Spook will usually entice a bass into hitting. If this doesn’t work, tie a small jig, such as the Goin’ Jesse, three feet behind a chugger and give it a try. Bass will often jump all over the smaller lure.
Another excellent school bass lure is a smoke colored grub on a 1/8 ounce grub head. Cast to breaking schools or toss the lure where a school broke the surface a few minutes earlier. You’ll often nab a bigger bass waiting in ambush beneath the breaking schools. A shad look-alike fluttering down in front of his nose is often more than he can take.

If you can stand the heat, head for submerged cover in deeper water and fish a plastic worm. You’ll sometimes find bass hanging around such structure looking for an easy meal.

If you absolutely don’t want to fight the heat, sleep late; take care of honey-do’s around the house during the day and head for the lake at dusk. Take plenty of mosquito repellant and arm one rod with a dark colored plastic worm, another with a big black spinner with a pork or plastic trailer and another with a black buzz bait.
Ease along the shoreline and fish the black spinner first. If you hear surface feeding activity, try the buzz bait. When you approach a lighted boathouse, or you know where a shallow submerged hump is located near deep water, toss out the plastic worm or spinner. A slow retrieve works best at night since the fish have to first locate the lure and then home in on it.

Some of the largest bass of the year can be caught at night as heavyweights drop their guard under the cover of darkness for a late night snack.

Don’t let hot, steamy weather keep you from going after bass. During times like this, you have to do it on their terms. The dividends, though, are well worth the effort.

FISHING REPORT

CANEY LAKE – Bass are best at night on soft plastics and dark colored crank baits. Some are caught early morning around the grass on topwater lures. Some bass are chasing shad on the surface and are schooling. Shad imitation lures are working best.. Crappie are suspended with shiners and jigs taking some nice fish. Bream both chinquapins and bluegills are moving off the beds but can still be caught on crickets and worms. For information contact Caney Lake Landing at 259-6649, Hooks Marina at 249-2347, Terzia Tackle at 278-4498 or the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
BUSSEY BRAKE – Bass fishing is best early mornings on topwater lures and soft plastics working best later. Some big fish continue to be brought in. Crappie are on the flats and are biting on shiners or jigs. The bream bite has slowed a bit. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole at 323-8707.
OUACHITA RIVER – The water is falling and is quite low because of lock and dam problems down stream. Some ramps are closed. A good many catfish are being caught and crappie fishing is fair. Bass are hitting shad imitations in the cuts. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE D’ARBONNE – Some bass are schooling and hitting topwater lures. Wobbleheads are picking up some fish around the grass. Crappie are on the deep flats and fishing has been best at mid-day on shiners and jigs. Bream are fair. Catfish are good fishing off the banks. For latest information, call Anderson Sport Center at 368-9669 or Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE CLAIBORNE – Crappie fishing has been fair to good on jigs and shiners. Bass are around the banks and hitting topwaters early while later hitting hit jigs, spinners and soft plastics with some schooling reported on the surface. Night fishing has improved around lighted piers and boat docks on soft plastics and crank baits. Bream are scattered. Stripers are schooling and hitting shad imitations. For latest information, call Kel’s Cove at 927-2264 or Terzia Tackle at 278-4498.
LAKE POVERTY POINT – Catfish are fair while bass and crappie are rather slow. For information, contact the marina at 318/878-0101.
LAKE YUCATAN – The water is slowly falling and the road to the landing is open and camps are set up. Fishing has picked up with lots of crappie and catfish with plenty of yearling bass being caught. For info call Surplus City Landing at 318/467-2259.