3 Summer Fishing Mistakes: What NOT To Do While Bass Fishing

With the blistering hot sun, rising water temperatures, and dismal fishing during the dog days of summer, it is easy to understand why some anglers get discouraged this time of year.

However, fear not Bill Mathews, a Michigan native, and bass fishing specialist shares three common mistakes you should avoid this summer while bass fishing. Follow these tips for more hooksets, less frustration, and genuinely a better time on the water.

Three things NOT to do this summer when bass fishing:

1) Don't Soak Up The Sun

Just because Sheryl Crow's "Soak Up The Sun" is a summertime classic that doesn't mean you should apply her lyrics to your fishing plans. Instead, Bill suggests finding either shady spots or deep water during the summer months. Shade and depth protect fish from the summer sun while providing more of the much-needed oxygen that fish take in through their gills.

Try fishing around docks, near dense patches of grass and lily pads, or along shaded shorelines. If that doesn't work, try pushing out to deeper water where you can focus on structural changes or grass lines.

2) Don't Be Such A Lightweight

One of the premier summertime patterns is flipping Texas rigged soft plastics into dense patches of vegetation. Lily pads, milfoil, coontail, or shoreline reeds are spots you might see Bill flipping soft plastic craws, worms, and creatures.

When flipping, one mistake anglers make is not rigging their Texas rigs with heavy enough weights. A bulky Texas-rigged soft plastic plopped through the right patch of vegetation will surprise fish lurking below, often resulting in a hard, aggressive strike. If your weight isn't heavy enough the bait won't punch through the target area and down to the fish below.

In these situations, a heavier bullet weight sinker will get baits through the grass faster and more efficiently, allowing Bill to fish through each area at a higher speed. Instead of the light bullet weights used in open water, bulk up to a three-quarter or one-ounce weight and target the thick stuff. Moving up a weight class will help you find more summertime bass hiding in the slop.

3) Don't Be In Such A Rush

On a slick calm summer day when there is little wind and not a cloud in the sky, Bill opts for a slow-moving lure that can be presented along the bottom. Shaky heads, Carolina rigs, and ned rigs are all proven fish catchers on a slick calm summer day because of their natural movements and stealth-like presentation abilities.

Without wind, fish often become wearier of the flashy, fast-moving crankbaits, spinners, or swimbaits, which is why successful anglers grab a spinning rod and soak their favorite finesse baits along the bottom.

Bonus Summer Fishing Tips
Pack Extra Water
Protect Yourself From The Sun
Fish Early & Late To Beat The Heat

For more summer fishing tips, follow Bill Mathews on YouTube, or click here