Catching bass in shallows requires element of surprise

Catching quality bass in shallow water during the summer requires specific variables.

This is not like fishing the banks in the spring when bass are cruising the banks and actively feeding. These shallow fish feed primarily at night or at dawn and dusk. Daytime bass in the shallows are simply resting and can be difficult to catch.

First, let's look at the conditions necessary for a shallow bite.

An angler must first locate a flowing creek entering the lake, normally on the lake's upper end. The flowing water brings oxygen, and the moving water prevents a thermocline from developing in that section of the lake. This environment will begin to resemble a creek or river.

Dirty or muddy water also helps keep bass shallow. And there should be wood cover in the form of rootwads, laydowns and stumps. The combination of current, dirty water and cover provides the angler a predictable bass location and orientation. This is important because to catch nonfeeding bass, an angler will need to create a reaction to the lure. Actually, the bass need to be surprised by the lure in order to get a bite.

After finding a suitable area of the lake, it's time to fish.

Consider a stump, for an example. Think of how individual fish would be positioned. If the current is good, the bass will be on the down-current side of the stump with his nose into the current. If there is little current, then the bass will position itself in the shade facing out. The dirtier the water, the stronger the current and the brighter the sunshine, the tighter the bass will be to the stump. That system will help an angler fish for reaction bites by narrowing the field.

Once an angler is confident a fish is positioned on "that" stump, the lure must be placed silently into the water and directly in front of the fish's face. Since the fish is not going to move from this position to chase your lure, the placement of the lure is required to get an instinctive reaction bite, sort of like when a person tosses a ball to someone by surprise. Since a bass doesn't have hands, he bites it.

Most of the time I use flipping and pitching techniques with fast falling heavier drop baits, but there are times when I use shallow running crankbaits. For the drop baits, I use a 7-foot medium heavy action Falcon Cara rod paired with a Shimano Castaic 6.2:1 reel designed for flipping and pitching. I spool the reel with 20-pound hi-vis flourocarbon line because it has low stretch and I can see light bites.

The baits I like are small profile 3/8-ounce Eakin's Finesse Flipping Jigs by Jewel. I stick with black-blue most of the time. I also use Southern Pro Pitching Tubes with a 3/8- or 1/2-ounce weight. I use a black neon color for the tubes.

Notice in both baits I use dark colors because they are more visible in dirty to muddy water. If it is cloudy or the fish simply become more active, I'll switch to a Bandit 100 series crankbait in chartreuse or firetiger. It is important to make contact with the wood for the bass to react.

I use a 7-foot medium action Falcon Cara rod paired with a Shimano Curado 6.2:1 reel spooled with Berkley 15 pound Big Game Line for the crankbaits.

Fishing the headwaters can be a lot of fun and gives anglers a break from the deepwater mainlake. Sometimes it will be the best choice during the summer.

David Bortner is a promotional bass fisherman who has competed in BASS Federation and Wal-Mart BFL events.