When the sun’s blazing and the waters are flowing, there’s no better way to spend your days than summer bass fishing in rivers.
Get ready to uncover the tips and tricks for a rewarding summer bass fishing experience.
We’re talking tactics, gear, and all the know-how you need to make this summer unforgettable on the river.
During the summer months in rivers, bass tend to seek out areas that provide them with comfort, safety, and easy access to food. Here are a few spots where you’re likely to find bass during this season:
Shaded Cover: As water temperatures rise, bass often seek refuge in shaded areas. Overhanging trees, vegetation, and structures like bridges or docks offer protection from the sun and create cooler zones that bass find appealing.
Current Breaks: Bass are known to position themselves near current breaks. These can include behind rocks, boulders, and fallen trees that disrupt the flow of water. These areas offer both a resting place and a prime location to ambush passing prey.
Eddy Zones: Eddies are calm pockets of water created by the flow of a river. They are often found behind obstructions like rocks or points of land. Bass love these spots because they can conserve energy while still having access to food carried by the current.
Transition Areas: Bass are likely to hang out in transition zones where shallow water meets deeper water. These areas provide them with a range of feeding opportunities and a quick escape to deeper waters if needed.
Vegetation: Submerged and emergent vegetation can offer shade, oxygen, and a plethora of prey for bass. Look for areas with healthy vegetation, as they can be hotspots for feeding activity.
Underwater Structure: Fallen trees, submerged logs, and rock formations create ideal hiding spots for bass. These structures not only provide shelter but also attract baitfish and other prey.
Deep Pools: Deeper pools often have more stable temperatures compared to shallower areas. Bass might retreat to these pools during the hottest parts of the day to escape the heat.
Also Read: Best Lures for Creek Fishing
River systems have a huge array of creatures in them and bass eat a very wide variety of prey.
The summer months bring in even more animals and life to rivers, giving bass almost limitless species to eat.
You can’t go wrong by matching the hatch. However, since river bass eat so many different things, this might be easier said than done.
Here are the tried and true lures that catch the most smallmouth and largemouth bass in rivers.
A spinnerbait imitates pretty much anything that swims. It is can be fished around brush, logs, weeds, and rocks without getting hung up or snagged.
You can use as light or heavy spinnerbait that you need depending on the water depth and conditions.
There are also three different blade types, each with unique advantages, so that you can optimize your fishing in any river.
Crankbaits can be fished at all depths of the water column because of the wide variety of bill lengths.
Crankbaits create lots of vibration and can be bounced of of rocks to trigger reaction strikes from aggressive bass.
Like I said earlier, river bass love crawfish. Soft plastics like the Rage Craw, Pit Boss, and really any crawfish imitation will be extremely successful especially in the hot summer months.
These can be fished as jig trailers, on a Texas rig, a drop shot, or other finesse techniques.
Football jigs are a casting jig. This means you can cast out and fish them in more open water instead of just flipping and pitch into heavy cover.
The football shaped head helps to prevent the jig from becoming wedged in between rocks.
Football jigs imitate crawfish, bluegill, eels, and whatever else may be crawling around on the bottom of the river.
I love throwing a black and blue colored football jig in rivers because water clarity and visibility are typically lower in the moving water.
Also read: Best Bass Lures for Summer Pond Fishing
If you have ever tried to fish a river from the bank, you already know how difficult it is.
River banks are typically very hard to fish from because they usually have tons of trees and bushes blocking your access to the water.
These banks are often very steep and dangerous as well. To really get the most out of river fishing, you are going to need some sort of boat.
Whether this is a full fledged bass boat, a fishing kayak, a canoe, or a pontoon boat, a boat is going to allow you to fish the entire river and find all the places that bass are hiding in.
Fishing from a boat will also give you access to many fishing accessories that can make big differences to you fishing success.
Also read: How to Read a River for Fishing
Fishing a big, flowing river can be very intimidating, especially for new fisherman.
As long as you know where the fish are, what they are biting, and how to put your lure in front of them, you will have success on the river.
The summertime heat speeds up bass metabolism, making them need to eat more food. The summer also brings in a lot of new forage that isn’t available in other seasons.
These conditions create a feeding frenzy inside the flowing waters. Rivers can be dangerous, so stay safe and have fun.
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