In a lot of bodies of water bass have no choice but to live in shallow water to survive. Small ponds, shallow lakes, river systems, creeks are just a few of the types of water where you will be fishing shallow to catch bass.

When I was a kid, these are the areas that I learned to bass fish in. My dad and Grandparents use to take us to a few small public lake and creek/rivers. I still look back down memory lane and cherish these days. That’s what got me into bass fishing. As I got older and I had kids I took them back to these same areas to fish. Little did they know what these small shallow bodies of water meant to me. I would fish any body of water that a farmer or land owner would allow.

As I became a better angler with passion and desire to learn all I could about fishing. I used these types of fisheries to learn and catch fish and some really nice fish over the years. I still use this knowledge l today; I will go all the way back in creeks and any reservoir and apply the same techniques I learn fishing these ponds and creeks.

Bass Lures for Summer Bass #1: Topwater and Finesse Tactics

What baits to use!

1. Topwater Baits (The Early Morning Bite)

First thing in the morning, I will choose some type of topwater—a popping bait, walking bait, or a frog. I will use the topwater for the first hour for sure, and if it's working, I will fish it until I feel the bite has stopped. Now, if it's raining or cloudy and windy, the bite could work for several hours. So, let the fish tell you what to do. When choosing what size bait, I will normally go with smaller versions of any of these baits.

2. Wacky Rig Senkos (The Secret Glide Trick)

The Wacky Rig Senko is another bait you want to be using. Green Pumpkin, Junebug, and Black and Blue are some of the colors to start out with. There are times where Green Pumpkin Red Flake, or Junebug Red Flake could be the ticket to getting them to bite. Again, try these colors and experiment with other colors. If you have confidence in a certain color, then use it! Confidence is the name of the game.

I do have one secret that I will share with you. It's using a 1-inch finishing nail in the tip of the Senko. Be sure to insert the nail straight where the bait looks good and straight. What this does is, it's just enough weight to make the bait glide! With the buoyancy of the worm and the light weight of the nail, it will glide. I've been doing this for years now, and I have caught fish over 9lbs on it.

Best Summer Bass Baits #2: Bottom Worms & Vibrating Jigs

3. Bottom-Fished Plastic Worms

You've got to have a plastic worm rigged up, too. This is different from the Senko; it's going to be fished along the bottom. I will fish it with a 1/4 oz weight tungsten sinker most of the time, rigged with a 4/0 offset worm hook. You might need to go lighter, but the main thing is you don't want it to be too heavy and digging too much into the cover or the bottom of the lake.

Colors will be from Green Pumpkin Purple, Watermelon Red Flake, and Junebug. I find these three colors will normally get the job done.

You will want to fish this bait pretty slow along the bottom. You're actually trying to entice an inactive bass into eating. So, keep this in mind, and this is one bait you want to be paying attention to. I've seen this bite so light that I never felt the fish on there—all I saw was my line moving.

4. Vibrating Jigs and Chatterbaits (Best Summer Bass Baits for Covering Water)

This is another fantastic shallow water bait. If you're wanting to cover water, this is the bait to go with! Now, they make a standard size chatterbait and a mini chatterbait. I would choose the mini most of the time. It will match the size of the forage that's in most small bodies of water.

Go with more bream and bluegill colors. Most small bodies of water don't have shad in them. Just fish this bait around any cover you see. And if the body of water you're fishing doesn't have much cover in it, you can make random casts to cross paths of a hungry fish.

How to Choose the Best Summer Bass Rod, Reel, and Line Setup

What Rod and reel to use and what line to have spooled on it.

Rigging Your Topwater Baits

With most topwater, I use braid anymore. I will choose 20lb Hammer Braid. I like the KastKing Finesse baitcasting reels when I'm fishing these shallow water lakes. The Kestrel Bait Finesse is a great one, and so is the Kestrel SE Bait Finesse; they work great with the lighter braid and cast really well with a small topwater. I pair mine up with the 7'2" Verus Bass Fishing Rods (the "Top Water" rod).

Rigging Your Wacky Rig Setup

Here, I'm going with a 15lb Hammer Braid main line with a 10lb Kovert Fluorocarbon leader. If I'm fishing around a lot of cover, I will upgrade to a 12lb leader.

I always use a spinning reel—usually one in the Royale Legend Pro Spinning reel 3000 series is what I like. If you want a reel just a little smaller, go with the 2000 series, but there are several of the KastKing spinning reels that will work great with a wacky rig. The 6'9" Assegai spinning rod works great with this rig.

Rigging Your Bottom Worm Setup

I will fish it on straight fluorocarbon Kovert 15lb test with a 7'2"（Jig/Worm) Royale Legend Pro Baitcaster Combo. Love this reel—it casts great even in the wind.

Rigging Your Vibrating Jig/Chatterbait

This is where the fun starts. I've been using the Al-Ti Elite baitcasting reel with 15 to 17 lb test KastKing Fluorokote line. This reel is just fun to fish with. So easy to cast, and I can skip my Chatterbait under docks and hanging cover with this fantastic reel.

Put These Summer Bass Fishing Tips to the Test

Fishing shallow during the hottest months of the year can be incredibly fun and rewarding if you have the right approach. By using these summer bass fishing tips and matching the best summer bass baits with the perfect rod and reel setup, you will be ready to catch fish in any small pond, creek, or shallow lake.

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