Posted: 8/20/03

The Fishing Line

Scott Soderquist
Guest Writer

Sometimes with highs in the upper 80ís and lower 90ís, sunny skies with no clouds in sight and a light breeze to boot. I personally canít think of a better way to spend an afternoon of great weather like that than being in a boat chasing shallow water bass. My wife may disagree though. When the weather gets hot, so goes the bass in shay shallow water.

If you know bass, you know they like cover in shallow water. Cover for bass comes in many forms, for instance lily pads, cabbage weed, timber, stumps, and brush can be fantastic bass holding cover. Boat hoses, docks, and even floating swimming rafts also offer shady cover and hold bass in bunches.

A fast moving crank bait like a shallow diving Berkley frenzy or flash baits like Northlandís Reedrunner spinner baits are two of my primary choices I use for the taking of these shallow water bass. In fact, it may be the only lures Iíll throw all day, they are that effective.
Covering water is the name of the game and there is no better choice in baits than a finely tuned crank bait or spinner bait. The key is to get the lure as close to the cover as possible and burn it back on the retrieve. Also, be sure to hit the cover from every possible angle. Do this and youíll get the baits in the front of the bass that will hit them.

Bass fishing in these sometimes snag infested areas require a little tougher tackle than you may be accustomed to. Bait casting reels spooled with 12-20 lb. test Berkley XT or Fire line will be your best bet when it comes to line. Match this with a sensitive medium heavy to heavy action 6í6î or 7í rod like a Series One or Lightning Rod Classic. This type of set up will help to save an extra lure or two that might otherwise become snagged and lost when fishing this type of heavy cover.

One last thing, a good pair of polarized sunglasses can be a valuable tool for visibly locating shallow water bass under docks and the like.

The next time the sun rides high and bright in the sky, give shady water bass a try. Youíll be glad you did.

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