Instant hot water temps are my guess for the deeper weed die off… will be interesting to see how this heavy rain will affect things. Will be hot and dry again, I’m going to look for any culverts or drains into the lakes in about 4-5 days after this settles
What Rains – Missed us here totally. We sure could have used it. looking at the current forecast – None is sight thru the end of the month either.
If you’re consistently catching 20 inch fish you’re doing something right thumper. I have not caught a 20 inch fish this season. I have a 19.5 inch smallmouth and a couple of 18.5 inch largies to my record so far. Last season was absolutely historic for me and I knew there was no way it would be as good though. I will have to try to slow down with some plastics as that seems to be the presentation of choice for catching bigger fish.
I’m glad you guys are all catching fish. Shore fishing for me has dried up. I’ve caught one small bass in my last 5 outings. At my favorite spot, the water is too shallow and too hot. I’ve tried a couple of new spots to no avail. This time of the year was productive the previous two seasons.
I’m glad you guys are all catching fish. Shore fishing for me has dried up. I’ve caught one small bass in my last 5 outings. At my favorite spot, the water is too shallow and too hot. I’ve tried a couple of new spots to no avail. This time of the year was productive the previous two seasons.
I’d look for any drainage area into the lakes/rivers where you’re at. Once we go back to hot/dry weather those areas might be dynamite as long as they continue to flow/trickle!
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bob P wrote:</div>
I’m glad you guys are all catching fish. Shore fishing for me has dried up. I’ve caught one small bass in my last 5 outings. At my favorite spot, the water is too shallow and too hot. I’ve tried a couple of new spots to no avail. This time of the year was productive the previous two seasons.I’d look for any drainage area into the lakes/rivers where you’re at. Once we go back to hot/dry weather those areas might be dynamite as long as they continue to flow/trickle!
Agreed. Any where you can find that has something draining into it as Frydog said, should be cooler water in theory. That’s what the shore anglers need to find right now. Cooler water.
Was out fishing a tournament on waconia yesterday. Best 5 went 14 pounds even. Caught them in 7-10fow fishing a 3/8oz stealth feider through and around the first weedline. Caught two muskies doing the same thing. Winning weight was 18-12 and came from sitting on the same 22ft ledge for hours straight watching fish on panoptix. Man I hate fishing against panoptix
Good thing about Minnesota is a variety of lakes…
Started off at sunrise on a deep, very clear lake, 76 degree water temps. Thought I’d fish early knowing it would be sunny and no wind. Well, it still wasn’t very good – 3 dinks in 2 hours.
Called an audible and pulled out went to a nearby lake that is shallow, dark and murky… 79 degrees. Opposite experience – found ample fish in only 6-9 fow. Dragged MB Ouze underspin swim jigs… just slow enough to hit the chunk rock/boulders. If you could hit at least 2 rocks on the retrieve, pretty much guaranteed a strike. Caught 15 LMB between 16-18 inches, and one 19 incher in 4 hours.
Salvaged the day anyway, helped to switch lakes. And that Ouze jig is like a spinnerbait that stays down and doesn’t float up when you pull it back 
Holy crap it was a tough bite this morning. I’ve never been a big finesse guy but I HAD to do it this morning to get bit. Had to bust out the hated drop shot and ned. Flat calm, hot sun, relatively clear water…really not a good combination in July. I hope it doesn’t stay like this until we get a weather change because I see basically the same hot dry conditions for the next 7-10 days.
Holy crap it was a tough bite this morning. I’ve never been a big finesse guy but I HAD to do it this morning to get bit. Had to bust out the hated drop shot and ned. Flat calm, hot sun, relatively clear water…really not a good combination in July. I hope it doesn’t stay like this until we get a weather change because I see basically the same hot dry conditions for the next 7-10 days.
What time do you go out on the water? I feel like you ask for those conditions and then complain about them.
Only observing from a distance.
What time do you go out on the water? I feel like you ask for those conditions and then complain about them.
Only observing from a distance.
I was out there from 6-10am. Normally I do not fish in these types of conditions because I know how difficult it’s going to be but my brother was in town from out of state and he wanted to go.
Went out yesterday got 2 nice bass 20 inchers and a total of 21 bass all on weed edge 10 FOW deep, lake water stained generally a clear lake. Most on a ned rig jig with a craw imitation. Very calm and not the easiest to fish. Better luck than I have had lately. Today I may not even fish need to rejuvenate and getting a little burned out in this heat every day.
Went out yesterday got 2 nice <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>bass 20 inchers and a total of 21 <em class=”ido-tag-em”>bass all on weed edge 10 FOW deep, lake water stained generally a clear lake. Most on a ned rig jig with a craw imitation. Very calm and not the easiest to fish. Better luck than I have had lately. Today I may not even fish need to rejuvenate and getting a little burned out in this heat every day.
Sounds like you did really well in these continued tough conditions. How heavy a Ned jig are you using in 10 fow and do you let it hit bottom, or suspend near a certain depth?
I went golfing this morning…….the bottle bass were really biting….. 
Hi all, Well left church saw a boat go by and well I lied I went fishing at 10:30-2 pm hot and calm same lake as yesterday. Glad I went 35 bass and 1 SM bass all were smaller but 2-3 pounders fun fishing. I used Ned rigs again tried Neko but no luck. Fishing the weed edge of really dense yucky weeds to put it mildly they were tight on the edge if you didn’t hit a weed or 2 you got nothing. 8-10 FOW.
FryDog62 I have been using a 1/16 jig head also 1/8 as well I tend to fish a heavier jig just so I know I’m feeling bottom not my strong suit but learning.
Yesterday they wanted it on the bottom with 1 or 2 pops then they hammered it.
Today different Cast out they either hit it before it hit bottom or hit bottom pop a couple times then as I was slowly reeled back in they hammered it within a foot of retrieval.
I used Strike king Rage craws these work real good 2 3/4 size brown or blue worked best as the day went on they wanted Googan Krackin craws these are 3 inches a little bigger how ever this is the last time I buy any Googan baits they are very pliable but 1 bait one fish they just ripped them to shreds.
Not worth my money. The craws really have worked good subtle action I think, a turd worm was not touched 3 or 5 inch.
Being we are on the subject I am using up my Z man mushroom jig heads I really don’t like them the soldered barb keeper breaks off if you use a pliers or they just fall off is there another brand that would work better any recommendations?
Had a great time. Another thing not to push buttons but the best time to fish is when you can. It doesn’t always work out when for everyone but sometimes with my schedule I’m lucky to get to the lake by 8 am in the morning still shy 2 hours of sleep but guys got to fish 
Being we are on the subject I am using up my Z man mushroom jig heads I really don’t like them the soldered barb keeper breaks off if you use a pliers or they just fall off is there another brand that would work better any recommendations?
I use the Zman nedlockz jig heads instead of the original ones. The original ones are weak and the keeper breaks as you mentioned. The Nedlockz ones are solid.
How do you keep the Ned rig from getting tangled in the weeds? Seems like mine is always getting hung up if I use it around thick weeds.
Thanks for the advice on the jigs! Today was working a very dense weed bed so I was fishing right on the edge if I get hung up I rip it and many times get a fish but generally I don’t fish in thick weed edges or in weed beds. But yes I get hung up sometimes.
Jeez, I want to fish where you’re fishing Mr Pike.
I’ve had good luck with VMC mushroom head jigs. Never broken one and I’ve had the exact same thing happen to my zman jigs too.
I agree on the Nedlockz over the original which is way too fragile. I also like the Neds that Thorne Bros sells (below). Man, they are sticky, never lose a fish. Haven’t had them bend out yet. However, if I get into any kind of moderate/heavier cover, I have to switch to a Tiny Child Rig. Stupid name, but the best in terms of working around cover without getting too hung up.
Mr.Pike, I have a hard time getting Neds to the bottom in 10 fow, your more patient than I am but that’s probably why you had such a good day
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FryDog funny you showed those jigs they are the first ones I used, for me they were terrible the keepers fall out and the ones I had the heads were loose. Maybe this brand is way better.
When finesse fishing I do take things slower but 1/8 once jig gets down pretty fast in 10 FOW.
That’s too bad… I’m on my second bag of them and so far, so good. But I only Ned when everything else fails, so am not an expert. I will say when I have hooked fish with them, it’s been nearly impossibly to unbutton and release. I guess that can be both a good and bad thing!
Bank Fishing – I’ve given up on my lake spots for a while due to the low water and heat. I tried the Mississippi River this morning and to my surprise I caught a nice chunky smallmouth. First one ever from the river.
But the fight was so much different than my lake fish. At first it felt like I had a very heavy weed on. No tugging at all. I slowly pumped and reeled in the weed for 15 seconds or so. Then I felt a bit of tugging and I realized it was indeed a fish. It pulled heavy but drag wasn’t stripping as I would have expected for that strength of pull. As I got it closer, it pulled a few inches of drag a couple of times and made a nice jump. It was about 16 inches, but hefty. I was using a Texas Rigged senko with a medium sized split shot right above the hook.
With this I have a couple of questions about bank fishing the Mississippi.
– Should I be setting my drag a little lighter than I do for bank fishing lakes?
– In some places the current moved my senko very fast. Should I use a heavier weight to slow the movement down?
I caught the fish in an area with riffles and moderate current. I tried to cast out to the area where the riffles and faster smooth water meet. I also fished in the faster smooth water, and saw some signs of fish, like swirls, but I felt my senko was moving too fast. The slower sheltered water seemed dead to fish activity.
I’ve got a lot to learn.
The fishing has gotten a little tough around my area. Our big fish spot has slowed down a lot. We are going to let it sit for awhile and see if that helps. We were probably fishing it far to often. Looking back at picture it appears like we have caufgt several of the fish 2-3 times already this year. Was interesting to track the pictures and see how much those fish move around from spot to spot. We had one fish that has been caught 3 times this year in three different spots on the lake. The spots are not a great distance apart but more than I thought the fish would move around. I think I said in a past post that the deeper weeds seem to be dying off much earlier this summer than usual. I have found this on several different lakes. My guess is the lower water and warm water temps are the cause. I would have normally thought that the more than normal bright sunny days and warmer temps would have helped the deep weed growth – Does not seem to be the case. Unless something else is the cause. I have not seen any weed spraying activity out at the lakes I fish.
With this I have a couple of questions about bank fishing the Mississippi.
– Should I be setting my drag a little lighter than I do for bank fishing lakes?
– In some places the current moved my senko very fast. Should I use a heavier weight to slow the movement down?I caught the fish in an area with riffles and moderate current. I tried to cast out to the area where the riffles and faster smooth water meet. I also fished in the faster smooth water, and saw some signs of fish, like swirls, but I felt my senko was moving too fast. The slower sheltered water seemed dead to fish activity.
River fish are much different than lake fish. The key to river fishing is to fish the current breaks. SM use these locations as ambush spots. The smallest current break will hold fish. Rather its a island, a Larger Rock, a Tree stump. ect. I doubt that the senko is moving to fast. Those SM are use to bait going past them at a rather fast pace. It probably would not hurt to upsize the weight some. If you get it to heavy you risk hanging it up more often. As far as the drag goes I would set it slightly tighter than you normally do on lake fish. River fish tend to be much stronger than lake fish are. They also learn to use the current to their advantage. In addition to plastics. Try some moving baits like bladed Jigs or spinnerbaits. They are often easier to fish than plastics and you can cover water faster. White is a great color in the river. I have caught some of my Best river SM on a white spinnerbait with white blades. Good luck and keep after them !!!
I’ve got a lot to learn. – Who doesn’t !!!!
Agree with what fishthumper has said on the river fishing. River smallmouth are some of the hardest fighting bass I routinely catch. You’d swear they were a 20 incher and when you actually see the bass its 13 inches. They need moving water this time of year because current carries oxygen and they need that to breathe. With the water being so warm and low, also look for areas with some better depth if you can find them.
I usually fish the Rum River in midsummer but its so low this year I won’t be able to do it. The only other year this has happened was 2012 since I have been living here. I usually just bring 2 setups. A bait caster with a topwater or other shallow fast moving lure, and then a spinning setup with a tube. Quite often they’ll miss the topwater, I’ll cast right back there with the tube, and the exact same fish hits that. I’m convinced that pretty much any lure will work as long as its placed in the right spot out there. Precision accuracy is important. My all time favorite river smallmouth lure is the storm subwart. They are now discontinued but I still have a few.
Anyone fish the GeeCrack Bellows? Stanky critters, smell like Fritos but man do fish love them. Too much at times.
I threw one out this morning and got crushed by an 18 inch largemouth. The Geecrack was way down his throat, got the hook out going in thru the gills. Two casts later a big pike blasted it and it was gone. This pattern of bass/pike happened 3 more times and I decided not to re-string and lose more. They were really swallowing it deep on a day the overall bite was light.
Need to save these for when I need to catch a limit in a tournament!
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Anyone fish the GeeCrack Bellows? Stanky critters, smell like Fritos but man do fish love them. Too much at times.
Never heard of em! Have to check them out.
I’m hitting White Bear tomorrow for a few hours of off shore work. Going to see what the jigworm is all about and I found a juicy little nugget in one of the latest Tactical Bassin videos about unusual jig techniques for hot weather bass.
Skip to 7:30 of the video. This is a way that I would enjoy working a jig! And not just because of the name……
I attended a David Fritts seminar when he was in town for the Don Shelby Bass Tournament in ’93 or ’94. He described a double pump method for deep water jigging but not as aggressive as this guy.
Got out for a couple hours just before the rain today and found a few bass in 15-18 fow on the weedline with a DT10. Could t get a bite on the new techniques I wanted to try out. The wind made it a bear to do anything finesse-y. Didn’t have many bites but they were good when I got them.
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Scum frog bite is picking up in the evening for me. The best thing I’ve done is be lazy and not watch the frog. When I hear something I set the hook. Not by design, but my hook ups are better.
What a hot day yesterday got chased off with the wind and rain on the first lake a few bass nothing special. Then went home after the heavy rain got out before the sun cracked out hammered them. Got 30 bass and 2 were 21 inchers nice hunks mostly 2-3 pounders. I’m really finally learning the weed edges the one thing I did not do much if I got 1 bass I usually kept slowly moving now I hit spot lock fish a few minutes get a few more then slowly keep moving and repeat not rocket science here but just something I had to learn on my own I guess. I used up finally all my Googan craws one fish one bait. They are not very durable. 5 bags in one outing is way to expensive 
Anyway I started using a ribbon tail worms as well got the biggest ones on those the powerbait worms I think have a little to much action used the Googan Mondo worm a little less curl will try to find something similar. I was Ned/jig worming them. Not sure the difference mushroom jig head let it fall swim it a little and crunch. Most came on a craw imitation I sure love those. Isn’t it funny how something just really works for you sometimes. I tried the usual turd style worm nothing maybe they have seen them to much
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