FISHING FOR SUMMER BASS

Question
Chris, what style of fishing do you suggest when the water temp. is 80 degrees or above? this ? is based on after the fish have stopped hitting top water.

Answer
I Sincerely apologize for how long it's taken me to get to your question.  My computer has been down for the past few weeks, so my ability to do anything online has been extremely hit or miss.  

Summer bass fishing is all about recognizing patterns.  Topwater will still probably be productive in the early morning and from the hours between 6pm and dusk, but in between I typically try to just cover water and locate bass and then form a strategy off of whatever patterns I find.  Active bass are going to be hanging on potential ambush points, it's just a matter of figure out the theme.  

I typically start covering water fast with spinner baits and crank baits, especially if there are large schools of baitfish visible.  From there, I take notes on where I'm getting bites, depth, water temp, type of structure, etc.  Once I notice which patterns are productive, I build a strategy around them.  For instance, if I'm getting most of my strikes off of wood in 5-7 feet of water, I'm going to try to find every similar pocket of cover available and work different lures and retrievals until I find what's most effective.  I'm a huge fan of finesse and jig fishing.  When I start to locate fish in high concentration, I typically have at least a couple of rods already set up.  I'll usually have one with a Carolina or Texas rigged plastic worm, a bass jig, and a sluggo type lure.  

Again, I sincerely apologize for taking so long.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask again, as I enjoy helping, but it may take a few days due to my current computer situation.  Hopefully I've been of some help.

Thanks for asking and good luck,
Chris