bass fishing report

Fishing is hot just like the weather around the Harris Chain. Been having good luck fishing deeper water, say, over 8 feet. Deep diving crankbaits fished near hard bottom areas such as sand and shell bars have been holding fish in the deeper cooler water. Another hot bait to have tied on is some sort of soft plastic worm. Fluke style baits casted to structure have produced pretty well, too. Just remember to twitch your bait on slack line so the bait will dart back and forth. Don’t be afraid to let the flutter down as you count a few seconds before twitching it. If you are fishing near shallow water edges don’t forget about fishing around docks as they hold all sorts of smaller bait fish that feed on algae on the pilings.

I have had days on the water where I would only find active fish on or near docks. The shade they produce can provide some serious rod bending fun. Other soft plastics I would try are senkos and big ribbon tail worms. You can rig all these baits many different ways. A Carolina rigged plastic dragged around on the bottom can find new structure that holds bass. Ledges, points and deep water holes are all high percentage spots that I look for with electronics and also mapping. Lipless crankbaits can be useful as a search bait to find active fish. Look for something with gold and black to mimic a golden shiner or something with green and orange to imitate bluegill.

Topwater hollow body frogs are another fun bait to fish. Make sure to cast them around lilly pads, various types of grass and also along shorelines and seawalls. Pro tip: wait a second before setting the hook when you get that explosive blow up.

Fishing the summertime on these lakes can be challenging because of the extra boat traffic and the hot temperatures, but if you look for high percentage areas your chances of catching nice fish will be better. If you are interested in booking your own guided bass fishing charter on The Harris Chain of Lakes, checkout cprbasscharters.com for more information along with links to my social media pages with lots of fishing pictures.