Logan Martin
The months of July and August can be hot, but so can the fishing if you look in the right places.
The water temperatures are normally in the mid-80s to low 90s, but this is good thing sometimes, and here’s why. Bass have a high metabolism, and they have to eat more this time of year. However, it is important to look in the right places at the right times, and this is my approach.
Traditionally in July on Logan Martin there are still a lot of fish out deep. Unfortunately, these fish have seen a lot of baits by this time, but they can still be caught. Knowing this, I start shallow in the mornings around docks and grass. I want to cover water fast and efficiently.
Two baits I like to keep in my hand during this time are a frog and swim jig. I’ll often bounce around four or five different places trying to find the active fish. This is especially true if it is sunny. If you get a real overcast day you can stay shallow a little longer.
Overall, I’ll give this bite about an hour, then I’ll head out to deeper water. Once I’m out deep, I am looking at my electronics trying to find schools of fish and brush piles. I will idle around in my boat until I find what I am looking for and then start fishing.
Usually, you can find these type places on long points. I’ll look as deep as 30 feet sometimes, but the magic depth seems to be in that 15- to 20-foot zone. Once I find what I’m looking for, I will ordinarily try to get the fish fired up with either a deep diving crankbait or swimbait.
Remember, these fish are typically rather pressured at this point in the year. I’ll either fish exceptionally fast to get them to react to something or slow down to finesse tactics. If I feel like I need to slow down, I’ll either reach for a drop shot or a ned rig. This is great way to get some bites and hopefully get the school fired up.
Now, switching to the month of August, I will fish the same way as I do in July, but you will see some fish start making their way back to the shallows. This is mainly due to fishing pressure and oxygen levels out deep, especially if there hasn’t been much rain. I’ll look for these fish around shallow docks and grass off the main river.
This can be a tough bite sometimes, but if you’re in the right place at the right time it might surprise you. A couple of baits that are a staple for me in August are a Texas-rigged Senko and frog. These two baits are great for getting those finicky fish to bite in the shallowest water. If you can find shaded banks, they can be a big plus, too. Again, these might be the dog days of summer, but there are still plenty of ways to catch fish during these months.
Neely Henry
Neely Henry is great summertime lake. I’m going to break down the lake on how I fish it depending on what area you might want to target.
There are a lot of places to fish that set up well to be successful for July and August. At Neely, you can stick to shallower waters these two months and still do well.
If you’re fishing near the mid-section of the lake, there is a lot of willow grass that lines the banks. I will typically keep it simple with just a few baits. Early in the morning, I will stick with either a frog or swim jig. I will try to keep on the shaded banks and cover water to find the active fish.
Once the sun gets up, I will typically start pitching and flipping the grass with either a ½-oz. jig or some type of creature bait. Both will likely be a green pumpkin color if the water is clear. If the water is more stained, I will use black and blue a lot of the time.
If I am in this section of the lake, I will generally stay shallow all day – even if the water temps are in the mid-80s to low 90s. The fish tend to live at shallow depths most of the time during these months.
Now, if I’m on the bottom end of the lake, I will kind of venture off the banks. The grass bite will still routinely be good. I will use the frog and swim jig in order to cover water and find active fish.
On the lower end of the lake, docks become a major factor for me. More often than not I will start on shallower docks in anywhere from one foot to about five-feet deep. I regularly pitch a senko under these docks. Locating the docks with brush around them is always a plus.
Later in the day I will fish deeper docks on the main river with a jig. A lot of the deeper docks get overlooked since they take longer to fish. I will keep my eyes on my electronics and look for brush out in front of these docks as well.
Try some of these tips and pay attention to what part of the lake you’re on in an effort to find success this time of year on Neely Henry.