FIND HUNGRY BASS IN THE SUMMER HEAT! by Fresh Baitz

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We know as anglers that the warmer the water, the hungrier bass get, then they can be caught by savvy anglers who know what bait to use and where to look. In lakes with open-water forage, such as shad and blueback herring, fishing offshore humps and ledges is a summer staple. On the flip side, however, fishing docks and weed beds can be just as productive and can land you some massive trophies.

As a general rule, most docks don’t harbor a lot of big bass, but if there are lots of docks, the chances of catching a limit are enhanced. The trick is to explore every nook and cranny under the dock.

You can also try out pitching baits underhand with spinning tackle into the tightest nooks and crannies that others might not have been able to reach. Be patient and quiet, without banging a bait against pontoon floats or the dock itself. Let the bait fall slowly, twitch it or hop it a time or two, reel it in quickly and present it to the next target.
Shady docks provide excellent cover for bass and their prey. By late summer, pressured bass have moved into the most remote reaches underneath docks and overhanging trees along the bank, and traditional overhand or sidearm casting won’t reach them.

The most productive docks usually are those that are built on pilings in relatively shallow water over a sloping bottom, rather than floating docks over deep water. Look at the shoreline. Is it relatively steep or flat? That topography is probably repeated under the dock.

Skipping any of our soft plastic baits under a dock or nearby shoreline cover as one would skip a flat rock across a lake’s surface is a proven presentation. Typically, a rod of about 7 feet long with a light tip is employed. The trick is to keep the rod tip parallel to the surface. Otherwise, the bait will sail up and lose momentum, or splash down short of the mark. One of our favorite soft plastic baits to use is our Fresh Scorpion because it’s designed to imitate a real crawfish.
Our Fresh Scorpions are a revolutionary new look to soft plastics that took the market by storm. Each Fresh Scorpion has a unique and exclusive 3-axis tail design that is engineered like no other bait.

Every Fresh Scorpion is made from high-grade non-salt plastic to provide like-like action and long-lasting durability. Each Scorpion is also scented for complete and total fish attraction. Works excellent for Smallmouth, Largemouth, Pike, and Walleye. But, it has proven itself to catch much more. Perfect in any weather condition year-round!

The Fresh Scorpions design allows it to be rigged like any other craw-styled bait. In our opinion, the best way to rig it is upright using one of our Owner Stand-Up Jigs. This will put your Scorpion into a defensive stance that causes more STRIKES! We’ve also found great success using the Texas Rig, Drop Shot, Carolina Rig, Niko Rig, and more.
With wood cover, single docks or a few docks scattered along a fairly massive stretch of shoreline are more likely to be productive than several clustered together in one cove. That’s not necessarily because there are more or less fish on solitary docks, but rather because an angler can cover a single dock quicker and more thoroughly.

We have a wide variety of terminal tackle to choose from. Everyone’s favorite of course is always the Stand-Up Jig because it sits the bait upright in a defensive stance as you drag or hop across the bottom. We use the Owner Shakey Ultrahead in order to permanently secure our baits. You can actually screw the twist lock coil spring pin into the center of your back for beyond-perfect rigging every time!