Dave Miller’s July 2024 Monthly Recap

Hope everyone is doing great this summer. It’s time for my July fishing recap. To reiterate the purpose of this series, it is for newer anglers regardless of age. Applying the information in this article will help ensure your next trip on the water will be a success.

Between tournaments and guide trips, fishing has either been one extreme or the other. Very good or very bad. Most of my fishing in the northeast has been on lakes with the exception of one event on the St. Lawrence River. With SLR being its own animal I’ll focus more on the lake fishing in this recap. 

With July being post spawn for the majority of the country, I found myself targeting fish that recently spawned. This does two things, provides target access to bigger females who may have been feeding up as well as  males guarding fry which can produce a quick limit. Now you are not going to necessarily be beating the bank here, focus on staying in depths of 12ft or less. In most lakes at 12ft you’re within casting distance of docks but also close to deep water. Mileage may vary depending on the lake but these break points in depths are typically where I’ve found the bigger bites. If there are main lake points outside of spawning areas even better. This year has definitely been weird for grass. Some lakes the grass was higher than it usually is for July and some very little. Look for quality grass like milfoil and hydrilla especially with rocks mixed in. Also keep an eye out for bluegill beds. If you’re targeting largemouth post spawn and see bluegill beds around you’re in the right place.

I focused my attention on 4 techniques in these areas but 1 shined the most.

Bladed Jig

I typically start with 3/8oz and go up if necessary to 1/2oz. My go to color this time of year is bluegill for obvious reasons. For a trailer I keep it simple and use a matching color swimbait. Depending on the depths of the weeds I like to cast parallel to the bank and slowly retrieve so I’m clipping the tops of the grass and breaking it free. Depending on how steep the drop off is you could also cast 45° covering from shallow to deep. Typically bites come when you erratically rip the bait free from the grass. I’ll start on the outter most edge of the grass and work my way in until the bass give away their location. This is a great way to cover a lot of water fast for both smallmouth and largemouth.

Recommended equipment: 7’-7’3” H fast action rod, 7:1 speed reel, 20lb fluorocarbon.

Spinnerbait

If the wind is blowing I will opt for the spinnerbait over the bladed jig. Wind will typically stir up the bait fish which typically makes the bass more active. I will 99% of the time start with a 1/2oz mainly because the blades give the bait some lift in the water column during retrieve. For color I keep it simple again with a white and chartreuse skirt and a double willow leaf blade combination which is a staple across the country, for good reason. Apply the same location and method as you would a bladed jig. Keep in mind the shallower you go and the more wind your area is getting don’t be afraid to retrieve this bait FAST! You’ll be surprised how fast these bass really are.

Recommended equipment: 6’10”-7’3” MH fast action rod, 6:1 speed reel, 15-20lb fluorocarbon.

Drop Shot

I would like to believe that more tournaments have been won on the drop shot over the years than any other bait. It simply produces! Focusing on deeper weed edges I start with a 3/16oz weight. For bait any small worm or baitfish imitation in green pumpkin will work great for this presentation. Sparser grass you will want to nose hook the bait with your favorite drop shot hook. Texas rigging it with a larger #2 hook with a keeper works great when the grass is thicker or even fishing around docks. For distance between weight and hook I usually keep it in the 12-18” range. Drop shot is considered a finesse technique but you don’t have to fish it like one. When fishing grass, dock pilings, docks, rock piles, etc. you can really cover a lot of water quickly if you treat it like flipping. You really don’t have to let it sit in one position very long. They are either going to eat it or not. You’ll know pretty quick once you start catching em shortly after you hit bottom.

Recommended equipment: 7’ ML fast action rod, 6:1 speed reel, 8lb braid to 6-8lb fluorocarbonz

Jig

For whatever reason this year I’ve been having the most success on a traditional jig, black and blue in 3/8oz. I do use my own which you could check out if you’d like at www.davemillerfishing.com/shop/. For a trailer I’ve been using a matching black and blue craw imitation, one that has little to no action. Using a trailer that doesn’t have a lot of action and appendages allows two things, faster fall rate with a standard profile as well as that it comes through grass better. The majority of bites I’ve had have been on the initial fall. If I did not get bit on the fall the first couple movements would produce a strike. When fishing the jig I would focus more on the rockier parts of my post spawn areas. If you’ve found fish in a specific area on the moving baits and you go back a few days later to fish again but they won’t hit the moving baits the jig is a great way to slow down and really pick apart the area. 

Recommended equipment: 7’7’3” H fast action rod, 7:1 speed reel, 20lb fluorocarbon.

I know to a lot of new anglers the jig is intimidating. If you want to get good at fishing a jig, leave all of your rods home for a few trips and only bring the jig rod. Force yourself to use it! I cannot emphasize this enough. Some of the biggest bass I’ve ever caught were bites you don’t feel. Where the bass just picks it up and sits there and you lose that feel of the bottom. Mmm mmm mmm. Once you experience those type of bites and lay into em with a solid hook set your love for fishing will change forever.

Thanks for stopping by. See you guys next month for my August recap. If you would like to follow me on the tournament trail or inquire on guide trips be sure to check out my website www.davemillerfishing.com. As always shout to The Bass Cast for having me!

Tight Lines!

Dave