During this scorching hot period of the summer when many anglers’ favorite lakes get a little overcrowded, they take the path of least resistance: They simply move to another lake.
But for a tournament angler, that’s simply not an option.
So, through years of trial and error — and perhaps a few choice words under their breath — they develop strategies for what can feel like fishing in a washing machine.
Florida pro Bernie Schultz, a veteran of 379 tournaments with B.A.S.S., has seen virtually every summertime crowd scenario you can think of, and he has a list of tips for thriving in the summer rush.
Catch em early; catch em quick
Summertime lake visitors are often plagued by summertime hangovers, and that gives tournament anglers a window of opportunity they must utilize to be successful.
“In the summertime, water and air temperatures are high, and fish are active for less time during the day,” Schultz said. “So, it’s a matter of capitalizing on those brief windows when you can catch them on top, catch them with moving baits and catch them by covering a lot of water.”
Many a tough summertime tournament has been all but won with a single big topwater strike at sunrise thrown into a weigh-in bag with four more simple 12-inch keepers. While a 4- or 5-pounder can be big in any tournament, Schultz says it’s especially big in events when the thermometer might touch triple digits before weigh-in time.
Once the people come out
Inevitably, the Goody Powders will kick in, the headaches will fade, and the recreational lake users will emerge. And just to be clear, we know not everyone hits the lake at mid-morning because they were hungover — nor are we criticizing those who drink responsibly. We’re just saying we know that’s one reason summertime party people sometimes sleep in.
Anyway, once those people make their way out onto the lake, Schultz says it’s almost like you’re fishing a different tournament.
“Once the sun starts getting above the trees and the jet skis and party boats start coming out, you have to change your strategy,” he said.
If the tournament is on a reservoir with feeder creeks, he suggests ducking into one of the creeks because most recreational boaters will be on the main lake.
“It’s nice to have options in feeder creeks or big coves that can give you somewhat of a separation from the traffic,” Schultz said. “The other thing is you might have to give up fishing shallow and move deeper. Fish often move off the banks and either suspend or go down and look for structure.
“Then it’s a matter of using your electronics and trying to find them that way, whether you fish with Panoptics, targeting individual fish throughout the water column or working specific targets deep.”
Boat traffic can wake em up
Though boat traffic is a turnoff for most anglers, Schultz says never doubt that it can actually improve the fishing on certain lakes. That’s right…improve.
“It doesn’t happen often, but boat traffic can make the bite better — especially with schooling fish,” Schultz said. “When things get really stale and stagnant, bass will school in the mornings and chase shad for a while and then they kind of give up when the temperatures get hot.
“When the surface starts to get choppy from all the boat wakes, sometimes that will wake the shad up and get the bass moving. That usually happens off to the side from where the boats are moving — or if you’re in a lake that’s heavily vegetated, it can actually happen in the boat lanes.”
Look for moving water
Few fisheries are more crowded with pleasure goers during the summer than Alabama’s Logan Martin Lake. That’s why many anglers avoided the central Alabama destination for more out-of-the-way Coosa River locales like Lake Mitchell and Lake Jordan.
But if you’re signed up for a tournament on a lake like Logan Martin during the peak crowd season, Schultz said, moving water can be your friend.
That can be a tailrace all the way on the upper end of the fishery, a small feeder creek or even rainwater runoff from a recent storm.
“It sounds contradictory, but moving water can actually be more stable during the summertime,” he said. “It provides oxygen, provides current which can bring cooler water temps. The shad are there, along with other forage, and it’s a great opportunity to catch fish — sometimes in big numbers.”