August Fishing: the HOG days, not the dog days of summer

Rick here -

All the years I have been bass fishing, I feel that August is given a bum rap by the press. It has always been one of my favorite times to fish, but it is different than June & July. The weather is usually steady, which makes it easy to figure out what will pull in bass.

Jimmy G. with his HOG of a largemouth from August 2016

Here are some tips that I've found work exceptionally well in Newboro Lake in August. As always, I love to talk fishing and am happy to set you up with a map of marked spots for you to try on your trip to The Poplars Resort.

Rod & Reel

August is not a time to work your medium-light spinning rod. You need at least a medium-heavy rod with a stiff backbone & 20lb braid, if you are using a spinning rod.

The most fun a bass angler can have is with a bait caster in the heavier weights - medium-heavy to heavy. The rod of choice is a 6'6" to 7'6" bait caster with 40lb to 50lb braid to pull the bass through the heavier weeds of August. If you have a flipping stick, now is the time to bring it out, but there's no need to make a special trip to Cabela's... wink, wink.

lures & Water conditions

If you like worms, you can have great success with wacky worming, either weighted or Texas-rigged, along the inside & outside edges of mats & pads, usually in clear water. You can use your spinning rods here - just keep your worms on the small side, 4" to 5" and with lighter weights of up to 1/4oz, in depths of 10' to 12'.

On your bait caster, you can use some heftier worms, such as weightless 10" or Big Flappin' Shads. Frogs retrieved slowly through the mats & pads will also get you some great topwater action. Look for spots where there is an edge between two kinds of weeds for this technique.

If a crankbait is more up your alley, try a square-bill model as they are relatively snag-free because the lip shelters the treble hooks a little more on your retrieve, and will be effective on days when the water is darker.

Most successful colors to try in August tend to be natural - such as black, blue black, watermelon, and pumpkin, due to the clear water.

August water is still summer conditions, being clear & warm. While the weeds are heavier than earlier in the summer, it creates a lot of structure for the bass and is the perfect environment to attract the big ones.

If you like to fish the slop, August is your month. 1/2oz to 3/4oz jigs with trailers on a heavy rod nearly guarantees you action, or a creature bait, such as a beaver or brush hog. Keep your presentation slower and use a pitching technique with any of these lures - see a video example here and here.