TARGET: DEEP HUMP
BAIT: SWIMBAIT
Count it down to any depth, from the surface to the
bottom, if fish are suspended.
The Jig Bite
Tournaments can be won on Murray in late summer
by junk-fishing all sorts of shallow cover, including
docks, laydowns and emergent grass. While a frog
and other topwaters will get a lot of work, a jig might
be the most versatile option. Pitch, punch, swim or
flip it, depending on the cover. A jig gets big bites
and has won big money at Murray before.
TARGET: CREEK-CHANNEL EDgE
BAIT: CARoLINA RIg
Some bass will still relate to bottom in deep water, espe-
cially in the lower end. Get to them with a heavy rig.
Junk-Fishing New Water
TARGET: BRUSH PILE
BAIT: TExAS-RIggED WoRM
Bass love brush piles in late summer,
but many are one-cast targets.
JULY 2017 I FLWFISHING.COM
A little of this, a little of that is the best way to
approach Lake Murray in August. When Anthony
Gagliardi won in 2014, he fished a milk run of brush
piles, some shallow bank grass, two points where
bass were attacking baitfish in just a few feet of
water and offshore schooling spots. The mix gave
him some measure of security should an extreme
weather change occur. When Michael Bennett won
in 2008, he had a more refined pattern of throwing
a frog to shade lines, but he still had to fish new
water every day. That’s the nature of a Southern
summertime tournament. Spots don’t replenish, and
patterns are flimsy. Options and adaptation win
tournaments.
75