COLUMN: TACTICAL BASSIN
Everyone knows to fish shade in
the summer, but some of the best
patterns exist within shadows
that many anglers overlook.
PHOTO BY TACTICAL BASSIN
find midday bass in the shadows
Summer patterns don’t have to fizzle out midday if you find key targets in the shade
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Matt Allen and Tim Little
are well-known big-bass
experts who own Tactical
Bassin, a website and
social media channels
dedicated to educating
the public about bass
fishing.
I
f we told you to fish
shadows this summer,
you’d probably immediately
envision skipping a bait
up under a dock, pitching a
Senko to the dark side of a laydown
tree or punching through
a heavy mat. That’s not a bad
start, but it’s also not exactly
what we’re talking about.
Everyone knows that it’s a
good strategy to fish shadows
in summer, but odds are,
you’ve never even considered
the shadows that actually matter
on your lake.
Obvious Low-Light Periods
The average angler fishes at
first and last light all summer.
They’re on the water for the
morning reaction bite, and
they’re back off as the recreational
boaters begin to launch.
The real die-hards show back
up for the evening or night bite.
Morning and evening are
low-light periods and full of
potential shadows. It’s comfortable
to fish then, and,
frankly, it works.
As the sun begins to beat
down and the mercury rises,
bass begin to congregate in the
remaining shadows. Most
anglers are already gone and
have no idea that the best bite
of summer is about to begin.
Fish that spent the morning
roaming are suddenly huddled
in small clusters just waiting
for their opportunity to feed.
Yes, this happens under
docks, mats and laydowns, but
that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
They also congregate on overlooked
locations. Exactly where
depends on the type of fishery.
Highland Color Lines
Highland reservoirs are typically
characterized by steeper
shorelines, winding river arms
full of secondary points and
fairly clear water. Think of lakes
like Cumberland or Table Rock.
Highland reservoirs offer the
most unique shade pattern of
any lake type on an overlooked
shadow that we call the “color
line.” As you move away from
the bank the water begins
changing color from lighter
greens and blues to the deeper
greens and blues of open water.
The transition from light to dark
is the color line. It could be in 3
feet of water or 50 feet, depending
on the lake clarity. Bass will
gather just below and outside
the color line all summer long.
To take advantage of the
color line, wait until the sun is at
30
FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | JUNE-JULY 2020