“ SUMMER SMALLMOUTH ARE SUCKERS FOR SPEED .”
mize my time fishing lower water temperatures , even if they are only in the 85- to 87-degree range . Temps of 83 to 85 degrees can be ideal .”
Once the sun gets up and temperatures climb , current is the next best thing . The Coosa River and its reservoirs , formed by seven Alabama Power dams , offer no shortage of it . Alabama Power and other power companies typically list their generating schedules online . Daniels advises anglers to tune in and adjust their schedules to these run times .
“ The moment they pull current , you will want to be on the water ,” he says . “ Your best plan is to become familiar with the bite window on these lakes , to be on the best places when the current reaches the fish . These are the periods when bass are most aggressive and feeding best .”
Prime locations include bottom cover such as boulders , wood and rock piles . They provide ambush points for the predators as schools of baitfish activate .
“ My presentations at this time are highly shad oriented ,” says Daniels . “ Bass will hit crawfish and bluegill imitations , but they can ambush shad easily , so all my presentations relate to shad .”
Daniels ’ topwater arsenal includes walking-style baits like the Heddon Zara Spook family , the Reaction Innovations Vixen and the Paycheck Baits Repo Man . Subsurface offerings include weightless , fluke-style baits and compact swimbaits in the 2.5- to 4-inch range .
“ The fish are ambushing , looking up ,” says Daniels . “ I will let the fluke drift around boulders and let the current sweep it by the bass . I let the swimbait crawl over the rock and drop on the fish on the backside .”
Tip : Play the bite window . Be on the best spot at the best times . And match the hatch .
drew gill : Tapping the curiosity bite
The Bass Pro Tour got an eye-popping look at the potential of Drew Gill early in this 2024 season . The rookie from Mount Carmel , Illinois , notched four top-five finishes in his first five BPT events , including a win on North Carolina ’ s Chowan River .
The cerebral young angler takes a fresh approach to late-summer angling .
“ It ’ s extremely easy to pressure fish that have occupied an area for three or four months ,“ says Gill , who sits fourth in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings as of this writing . “ Fish that get pressured get pretty intelligent . That ’ s why triggering the curiosity bite is so important this time of year .”
Fish grow wise and cautious under a continuous bombardment of familiar baits . Gill ’ s solution is to show them something different , something that whets their curiosity .
To take on heavily pressured , hot-water largemouth , he arms himself with big baits – specifically , oversized topwaters and glide baits . Big baits attract bass ’ attention through their size and prominence , but also in their relative uniqueness – they contrast with baits fish have seen all season .
He keys in on high-percentage targets – a point , a flat , a ledge , a brushpile or an area or feature that a big bass is likely to relate to for an extended period . Favorite baits for triggering the curiosity bite include walking baits like the Zara Spook , Strike King Sexy Dawg and Reaction Innovations Vixen as well as wake baits like the Bomber Long A and Wesley ’ s Old School Vee ‘ W ’ Wake Bait . The side-to-side sway and trailing V-wake of the latter mesmerizes bass . Gill adds a wrinkle to his presentation .
“ I reel consistently until I have that bass ’ s attention , then I give it pulls so that it slithers and stops ,” he says .
His favorite glide bait is the Biggs Custom B-1 Glide Bait , which he presents with a slow but erratic retrieve .
“ It ’ s methodical , but I ’ m not moving the bait at a consistent pace ,” says Gill . “ Chop , stop , chop , longer stop . … I am moving the bait erratically for short bursts , letting it glide . The movement is very hard , but I am trying to give the fish time to approach the bait in between .”
“ SUMMER SMALLMOUTH ARE SUCKERS FOR SPEED .”
At the leading edge of today ’ s wave of young , tech-talented pros , Gill employs forward-facing sonar in just about all of his bass fishing , and his late summer target excursions are no exception .
“ When I am playing the curiosity bite ,” he says , “ I want the fish as tight as possible to my bait before I move it .”
Tip : Summer smallmouth are suckers for speed . Try a fast presentation to entice them to bite .
PHOTO BY JODY WHITE
30 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2024